Boxing: The Week That Was

Boxing: The Week That Was

There certainly has been plenty of action in the boxing world in the past week.

Callum Johnson so nearly caused the almighty upset in Chicago last Saturday. Johnson was dropped by the feared and unbeaten IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev in the 1st round and a quick end to his challenge for world honours looked likely. But Johnson recovered to drop the champion in the 2nd, but admitted he froze when his chance of victory was there, and sadly for him the chance soon passed.

Despite eventually losing at 2:36 of the 4th round, Johnson proved he belonged at this level and shown that maybe Beterbiev isn’t quite as good as we thought.

Earlier, on the heavily promoted Frank Warren show in Leicester, Ohara Davies failed to pull the trigger and perhaps caught between two styles lost to Jack Catterall who deservedly got the decision after 12 rounds which failed to excite.

The big heavyweight hope Daniel Dubois was shown that not everyone will fall, when Kevin Johnson extended him the full 10 rounds. Johnson came to survive and he did, Dubois will have gained much from his first distance fight.

Nicola Adams remained unbeaten on the same show, flashes of brilliance and periods where the flaws were highlighted in her win over the vastly more experienced Isabel Millan. Like Dubois, Adams knows there is work to be done, but will learn from going the full 10 rounds.

Archie Sharp and Leon Woodstock closed the show in some style, Sharp got the nod 96-93 in an action packed fight.

Naoya Inoue showed once again what a talent he is, winning with a one-punch knockout in the opening round of season two of the World Boxing Super Series. Inoue now unbeaten in 17 contests will take some beating.

Rocky Fielding gets an unlikely chance when he meets Saul Alvarez in December, how a career can change in boxing, just ask Billy Joe Saunders. Now no longer the WBO middleweight champion, Saunders faces an uncertain future and despite being a fighter with much talent his career has never reached the heights it should have, and the clock is very ticking.