Anthony Joshua returns to the ring this Saturday as he faces off with ‘989 Assassin’ Jermaine Franklin. But ‘AJ’ will not be the only big-hitter stepping through the ropes at the O2 Arena in London. Matchroom Boxing have put together a card boasting some top domestic talent, though Craig Richards vs Ricards Bolotniks being canceled due to injury robs it of a true co-main event.
Here’s The Sportsman’s full rundown of the main undercard, along with full listings for the Before The Bell portion of the broadcast.
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Campbell Hatton vs. Louis Fielding; Super lightweight
Being the son of a legend can give you a leg-up in your chosen industry, and boxers like Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr have certainly benefited from the association. But it also puts undue pressure on a young fighter, with fans expecting them to hit the levels of their illustrious kin.
Campbell, son of Manchester hero Ricky ‘Hitman’ Hatton, has done everything asked of him in a 10-0 pro career. Opponent Louis Fielding is a small step-up and has contested area championships in the recent past. 22-year-old Hatton can target that level himself should he secure a win here.
Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams vs. River Wilson-Bent; Middleweight
Promising Texan Williams is being touted for a clash with Felix Cash later in the year. The middleweight stars get a chance to play a game of one upmanship as they both fight at the O2.
Wilson-Bent won’t be pleased at his billing as a warm-up for ‘Ammo’ though. The Coventry star was a touted prospect, but he has lost two of his four fights since last June. The most galling of those was a two-round stoppage defeat by Hamza Sheeraz. It would be a real turn-up for the books if the 29-year-old can outgun ‘Ammo’
First Round KO and his 11th win in 11 fights 🥊
#WilliamsBooker | #TaylorSerrano
Matteo Signani vs. Felix Cash; For Signani's EBU European middleweight title
The other half of that proposed transatlantic showdown, Felix Cash gets the tougher assignment of the pair. Cash scored stoppages to capture the Commonwealth and British titles, before going on to trouble world level.
A win over European boss Signani will see him complete the set of regional titles before pursuing the middleweight championship in earnest. Signani is no mug, but he has been stopped by lesser men than Cash in his six defeats.
Fabio Wardley vs. Michael Polite Coffie; Heavyweight
Fresh from becoming the British heavyweight champion, unbeaten knockout artist Fabio Wardley turns his attentions further afield. Wardley blasted out Nathan Gorman in three exciting rounds in his last bout. Now he takes on American heavyweight Michael Polite Coffie.
The visitor’s record is quite deceptive, given he is 13-3. He was stopped in two of those defeats and his best win is over Fulgencio Zuniga, a three-time world title challenger a decade ago down at super middleweight and light heavyweight. Zuniga has lost 19 times and is 45 years old, to give you a rough idea of the levels. Wardley is likely to walk over Coffie for the WBA continental heavyweight crown.
Before The Bell card
Peter Kadiru vs. Hueseyin Akdemir; Heavyweight
Ziyad Almaayouf vs. TBA; Welterweight
Juergen Uldedaj vs. Michael Webster; Cruiserweight
Jordan Flynn vs. Kane Barker; Lightweight
John Hedges vs. Daniel Bocianski; Light heavyweight
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
