HEANEY vs. PAULS
Boxing returns to the UK this weekend with a cracking half dozen fights at Birmingham’s Resorts World Arena.
Stoke-on-Trent’s newly crowned British middleweight champion Nathan Heaney headlines, making his maiden title defence against ‘The Newquay Bomb’ Brad Pauls.
But there are another five x 10 and 12 round contests featuring genuine 50-50 fights, on paper at least.
Combined, the 12 fighters in the top half dozen bouts boast 191 wins against just four defeats and two draws.
Genuinely competitive matchmaking, like boxing should always aspire to be.
MY, MY, MY DELIILAH
Headliner Heaney boasts arguably the most entertaining ring walk in British boxing right now. When Tom Jones hits the PA system his loyal fanbase, who travel in big numbers, ensure an atmosphere like nothing else.
But it’s inside the ropes where Heaney has really started to blossom. His underdog performance against former world title contender Denzel Bentley in November earned him the coveted Lonsdale Belt.
https://twitter.com/MichaelBensonn/status/1349335781941399552?s=20
Now 18-0 (6 KO’s), the 34-year-old ‘Hitman’ has had to reassess his ambitions. But with international honours on the horizon, first he’s got to defend domestically against a deprived yet determined challenger.
Pauls, 30, has just one loss on his 19-fight record, but that was also the last time he fought on a big TV card.
He was outpointed by Tyler Denny contesting the English title on TV last year, but has won two since and picked up the same belt with an eighth round TKO at York Hall in September.
A regular on the small hall scene, Pauls may never catch the big promoter break necessary to make it in boxing if he comes up short in front of the cameras again.
His stoppage win over previously unbeaten Mitchell Frearson last time out will give him a lot of confidence, his first TKO in four years, but he’s jumping back up a level against Heaney.
SUPER 6
Heaney was superb against Bentley, a fight that many predicted to be a step too far.
His movement, ability to create angles, and combination punching were matched also by his conditioning. Unsurprisingly, his Movember moustache has remained, a good luck charm now.
Pauls is the puncher, with 10 knockouts to date, but Heaney has worked too hard for too long to come this far and falter now and he should run away with it on the scorecards.
With so many intriguing fights on one British card, I can’t help but run through the others.
Donnington’s red-hot Liam Davis (15-0) has got a real fight on his hands against quality Mexican Erik Robles Ayala (15-1) in the co-main, whilst Dennis McCann (14-0-1) and Bradley Strand (11-0) should ensure fireworks in their own super-bantam 10-rounder.
In the battle of the unbeaten, Dublin’s Pierce O’Leary (13-0) faces Belgium’s Hovhannes Matirosyan (16-0) at super-lightweight, and Ethan James (12-0) and Owen Copper (9-0) contest the English welterweight title.
Plus, former British super-middleweight champion Zach Parker (23-1) aims to get his lofty aspirations back on track against former champion Tyron Zeuge (27-1-1) of Germany.
NICK’S TIP
One of Britain’s most exciting fighters is in action and Birmingham will be jumping as “Delilah” booms out in Birmingham. Now 18-0 ‘Hitman’ has his eyes on international honours but faces a dangerous and durable opponent in what should be an explosive domestic dust-up. My tip?
NICK’S ACCA
It’s a cracking card in Birmingham, with plenty of fights that stir the imagination and whet the appetite. Can he land a knockout ‘Super Six’ of his own? £10 potentially returns £110 if this lands!
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