WE ARE BACK on the Bethnal Green beat on Friday for our first York Hall show of 2023.
We got off to a captivating start to our year of boxing at Wembley a couple of weeks back with Anthony Yarde’s thrilling challenge to light heavyweight General Artur Beterbiev and there are many more fantastic nights ahead of us involving the likes of Tyson Fury, Joe Joyce and Daniel Dubois.
There is so much to look forward to in what I believe will be a vintage year for the sport in the UK.
Whatever fine and glitzy arenas boxing takes you to, there is always a place in the fight diary for a good old night out at York Hall and this week we are showcasing the great and the good of some of the younger fighters on our books.
Occasions such as this give them a platform on which to shine and gain vital experience at the top end of cards in front of a bumper TV audience. It really is a win-win if they get their arm raised at the end of the fight.
One big man who is definitely not shy in front of the cameras is David Adeleye, our powerhouse heavyweight from Ladbroke Grove, of whom big things are expected.
Big D is only 10 fights in and he has impressed along the way, but now it is getting serious and he is tasked with proving his worth in a title collision against a fellow unbeaten opponent with similar experience.
David goes up against the 10-0 Ukrainian Dmytro Bezus with the WBO European title at stake. It is a first title encounter for our man and hopefully it is the first of many. While he has done everything asked of him in the ring, David is taking his boxing education seriously and has become a go-to training partner for Tyson Fury.
The time spent in world championship camps with Tyson will be invaluable for David in the future when we hope he will be directly involved in such preparations himself.
Already invested in title business is our outstanding young lightweight Mark Chamberlain, who makes a first defence of his IBF European title against the tough Italian Vairo Lenti.
We all think very highly of Mark and believe he can go far. We know he can punch, but he is also displaying the variety fighters need to operate at a higher level. Power will only take you so far on its own.
Mark is up to his 12th fight tonight and I believe that a British title challenge this year would be a significant staging post for him to measure his progress and give him the currency to really kick on.
At super lightweight we have another maiden titleist returning to work in Henry Turner, who ventured over to Dubai in November and came back with the WBC International Silver title in just his ninth fight.
Our ‘Enry is a class act and the type of fighter who will improve with age because he is not a crash, bang, wallop merchant. He relies on his craft and skills and he will look sharper with the tougher the opponent we put him in against.
We have an all-star young cast on show, but I would urge you once again to feast your eyes on the exceptional young talent that is Royston Barney-Smith.
I hear many names being bandied about as the future superstars of the British hit parade, but very few carry the pedigree of young Royston, who was in a league of his own as an amateur. The venom he has shown in his last two fights that saw him in action for just over 90 seconds is testament to the progress he is making at just turned 19 years old.
Mark my words, this kid is destined for great things if he continues to apply himself and keeps learning in the gym between fights.
MYSELF, ALONG WITH everyone at Queensberry was deeply saddened to learn of the shock passing of Ron Lewis.
Ron, a thoroughly decent bloke, was something of a rarity in this day and age, a proper boxing journalist and a true specialist in his field. I can’t imagine there was much in the sport that escaped his notice and his love for boxing at all levels was obvious.
He has been taken far too soon at the age of just 54 and my heart goes out to his wife Ellie and children Stanley and Polly.