Francesca Hennessy vs. Ellie Bouttell: Big Fight Preview

Francesca Hennessy vs. Ellie Bouttell: Big Fight Preview

The show goes on for Boxxer on Saturday night, and they deserve immense credit for not pulling a card that was left hanging by a thread when the scheduled main event between Adam Azim and Gustavo Lemos fell by the wayside over the weekend due to both fighters sustaining last-minute injuries. Azim and Lemos will trade blows later this year, but another fight with world title implications will now take centre stage at the Copper Box Arena live on BBC Two.

Francesca Hennessy and Ellie Bouttell put their unbeaten records on the line in a final eliminator for the WBC world bantamweight title. The WBC Silver bantamweight title is also up for grabs.

Cherneka Johnson holds all the world bantamweight baubles, and the winner on Saturday night can look forward to a shot at undisputed glory later this year. Despite the usual tiresome criticism from some, Hennessy and Boutell are in a fight of real importance and will be incredibly grateful that Boxxer did indeed say the show goes on.

Ben Shalom labels Francesca Hennessy as a future superstar, and she has the look of a fighter with real star potential. At 21, her prime is many years ahead. But already Hennessy is receiving many plaudits, and in seven professional fights since turning professional in 2023, she has done little wrong.

Dorota Norek pushed her hard in 2024, when Hennessy was dealing with a family bereavement. It was a tough emotional night at Selhurst Park. But Hennessy, who was only 19 at the time, passed a real test, and in many ways, she came of age.

Hennessy is developing into a real prospect, and she was particularly impressive in her last fight in November against the former world atomweight champion Fabiana Bytyqi in Derby. Showing great maturity and class, Hennessy won every round in outclassing Bytyqi over ten one-sided rounds. The potential of Hennessy is obvious.

But on Saturday night, Hennessy is almost certainly facing the toughest test to date in her flourishing career. The unbeaten Ellie Bouttell will look to upset the odds and inflict the first defeat on the professional resume of Hennessy.

Shalom will be somewhat nervous about the outcome in London. This is the third Boxxer/BBC show, and in the previous two, Shalom saw Frazer Clarke and Callum Simpson suffer unexpected defeats. He will hope Hennessy can reverse the trend.

The highly-ranked Ellie Bouttell comes back to her native land with real ambition. And hope. Originally from Nottinghamshire, Bouttell has based herself in China, and her fight with Hennessy is her first professional fight on UK soil. The 29-year-old had to settle for a draw on her debut in 2023, but seven wins since have put her potentially only one fight away from a shot at the undisputed world bantamweight title. A win over the then-unbeaten Mariah Turner is probably the standout victory on her record. Turner hasn’t lost since, and a victory for Hennessy is anything but guaranteed.

Bouttell is the betting outsider. SkyBet have her as the 13/5 underdog, with Hennessy odds on at 2/7. But I wonder if those odds are a little wide of the mark, and with Bouttell fighting on the other side of the world, is there a chance that she he is being criminally overlooked? How many people have actually seen her fight? It might be a lot closer fight than those odds suggest. And a lot better fight as well. Bouttell will bring aggression and a great deal of ambition. Hennessy will bring a little bit of show to the business. A fight with a lot at stake, and the reward of a possible fight for undisputed glory down the road.

Photo Credit: Chris Dean/Boxxer