Matchroom fight camp - 4 weeks of fights

[Master]

Cash the better fighter but a clash of heads at the end 4th round seemed to have hurt Welborne.

4 nil Cash

[Master]

Point deducted from Cash at the start of the 5th round for low blows but Cash knocks down Welborne twice with a series of attacks and the corner throw in the towel.

Ref stops the fight in the 5th round with Cash stopping Welborne.

[smashup]

This is shaping up to be a good night of boxing

Alen 'The Savage' Babic faces huge step up at Fight Camp

Croatia’s explosive Heavyweight contender Alen Babic will battle Shawndell Winters over eight rounds on the undercard of Dillian Whyte’s defence of his Interim WBC Heavyweight World Title against Alexander Povetkin at Matchroom Fight Camp in Brentwood, Essex, on Saturday August 22.
Babic (3-0, 3 KOs) can enhance his growing reputation as ‘The Savage’ when he faces American Winters, live on Sky Sports Box Office, as Fight Camp reaches a finale with Katie Taylor’s eagerly awaited rematch with Delfine Persoon and Whyte’s crucial clash against Povetkin.
Whyte has spent the last few weeks in punishing sparring sessions with Babic, who is yet to be extended beyond the third round in his professional career. But Winters has proven his toughness in 13 victories, with just three defeats, and he ruined the unbeaten record of Oleksandr Teslenko last September.

Babic vs. Winters lands on a huge night of action that sees Irish legend Taylor (15-0, 6 KOs) put her WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO and Ring Magazine Lightweight crowns on the line against Belgium's Persoon (44-2, 18 KOs) in the biggest rematch in women’s boxing, Luther Clay (13-1, 5 KOs) defends his WBO Global Welterweight Title against Chris Kongo (11-0, 6 KOs) and Super-Middleweights Jack Cullen (18-2, 9 KOs) and Zak Chelli (7-1, 3 KOs) meet over eight rounds

[Memphis]

Taylor Persoon is the fight of the night. The first was a cracker. I said before the Taylor needs to find a gear, or hope that Persoon loses one. Persoon was relentless and Taylor got dragged into the fight too often. Taylor is a superior boxer to everyone that she's fought and she should keep it that way, don't fight down to your opponents level. By that I mean don't fight at all, especially with someone like Persoon who's a machine and unless she's lost a step in the last year, will just keep plodding forward. She needs to invest in the body as well. She hits the body pretty good, but not enough. She needs to sort out her barnet as well. Constantly in her face after a few rounds.

Whyte Povetkin. Good fight. Good trade fight they'd call it. I know they've chucked a trinket in the mix but essentially it's two good fighters having what should be a good fight. Povetkin is getting on, but he's a better technical boxer than Whyte, he's a better boxer than most heavyweights even now and will give anyone a decent fight if they can't overpower him like AJ/Wlad did. Whyte should be winning this and I suppose the consensus will be that Povetkin will be game early on, before getting ground down in the second half. Simple formula. It's still an intriguing fight for me. Whyte isn't as big or as powerful as AJ and he just wont fight him in the same way. AJ boxed really well against Povetkin who was pretty lively right up until the stoppage. He kept him largely at distance, used mainly the jab and right hand, the left hook was long when he used it, more of a jab turned around the corner. Dillian wont do that, he'll get closer to Povetkin to do his work and he's going to be actively committing the cardinal sin of hooking with a hooker. Dillian talks about his left hook plenty, it's a decent hit but not very cultured, more of a whack. Povetkin can still bang and his hook is far more compact than Dillian's so there will be windows for him to score big on the inside. The right hand is still decent as well.

All that said, still got to go with Whyte. Fresher, bigger, Povetkin won't shy away from the fight but you'd think Dillian will have the bigger appetite for it as well.

[Fenster]

Took me a while to come around to women's boxing but i've started to enjoy more and more of it. Thought Harper-Jonas was more skillful/entertaining than many a good level man's fight. Courtney-Ball was good at a lower level too (people in the know had it right off, Ball was gambled from 6/1 into evens before the off). And the women are less divas than the top men, as Katie Taylor is showing by rematching a girl who was apparently "robbed."

One thing though, which is probably sexist on my part, I prefer they stick to 10x2 minute rounds.

