Frank Warren Brings Boxing Back To The Royal Albert Hall

Frank Warren Brings Boxing Back To The Royal Albert Hall

By Oliver McManus 

Frank Warren, today, announced his return to promoting at The Royal Albert Hall with a top class card scheduled for March 8th. The first show at the iconic venue since 2012, Warren confirmed his ambitions to host such an event late last year and, now, we have the fruition of his labour.

Within the card it is hard to see who the principal headliner will be but stealing the headlines is Daniel Dubois vs Razvan Cojanu with the bout, postponed from December 15th, getting the go-ahead. Having withdrawn from that fight due to the flu, Dubois will be looking to make up for lost time and, indeed, lost time to his closest rival Nathan Gorman.

Dynamite heads into his 10th professional contest off the back of a disappointing performance against Kevin ‘Kingpin’ Johnson. That contest, back in October, was a case of repetition throughout the 10 rounds with the American reverting to the ropes whilst Dubois fought fairly one-dimensionally. It was, arguably, the first fight where you Dubois’ youth and inexperience came to the surface, but you suspect the process coming at such an early stage will stand him in good stead, though.

Cojanu, on the other hand, returns to UK shores for the second time in just under three months with the Romanian having fought Nathan Gorman on December 22nd. In that bout, a 12 rounder, Gorman started off sprightly before fading in the latter half of the contest. Cojanu, to give him credit, recovered from a relatively shaky start to hold his own. Well, when I say ‘hold his own’, he didn’t look like getting knocked out but was a comprehensive second-best. Now with a record of 16 and 5, Cojanu’s most recent trio of losses have come to Razvan Cojanu, Luis Ortiz and Gorman. Only Ortiz has stopped him.

Starting off 2019 with a shared opponent, of the calibre of Cojanu, will be a great yardstick for measuring up Warren’s two heavyweight prospects. My money is on Dubois, as will that of most people, but Cojanu will make life hard for him through sheer awkwardness, Dubois will wear him down and get the late stoppage, in my opinion.

Nicola Adams will look to capture the WBO flyweight World title when she gets in the ring against Arely Mucino. Adams was touted to fight for the belt on December 22nd and has had a frustrating first 18 months as a professional with various issues limiting her to just five contests.

Having won the interim title with a unanimous decision over Isabel Millan, the 36-year-old set herself for a stellar 2019 and her quest for world domination kicks off, in earnest, on the 8th of March. Entering the twilight years of her career, The Lioness knows that time is not on her side but still looks as sharp as she was when winning Gold at London 2012.

The performance against Millan was a little flat-footed and it looked as though Adams was failing to cash in on what was a, huge, technical superiority. She has, however, looked peerless in her four fights previous and her relentless aggression makes her an easy advert for women’s boxing.

Mucino, 29 years of age, has been a professional since 2008 and the Mexican captured the WBO title in February last year with a majority decision over Monserrat Alarcon. A less than convincing defence, in September, came against Maria Salinas and, the former WBC World Champion, will be taking a massive step up when she fights Adams.

This should be an opportunity for Adams to look impressive but she’ll need to push on from here in order to maximise the return on her ability.

Liam Williams will return to the ring following a faultless display against Mark Heffron, to win the British middleweight title. The Welshman will defend his belt against Joe Mullender in a contest that looks set to steal the show.

Williams looked in fine fettle against Heffron as he comprehensively out-boxed the Mancunian, perceived by many as pre-fight favourite, in a performance that showed the true potential of Williams. For a long time, now, we’ve known that Williams is a serious talent but never before, from my experiences, have I seen the 26-year-old look so relaxed and mature in the ring. Boxing to a meticulous game-plan, Williams led with a wonderful jab and bounced in and out of the pocket, controlling the contest throughout. A tremendous flurry of aggression finished the contest in style but, boy, it’s a great time to be alive if you’re Liam Williams.

Smokin’ Joe is the man to step up to the plate with the former English Champion seeking to make up for lost time after a four-month anti-doping ban for the presence of dimethylbutylamine. It should be said, though, no intentional wrong-doing was laid at the door of Mullender.

The 32-year-old returned in October with a ferocious battle against Ben Capps – himself a ridiculously tough man – with the Brentwood Bruiser dropping Capps in the 3rd, 5th and 7th rounds before the contest duly ended in the seventh. Seemingly the ‘go-to man’ for a war, Mullender is a gifted boxer who is capable of out-working his opponent and has proven, throughout his seven-year career, he is more than just a plucky puncher.

I’ll put this in simple terms – WHAT A FIGHT.