British boxing looks in rich health if Frank Warren’s “Night of Champions” is anything to go by. It took place on Saturday night at Wembley Arena and showcased the best up and coming talent on Warren’s books.
The event had suffered several setbacks when the Danny Williams match disintegrated and Kell Brook pulled out. In reality the fighters that remained all seem to be taking on boxers of a lower calibre than themselves, but it was still a spectacle and a taster of what’s to come in the future.
Nathan Cleverly and Kevin Mitchell will steal the headlines and rightly so after both showed why they are undefeated and why they should both have world title shots within the year.
Cleverly fought arguably the best fight of his career against plucky Italian veteran Antonio Brancalion. The Welshman showed a new-found composure, picking his shots well, and he had Brancalion down twice in the first couple of rounds, before taking his ninth successive knockout. It was a matter of doing the sums for Cleverly, and the maths undergraduate answered the questions about his punching power by blowing away the former European champion, passing the test with a tactically astute fight.
If Cleverly displayed tactical nous Mitchell demonstrated his ferocious finishing power by destroying Columbian Ignacio Mendoza. After a decent opening round Mitchell landed an uppercut on Mendoza with such ferocity the South American’s feet left the floor and he began an ascent towards the ceiling. It looked like something out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon and I half-expected to see tweety birds flying around his head when he eventually hit the canvas.
Next up for Mitchell is the WBO interim title holder, Australian Michael Katsidas, and the first chance for Mitchell to take home a world title. Of course the fight everyone wants to see is the “Dagenham Destroyer” v Amir Khan and if he can take a world title, an all-British match-up could well be on the cards in the near future.
Elsewhere on the card James DeGale took further steps into the pros with a cocky performance against Matthew Barr. If “Chunky” wants to make an impact in the big leagues he needs to work on his ring walk. Accompanied by one of the worst rappers ever heard DeGale strutted to the ring in a cringe worthy display of over-confidence. A lot of boxers today put on these uber-Ali acts and DeGale danced into the ring like he was the world No.1. It was only his sixth pro fight and he needs to be aware that he is still learning at this stage, he tried to make Barr look like a fool by dancing around his punches and almost caught one for his showboating.
DeGale’s razzmatazz late on enraged Barr, who is an experienced boxer and that disrespect cost the Londoner a clip round the ear - a harder hitter could have sent him down. Other than that the local boy looked good on his home debut - he’s got speed, outstanding footwork and his power is improving. However he needs to stop trying to razzle-dazzle and concentrate on shot selection because he is going to come a cropper one day if he keeps doing that.
Elsewhere “Fun-time” Frankie Gavin faced an awkward customer in Peter McDonagh. It was a step up in class for Gavin who had blown away his previous five opponents with stoppage victories, but the wily McDonagh proved awkward and his experience took him the distance, despite Gavin winning every round. It was the sort of education a journeyman can give a new-comer and Gavin will be a better fighter for it.
In the other fights the ever-bizarre Derek Chisora celebrated Valentine’s Day by giving Carl “The Fridge” Baker a kiss on the lips as the two faced off in the press conference prior to their fight. Chisora seems obsessed with trying to make a name for himself but it all seems too forced and he’s just making people not like him. He landed a great right hook that turned out the roly-poly Baker's lights, but as the big man’s legs went Chisora failed to put him down, which is the mark of a top heavyweight. The ref came to his aid and stopped The Fridge just as he was coming back round but it was simply too easy for “Del Boy”, who looked average at best. The Walsh triplets also all took home victories and the only shock of the night came when Vinnie Mitchell was dropped by Jon Baguley.
So what have we learned? Warren can still pick an easy fight for his boxers and sensationalise it to the hilt, no doubt about that. It was a good night of boxing to be fair, but wasn’t greatly competitive - more of a showcasing and a taste of the future. Mitchell and Cleverly should be world champions by the end of the year while Gavin and DeGale have the potential to join them in a couple of years.
British boxing looks set to explode on to the international scene and if the talent keeps coming through the UK could soon establish itself as a world super-power.
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