Queensberry vs Matchroom 5 vs 5
Thank you to his Excellency Turki Alashikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority for hosting another great show at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. By facilitating two of the biggest promoters in boxing in Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn to go head-to-head, Queensberry Promotions and Matchroom Boxing came up with an intriguing and competitive “5 vs 5” that definitely brought the “HEAT” inside that squared circle.Although the outcome of it all was surprisingly one-sided, the anticipation brought forward was well worth it.
First up on the night representing Queensberry was Light Heavyweight Willy Hutchinson (18-1, 13 Kos) who took on Matchroom representative Light Heavyweight Craig Richards (18-4-1, 11 Kos). Hutchinson, who was the underdog on paper talked the most sh*t on the build-up to the fight undermining the more proven fighter, Richards. This was a good domestic dust up to start the night where both combatants had their moments but Hutchinson, the younger warrior seemed to be one step ahead all night making it look easy outmanoeuvring his opponent at will inside that squared circle. Richards, although he tried, did not have the right “game plan” on the night to sway the Judges. After 12 rounds of one-sided action the Judges at hand called it 119-109, 117-111, 116-112 unanimously for Willy Hutchinson. With this win under his belt Willy is now the proud owner of the vacant WBC Silver Light Heavyweight Championship. Well done.
Next up was WBA Featherweight Champion Raymond Ford (15-1-1, 8 Kos) representing Matchroom defending his recently earned title against the always ready Nick Ball (20-0-1, 11 Kos) representing Queensberry who himself recently had to settle for a draw against WBC Featherweight Champion Rey Vargas in his prior attempt at obtaining a Championship Title. On this night, knowing you don’t always get a second chance that quick at a title opportunity, Nick wasted no time at pressing the action right from the jump. Nick’s style is simple but effective if you can’t deter him from coming forward. Nick throws punches in bunches with some pop behind every punch. Although Nick is short in stature, his presence inside that squared circle seems to always be too much for his opponents to handle. Although Raymond did do his best at standing his ground going toe-to-toe with Nick and having some moments, it was visibly Nick having the more telling effects as the rounds progressed. Nick made it very uncomfortable for Raymond to maintain any type of consistent momentum round after round. After 12 rounds of action one Judge called it 115-113 for Raymond while the other two Judges called it 115-113, 115-113 for Nick giving him the split decision win and the New WBA Featherweight Champion of the world. Well done, Champ!
Next up in a WBC Middleweight Title Eliminator we had Hamzah Sheeraz (20-0, 16 Kos) representing Queensberry taking on Austin Williams (16-1, 11 Kos) representing Matchroom in what was a very entertaining bout where both combatants had their moments. Austin pressed the action early with his aggressive style while Sheeraz remained patient throughout the bout and controlled his distance with a stiff but heavy jab. The action was nonstop round after round but nearing the end of the tenth round, Sheeraz caught Austin with a quick right hand that dropped him for a standing 8 count at the sound of the bell. At the beginning of the eleventh round the inevitable was around the corner. Seeing that Austin hadn’t clearly recovered from being dropped in the previous round Sheeraz wasted no time and went in for the kill and detonated heavy unanswered shots to the head of Austin who was about to get dropped prompting the referee at hand to step in and halt the bout at the 45 second mark of the opening round. This was a competitive bout from start to finish but Sheeraz clearly showed his superiority with his power to close the show. Well done.
Next up in an Interim IBF Heavyweight Championship we had Filip Hrgovic (17-1, 14 Kos) representing Matchroom going at it with Daniel Dubois (21-2, 20 Kos) representing Queensberry. Many thought that Dubois would be outclassed by the former 2016 Olympian Hrgovic but what transpired on the night was quite the opposite. Although both combatants did come out the gate throwing heavy leather at each other looking to do harm, it was Dubois who administered the most visible damage having Hrgovic bleeding from both eyes. Personally, I think Hrgovic didn’t look battle ready to handle Dubois. Hrgovic in the later rounds looked battered and exhausted unable to deter Dubois who was coming in stronger as the rounds progressed. Hrgovic was looking so weather-beaten by the eighth round that the referee had the ringside doctor examine his cuts who then recommended that the bout be halted. I expected Hrgovic to bring the “HEAT” on the night but this version of Hrgovic was not it. Dubois impressed me some more on the night and fought fearlessly against a very worthy opponent. Dubois kept his foot on Hrgovic’s neck and delivered a very good win which turned him into an Interim IBF Heavyweight Champion. Well done. Who’s next?
The Main Event and the final showdown of the “5 vs 5” came down to former Interim WBO Heavyweight Champion Zhilei Zhang (27-2-1, 22 Kos) representing Queensberry going up against former WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder (43-4-1, 42 kos) representing Matchroom. Two very hard-hitting punchers looking to keep their careers alive. A lot was said about this matchup on whether retirement might be nearing considering their age but the outcome of this bout proved once again that “Big Bang” Zhang is still very relevant in today’s Heavyweight contention. The action was slow out the gate as both combatants were very aware of the power they both possess but it was only a matter of time before one of them connected with anything to garner the right attention. Wilder looked timid, disengaged and gun-shy every time he even attempted to throw anything solid, unlike Zhang who threw his punches with the purpose of doing bodily harm with every punch thrown. Wilder came to life in the fifth round attempting to let his hands go and getting the crowd involved only to be brought right back to reality by a heavy right hook by Zhang causing Deontay to contemplate life while spinning around lost in space defenseless and open for a detonating right hand that knocked him down flat on his back like a crime scene. Although a shaky looking Wilder made it back to his feet the referee pulled the plug preventing Deontay from absorbing any further damage. Wilder’s power has always been the key to his victories but last night Wilder was severely outsized and outgunned by Zhang who was determined to close the show the “Big Bang” way. Well done.
With this win now secured, Frank Warren and his Queensberry Promotions team had themselves a clean sweep of the first of many “5 vs 5” event with Matchroom Boxing.
Great night of Boxing!
Blaze
