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Matchroom Boxing’s Fight Camp is in its second year, and tonight in week two, Galahad and Dickens go head-to-head for the vacant IBF World Featherweight title, as well as highly-rated British Heavyweight Fabio Wardley making his return with the English title on the line.
Last week’s Fight Camp opener didn’t go exactly as planned as headline act Conor Benn tested positive for Covid just days before his clash with Adrian Granados that was set to top the bill at Matchroom HQ.
However, Nottinghamshire’s finest Leigh Wood pulled off a sensational victory over the highly-rated Chinese fighter Xu Can after Tommy McCarthy and Chris Billam-Smith stole the show.
Wood boxed a near-perfect fight over 12 rounds, and with Xu Can in desperate need of a stoppage, he, in turn, left himself wide open for a thunderous right hand.
The Nottinghamshire boxer earned a tremendous 12th round stoppage and became WBA Regular World Featherweight Champion, and whilst it may only be the regular title, it puts him in great stead for a real world title fight in the featherweight division. Consequently, Wood will certainly be keeping more than an eye on the Galahad and Dickens showdown.
Here is an overview of the card for week two at Matchroom HQ
Aqib Fiaz (6-0-0) v Kevin Baldospino (9-5-2) eight rounds at Super Featherweight
6-0 Super Featherweight prospect Aqib Fiaz has spent almost 10 months out of the ring but isn’t letting that discourage him from taking another tough fight.
In his previous outing, Fiaz boxed on the undercard of Joshua Buatsi v Marko Calic against Kane Baker. Fiaz struggled against the rugged style of his opponent and often found himself being bullied around the ring. He did, maybe somewhat controversially, get the eventual decision over the eight rounds.
His next opponent is an Ecuadorian fighter with a similar win percentage to Baker, in the form of Kevin Baldospino.
Perhaps not conforming to the typical ‘Latin American’ style, Baldospino is very much a boxer, not a puncher, but will still certainly come forward. In his nine victories, he only has one stoppage, meaning his power may not be an issue to Fiaz.
Fighting mainly on the Spanish circuit, he is a top 10 domestic fighter in his adopted home country despite a modest record, beating mostly journeymen along his way. That being said, the Ecuadorian can definitely box and could pose a few problems to Fiaz if he can’t keep the pressure from his opponent under check and avoid taking too many scoring shots.
Ebanie Bridges (5-1-0) v Bec Connelly (3-9-0) eight rounds at Bantamweight
The ‘Blonde Bomber’, alongside Britain’s Shannon Courtenay, not only gripped the nation in the build-up but stole the show in their WBA World title fight on the Conor Benn v Samuel Vargas show.
In Bridges’ UK debut, she played her part in an absolutely brutal encounter, with countless exchanges and big shots landing both ways.
She showed her heart and determination as she finished the fight despite immense swelling around her eye, and despite coming out on the losing end of the decision, she greatly impressed promoter Eddie Hearn.
Bridges returns against Bec Connelly and despite a modest record, there is no doubt Connelly has constantly taken big fights against top opponents with the likes of Terri Harper, Natasha Jonas, Rachel Ball, Ellie Scotney and Ramla Ali.
She is tough to beat and has only been stopped twice, with no shame after being stopped by Harper and Jonas. Connelly look to absorb what Ebanie Bridges can throw at her, but with the toughness the Aussie displayed it proves a tall ask for Connelly to get the upset here.
Women’s professional boxing has undoubtedly come an incredibly long way in recent years, and Bridges’ fight with Courtenay showcased exactly that.
However, one of the problems the sport faces is the lack of depth in each division. Despite the incredible nature of the fight, some were disgruntled at the fact that a 6-1 and 5-0 fighter can face off for a world title, this being in one of the deeper women’s divisions.
This will, undoubtedly, remain a theme for a couple of years to come, but with the uptake in women’s boxing getting better and better we are sure to see bigger records building.
Johnny Fisher (2-0-0) v Danny Whitaker (4-3-0) four rounds at Heavyweight
The Romford Bull hasn’t taken a well-trodden path when it comes to the route to becoming a professional boxer. Fisher’s size and power at amateur level caught the eye, but he was insistent on taking and completing his History course at the University of Exeter, playing Rugby along the way.
Finishing university in spring 2020, he received a host of calls from promoters and managers looking to get him on board. Ultimately, it was Sam Jones who Fisher elected to guide him on his professional journey, with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing being his promoters. Training with highly resected Essex based coach Mark Tibbs, it’s no surprise many tip Fisher to go far with the tools around him.
Despite all of this admiration, his amateur career wasn’t the most extensive so everyone concerned is keen to take their time with him. That being said, it can be difficult to not get excited with his raw power, which Eddie Hearn has spoken glowingly of and he has indeed showcased this in his first two professional bouts.
His opponent this time around is Danny Whitaker. Debuting in 2019, Whitaker beat Fisher’s previous opponent Phil Williams in his first professional outing, showing this is a step up of sorts for ‘The Romford Bull’. Whitaker’s four victories mostly came against journeymen, but in his third win, he scored a unanimous points decision over Jonathan Palata. Whitaker has touched gloves with some very good fighters, albeit in comprehensive defeats to Fabio Wardley’s upcoming opponent Nick Webb and David Adeleye.
