Oi! will you be watching…‘Rule Britannia’?!

Image: Wikimedia commons. Anthony Joshua the next big thing in British boxing… quite literally

There’s one word which sums up the sporting action this weekend: titles. Whether it’s the presidency of the most corrupt organisation since the Godfather family or the longest-standing domestic trophy in England, there are going to be seismic shifts- or a lot of inscribing anyway- in the world of sport, but more shifts than anywhere else will take place tonight in the world of British boxing. Tonight, the O2 Arena will play host to four fights with huge implications for the near-future of the sport, both at home and abroad.

Let’s start at the bottom and so starting at the top of the weight order. Anthony Joshua, 25, will be hoping to defend his WBC International Heavyweight title against the American Kevin Johnson, 35. Now, I’ll be honest with you here, when I first saw this story I thought to myself ‘Blimey, I didn’t know the bouncers could get in on the action?!’. However, a few hours of research later… I still feel this way. Since his Olympic Gold in 2012 over Roberto Cammarelle, Joshua (or AJ as his nickname goes) has won all 12 of his fights by KO and none have gone beyond the third round. On the other hand, Johnson dubbed ‘Kingpin’ is a seasoned veteran, having won 29 out of the 35 fights in his professional career. However, he comes into this fight after three losses on the bounce. Both boxers fight from an orthodox stance but Joshua is expected to make better use of his longer reach whilst Johnson will attempt to rustle his opponent with a strong left jab. For me, this fight has the same feel as the FA Cup final this weekend- Joshua/ Arsenal expected to win and those betting on Johnson/ Aston Villa probably have too many lucky pounds…

Moving on and now the British emphasis turns from defending titles to challenging for them as Lee Selby, 28, takes on Evgeny Gradovich of Russia, 28, for the IBF featherweight title. There are some stark similarities between the ‘Mini Destructor’ (Gradovich) and ‘Lightning’ (Selby): Gradovich has 19 wins out of 20 with 9 by KO whilst Selby has 20 wins out of 21 with 8 by KO. The IBF featherweight title is the only title Gradovich has ever held, having won it in January 2013 against Billy Dib, and since then has retained it 4 times. Although this is his first fight in England, Gradovich’s agility and speed will be a concern for Selby, who is looking to add this belt to his British & Commonwealth featherweight title as well as his WBC International featherweight title. This fight has the air of a pinnacle for Selby who makes powerful use of counter-punches and agility to make the opponent more vulnerable, landing punches from awkward angles. This fight promises more for the boxing fan, with both fighters very similarly matched in style, experience and ambition. Maybe think of this one as British boxing’s equivalent of the £120 million Championship play-off final – lots of potential but the future will remain unclear for both fighters.

more shifts than anywhere else will take place tonight in the world of British Boxing. Tonight, the O2 Arena will host four fights with huge implications for the near-future of the sport.

As the big fight of the night gets ever closer, the eyes become slightly blearier and you begin to wonder why you ever chose to watch the Graham Norton Show over Amir Khan’s hard fought victory last night, Venezuelan Jorge Linares, 29, will take to the ring to defend his WBC lightweight title against Brit Kevin Mitchell, 30. Again, there are a number of similarities between the combatants. Nicknamed the ‘Golden Boy’ and ‘The Dagenham Destroyer’ respectively  the pair have fought 41 fights each, 38 wins with 27 by KO for Linares and 39 with 29 by KO for Mitchell. Both boast famous victories such as Linares’ first-round K.O. against Francisco Contreras in 2013 and Mitchell’s victory over Breidis Prescott, ‘The Conqueror of Khan’, in 2009. If Mitchell hopes to have a chance, he needs to overcome the unbelievably fast reflexes of Linares and look to draw his opponent into exchanges at close quarters forcing him to let his hands go in the earlier rounds before breaking him down. Mitchell’s main hope for victory lies in his powerful upper-cut which could negate Linares’ brilliant counter punching ability. In many ways, the statistics point to Mitchell taking the WBC lightweight title from Linares, but don’t expect this to be easy. If I were you, when watching this match, expect very few fight changing punches an seismic momentum shifts.This fight has an air of the Monaco Grand Prix battle between  Rosberg and Hamilton about it. You can smell the tension.

And so we reach the big fight of the night, an entirely British affair. Kell Brook, 29, from Sheffield, will defend his IBF welterweight title, won against Shawn Porter last year, against Frankie Gavin, 29, from Birmingham, the only World Amateur Champion from Britain in boxing history. Now I don’t need to tell you about ‘Special K’- you heard enough about him in the most valuable fight in history, earlier this month. He now has 34 wins out of 34 fights, 23 won by knock-out- declared by some as the best in Britain. He uses an orthodox style and there is only one word to sum him up: power, in bucket-loads, relentlessly harnessed. As for ‘Funtime’, he has won 22 out of 23 fights as well competing in the 2006 Commonwealth Games, going pro after the 2008 Olympics. Gavin is the most unique fighter on show tonight, the only southpaw, hence the jab is the biggest weapon in his arsenal. The pair present the biggest number of contrasts of any two opponents on the card. Sheffield v Birmingham, limelight v shadows, orthodox v southpaw. There is no need to compare this fight to any other event this weekend. The main event will showcase the depth and excitement of British boxing: QED.

I’m not telling you to avoid the FA Cup final today- it still carries the same magic as it has for the last century. All I’m saying is- why stop the sporting day when the trophy’s lifted?

Titles are the reason we are all here today, but they only tell you half the story. I’m not telling you to avoid the FA Cup final today- it still carries the same magic as it has for the last century. All I’m saying is- why stop the sporting day when the trophy’s lifted? At the O2 Arena, ‘Rule Britannia’ will bring shifts to world of British boxing and possibly a glimpse towards the future. Anyway, who wouldn’t want an FA Cup final, a Championship play-off and a Monaco Grand Prix all in one night?!