By Declan Taylor
Wednesday, November 8.
RETURN FIRE
In some good news to kick off the week, it was confirmed that Boxxer have now been given assurances that Dan Azeez will be fit to fight Joshua Buatsi early next year with February 3 the date for the rearranged London derby. It will take place at Wembley Arena.
In one of the latest and most disappointing injury withdrawals of 2023, Azeez had to pull out of the fight four days out due to a back problem sustained in the closing stages of his camp but it seems as though the injury is now fully healed and he can return to the gym imminently.
On the subject of returns, Jermall Charlo is now only days away from his first fight since 2021 after time away from boxing due to some well-documented mental health issues. His opponent for November 25, Jose Benavidez, has mocked Charlo in the build-up to the fight for those problems and The Week asked the Big Charlo twin how he felt during a Transatlantic call late on Wednesday.
“That’s fine,” Charlo told me. “I’m not ashamed of it. Obviously I took some time off to get myself better. I’m OK with it. It’s a joke to him but it’s fine to me. A lot of people say what they want to say but, at the end of the day, I’ll be the bully in the end.”
Thursday, November 9
TEENAGE KICKS
There are few things The Week likes more than a Thursday night fight and there were not one but two of note on November 9. Firstly, at the Madison Square Garden Theater, Dana White-backed, New York-based Cork man Callum Walsh was dropped but still won comfortably, on the cards at least, his 10-rounder with Ismael Villarreal.
There is a lot to like about Walsh, who was watched by White and also Triple H at ringside, but who is promoted by Tom Loeffler and trained by Freddie Roach. This was a good test and an entertaining fight. Bloody love a Thursday.
Also that day, down in Mexico, 15-year-old Brit Rianna Doforo made her professional debut as part of an all-female card shown at the Foro 360 in Naucalpan. The Liverpool teen, who is trained by Stefy Bull, did the business against her 39-year-old opponent over four-twos. Bull says Doforo is a ‘once in a lifetime’ fighter. That may be so, but she can’t get her licence in the UK until she’s 18 so expect a few more of these outings for the starlet.
Friday, November 10
ELEVENTH HOUR
The first Eubank headliner in Brighton this century went about as well as anyone could have hoped with Harlem securing the biggest win of his career and everyone else from the area doing the business too.
But in the dressing room after the fight, Harlem spoke to me about how hard this camp has been given the loss of his father in September. “It’s an everyday challenge,” he said. He had spoken of a sense of destiny before this victory and there was a strange pattern to fight night too. It was 11 years ago that he first started boxing, this was the 11th month, and at 11pm he stopped Timo Schwarzkopf in the 11th round. All very Stranger Things if you ask me.
Speaking of which, on Friday the rumours began to swirl about the line-up for the Saudi Arabia show on December 23 which is starting to take shape despite the absence of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. Instead, the other two big names at heavyweight, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder, are set to feature in separate bouts on the Riyadh Season event two days before Christmas. Does this mean AJ will be boxing on TNT Sports? Ho ho ho.
Saturday, November 11
PHONE A FRIEND
Hot off the back of Friday’s news, on Saturday The Week got wind of another heavyweight expected to feature in Riyadh: Daniel Dubois. Multiple drug cheat Jarrell Miller and veteran Brit Dereck Chisora were both names said to be in the running for the fight although the latter shares a trainer with Dubois so who knows how that would work. But hey, this is Saudi, where rings rise out of the floor and undercards take place outside.
In the story of Saturday night, meanwhile, underdog Jeff Ofori stunned Matchroom prospect Calum French on DAZN to claim the most significant win of his career to date. “I haven’t got a big promoter,” he said. “Just my family and my little son.” Eddie Hearn insisted it would be ‘winner stays on’ and that Ofori would be given another opportunity and another payday as a result of the victory.
Such a wonderful moment for Ofori was so very nearly the visual of the evening but it was in fact usurped by Konrad Czajkowski’s cornerman who took a phonecall during the break between rounds four and five. The 23-year-old visitor was then stopped in the fifth by Owen Rees. Talk about leaving him hanging.
Sunday, November 12
VICTORY PARADES
As The Week, bleary-eyed, surveyed the boxing landscape for news on Sunday the realisation hit: yes, James Toney and Donovan Ruddock really did fight. By now the footage was widespread and no more edifying than one might have imagined. It was a draw and just to add another vignette to the farcical nature of the event – the Jamaican commission changed it to two-minute rounds, mid-fight, after the first and second were boxed over three.
Meanwhile, in the UK, Harlem Eubank, fresh from his aforementioned victory, was paraded at Brighton’s Amex Stadium before their Premier League clash with Sheffield United on Sunday afternoon as the push to forge him into a south coast star continues to gather pace.
The Southern Area awards do also took place on Sunday and it was another gong for heavyweight Johnny Fisher, who was named the Boxing Writers’ Club earlier this year too. Fisher’s victory over Harry Armstrong to claim the Southern Area title was named the Fight of the Year while it was also a good evening for Shane Mcguigan’s Gym. He was named Trainer of the Year, Chris Billam-Smith Fighter of the Year and Caroline Dubois the Cecil Ross Young Boxer of the Year. Bosh.
Monday, November 13
CABINET RESHUFFLE
After the morning on which Suella Braverman was unceremoniously dumped from her position as Home Secretary by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Monday turned into a major day for British boxing’s foreign policy. After the rumours all weekend about December 23 in Saudi, things really started to take shape as The Week got wind of a double press conference plan for London. It was suggested that ‘everyone’ involved in that card – including Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua – would attend a presser on Wednesday at Wembley Arena while both Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk would formally announce the date of their encounter 24 hours later.
Then, just to firm all of these rumours up once and for all, just before 6pm on Monday evening a beaming Turki Al-Alshik, the main man in Saudi, posted a picture on his Instagram flanked by Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn. It seemed as though the Matchroom boss had been frozen out of all things Riyadh Season in recent months but the photo suggested there may have been something of a cabinet reshuffle in the Kingdom. Much like David Cameron, from out of nowhere, he is back in from the cold. Whoever thought pigs might fly?
Tuesday November 14
CHUNKY LIVES
On Tuesday there was a rare sighting of James DeGale, who has not done a single interview since he retired in February 2019, on what was the 10-year anniversary of his pro debut.
During the interview with the Keep A Luke Out podcast, DeGale revealed that he struggled initially – and was ‘acting a bit crazy’ – upon retirement and saw a psychiatrist and a psychologist. He discovered then he had severe ADHD and has been on medication ever since. “I spoke to my mrs and my mum,” he said. “And decided to go on the meds. It has been life changing for me. I feel like a new man.”
DeGale also revealed he had been training in the gym and even sparring his mate and former pro Steve O’Meara before he ruptured his Achilles during one particular round. It means we can safely rule out DeGale-Toney for now.
One fight we are definitely getting, however, is Natasha Jonas against Mikaela Mayer, which will take place on January 20 at the Liverpool Arena as per Boxxer’s press release late on Tuesday. “Miss GB v Miss USA and may the best woman win,” Jonas said.