This, in theory, should be another mauling for Fisher. However, there is no doubt Whitaker can mix it, and if Fisher is off his game, there could be just a glimmer of a very big upset. Fisher has a way to go to get to the level of Adeleye and particularly Webb, but he’ll want to make a statement by beating his opponent in an even more impressive fashion than they did.
Alen Babic (7-0-0) v Mark Bennett (7-1-0) eight rounds at Heavyweight
Alen Babic has proved a real crowd pleaser since turning professional back in 2019. The Savage first fought in the UK for his second professional fight, appearing on the Dillian Whyte v Oscar Rivas undercard. Babic has fought on the Italian circuit before, but since he signed with Eddie Hearn in 2020, the promoter has seen the potential in Babic’s brutal style.
Unsurprisingly, this style has endeared him to the British boxing public and the Croatian has reciprocated this love in his post-fight interviews. In Babic’s most recent outing, he was given a few problems by the impressive Damian Chambers but ultimately got the third-round stoppage in what was a breathtaking affair on the Lewis Ritson v Jeremias Ponce undercard.
Facing the undesirable task of fighting The Savage will be Mark Bennett. Bennett is certainly no pushover, with his only defeat coming in his most recent fight against Nick Webb. Very much a typical club fighter, Bennett has shown absolutely no fear in the build-up and at the weigh-in seemed to take his opponent by surprise by responding to a belittling Babic slap to the face with one doubly as hard.
Of course, it is one thing showing no fear, it’s another thing handling Babic’s ruthless aggression and power in the ring.
Fabio Wardley (11-0-0) v Nick Webb (14-2-0) BBBofC English Heavyweight Championship fight
Fabio Wardley has caught the attention of many British boxing fans as one of the most exciting prospects in the country.
The protege of non other than Dillian Whyte, Wardley has passed each test with flying colours, including a dominant performance against Eric Molina on the undercard of Whyte v Povetkin 2.
With Joe Joyce climbing up the ladder and now guaranteed a world title shot, Wardley has spoken of his desire to fight for and win the British title held by the Juggernaut.
Joyce hasn’t chosen to or indeed been forced to relinquish the Lonsdale belt as of now, although one would imagine that may happen sooner rather than later. If Wardley were to progress too, there’s every chance he may get the chance to fight for that title as well which would certainly do his ranking no harm. As of now, Wardley has been given the go-ahead by the BBBofC to fight for the English heavyweight title.
Wardley’s opponent will be the IBO International titleholder, Nick Webb. Webb has navigated the domestic underground scene, working on small halls and lesser shows to work his way to this point.
Despite a good record on the face of it, a lot of his victories have come against fighters with losing records or at least a considerable amount of defeats on their resume. His two defeats come against two recognisable names, but not names you’d associate with the elite in boxing in the form of David Allen and Kamil Sokolowski.
The latter of which is very much a journeyman but is a fighter that can certainly box and is incredibly tough, causing David Adeleye a whole host of problems.
All in all, on paper this should be relatively routine for Wardley, but a relative lack of experience could be the only worry for him, particularly in title fights.
Kid Galahad (27-1) v James Dickens (30-3) IBF World Featherweight Championship fight
Topping the bill for week two of Matchroom’s Fight Camp 2, it is the Featherweight’s taking centre stage and a rematch eight years in the making.
Doha born Kid Galahad will be looking to become world champion as he comes up against an old foe in Jazza Dickens. The Liverpudlian looks to rewrite the history books after his 2013 loss in a British Super Bantamweight title fight.
Following Leigh Wood’s fabulous outing last week, both of these fighters will look to make their own mark on Fight Camp and take their step onto the world stage in the featherweight division.
On paper, this fight is very difficult to call with Galahad fighting just once since his narrow defeat to Josh Warrington and Dickens looks to make amends for his loss and add Galahad to Leigh Wood in the list of top featherweights he’s beaten.
Galahad was believed by many to have beaten Josh Warrington in 2019, having frustrated his fellow Yorkshireman in the very early rounds.
There was a late flurry from Warrington at the First Direct Arena, but Galahad held on and took the bout to the judge’s scorecards. Judge Howard Foster gave the fight to Galahad by seven rounds to five, however, he came out second best with the other two judges only giving him four rounds.
A lot has changed since Dickens’ loss in Rotherham, including weights and of course experience. The Galahad fight posed Dickens with his first loss on his record and has since lost against two top fighters in Guillermo Rigondeaux and Thomas Patrick Ward. Dickens will look to keep his composure for the whole 12 rounds, as it was a lack of composure in an otherwise close fight that ultimately left him vulnerable as he was eventually succumbed to a vicious left hook.
There ought to be fireworks in this main event, and the winner will no doubt earn a huge fight, and could well set up a clash with last week’s hero Leigh Wood. Ultimately, eight years on from their face-off for the British title, both fighters will undoubtedly leave everything on the line with a world title on the line.
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