As usual I see the majority writing off Povetkin, even though he's never once been humiliated. I recently reminded an "expert" channel that Povetkin was actually a World and Olympic amateur champion not a face first Rocky Balboa. Whyte is obviously the favourite being fresher but if he's not in great condition i'll be backing the old boy for the upset.

(on another note - this card is a pony PPV. I know why it is, but for once you ponces deserve a moan and grumble.)

[TonnnnUK]

Taylor Persoon is the fight of the night. The first was a cracker. I said before the Taylor needs to find a gear, or hope that Persoon loses one. Persoon was relentless and Taylor got dragged into the fight too often. Taylor is a superior boxer to everyone that she's fought and she should keep it that way, don't fight down to your opponents level. By that I mean don't fight at all, especially with someone like Persoon who's a machine and unless she's lost a step in the last year, will just keep plodding forward. She needs to invest in the body as well. She hits the body pretty good, but not enough. She needs to sort out her barnet as well. Constantly in her face after a few rounds.

Whyte Povetkin. Good fight. Good trade fight they'd call it. I know they've chucked a trinket in the mix but essentially it's two good fighters having what should be a good fight. Povetkin is getting on, but he's a better technical boxer than Whyte, he's a better boxer than most heavyweights even now and will give anyone a decent fight if they can't overpower him like AJ/Wlad did. Whyte should be winning this and I suppose the consensus will be that Povetkin will be game early on, before getting ground down in the second half. Simple formula. It's still an intriguing fight for me. Whyte isn't as big or as powerful as AJ and he just wont fight him in the same way. AJ boxed really well against Povetkin who was pretty lively right up until the stoppage. He kept him largely at distance, used mainly the jab and right hand, the left hook was long when he used it, more of a jab turned around the corner. Dillian wont do that, he'll get closer to Povetkin to do his work and he's going to be actively committing the cardinal sin of hooking with a hooker. Dillian talks about his left hook plenty, it's a decent hit but not very cultured, more of a whack. Povetkin can still bang and his hook is far more compact than Dillian's so there will be windows for him to score big on the inside. The right hand is still decent as well.

All that said, still got to go with Whyte. Fresher, bigger, Povetkin won't shy away from the fight but you'd think Dillian will have the bigger appetite for it as well.

Very fair summary this and I would go along with that.

I think Povetkin probably needs to gamble, and go in early to try and take Whyte out. We've seen him hurt before by Parker, but that was too late and I'd suggest Povetkin digs as hard as the Kiwi. But we all know age can catch up with a fighter, and Dillian is a big, tough lump himself who can pack a punch.

As usual I see the majority writing off Povetkin, even though he's never once been humiliated. I recently reminded an "expert" channel that Povetkin was actually a World and Olympic amateur champion not a face first Rocky Balboa. Whyte is obviously the favourite being fresher but if he's not in great condition i'll be backing the old boy for the upset.

One think I hadn't considered was Whyte's conditioning in the lead up to this fight and with the restrictions. Wouldn't be a suprise if he has slacked off and isn't very fit, which could cause him some problems. He doesn't seem the most disciplined even in normal times without lockdown restrictions.

[Master]

Whyte tires quite rapidly late in the fights and he has been dropped more due to exhaustion so Povetkin does not have to rush it.

[Memphis]

I cant help but like Dillian. Mad bastard, loves a ruck. Some of his decision making has been odd. Should have taken the Joshua fight for whatever was on offer, that's his call obviously and you have to respect his decision. But a crack at several belts against a bloke he's desperate to rematch, who he thinks he's got the beating of now that his shoulder is fixed, for a fuck load of money, rip their arm of man. The Tibbs thing as well. Dillian painted a picture of an amicable parting of professional ways but everyone immediately saw through that. I've no idea who's training him now?

He's put together some good wins over the last few years but they've all been at a cost. Life and death with Del Boy twice, boxed quite nicely against Rivas but it was by no means a canter and however iffy it was (more of a knock over than a knock down if you know what I mean) he still managed to find himself on the deck. Life and death with Parker, on the deck again and clinging on for dear life at the end. Looked like turd against Wach. He's doing the distance when he needs to but his conditioning doesn't 'look' great.

I hope he's in good shape and up for this and I hope he wins. I'm not suggesting that anything is conspiring against him here, but that good run of form on paper, doesn't tell the whole story of the ringer he's been through to get there. And lets be honest, a few peoples lives would be made a whole lot easier if he came a cropper and fell off the radar for a bit.