The Day of Beckoning…

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

An opinion piece from the only Donald worth listening to…

Full Stop – In British English grammar a full stop is a lengthy pause, in the US, you call it a period. In the UK that tends to suggest feminine products. Here it means a period of time where I look at something in boxing in a little more depth. I am typing from my perspective of a fan who watches the sport closely. It’s an opinion. It is my opinion. Don’t like it? There are other opinions out there but if you don’t like it then good, debate and democracy are a good thing. If you do like it, feel free to spread the word.

The Day of Beckoning…

For as long as I can remember, boxing has been in a quagmire or a crisis or a quandary; or all three. There was the time in the UK that a cartel ran British boxing, and in the US clear indications that organized crime was behind some of the fights of the post war era and now we have the daftness of the belts and the alphabetical possibilities of so many world champions, so that the whole damn circus comes close to meaningless.

And then we had the Riyadh Season.

Supposed to begin with Francis Ngannou against Tyson Fury that would change the face and the background of boxing, it was to trundle along until Fury then faced Usyk on the 23rd of December. We were going from the ridiculous to the sublime. But that final fight fell out of bed and there needed to be something put in its place. What was unveiled was truly spectacular – The Day of Reckoning.

I cannot argue with the immense nature of the evening, the production values, and the fact that money talks, very, very loudly in this sport. What was produced was remarkable.

Promoters who were bitter rivals, put that aside and worked together on a night that will go down as a game changer for some but a stain for others – me included. Remember that money talks, very, very loudly in this sport.

I can, however, put that to one side as the vision of Matchroom and Queensberry working together and making this event happen in a very short space of time is enduring. It has led, already to another visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and another massive talking point – Francis Ngannou will take on Anthony Joshua in his second professional fight, after Usyk faces Fury for all the baubles.

But what bothered me more than anything was that afterwards pundits and speculators could only talk in terms of the fighters who appeared that night and they seemed to want to match them against each other like some fantasy round robin game with the winner getting a shot at the winner of Usyk/ Fury: it was limiting to say the least.

So, let me take you through a couple of thoughts that emerged from that evening.

I shall start with the fighters who were not heavyweights but should be massive presences in the sport – cruiserweight Jai Opetaia and light heavyweight, Dmitry Bivol. They were both fed prospects and delivered the type of wins that signal headlines beginning “levels above.” Both their opponents took the cash, rightly, turned up, did what they could and for both will have a better bank balance. For Ellis Zorro, there may never be another chance like this again, but he could make waves domestically or on the European circuit, whilst for Lyndon Arthur, he has probably peaked at world level but could also make more cash and legacy just below – could still see him getting another world title shot.

But let us turn to the major losers. Otto Wallin has now fought two of the best in Fury and Joshua. He caused Fury problems but not Joshua. He can still compete, but we are talking levels below where he was pitched. Jarrell Miller is shot. He brought his mouth to entertain, flattered himself with the company he was in and perhaps his time to shine had long gone. He looked poor. Similarly Mark de Mori should disappear off into the sunset with his swag and make whoopy rather than plans for another fight. Junior Fa still has something to offer though and in the boxing landscape down under could continue to provide a service for the sport – world titlist opportunities might not be his, but a decent career could still be.

But the winners…

There were two massive upsets which dented the prospects for the future of two fighters. Arslanbek Makhmudov needs to regroup and rebuild. His loss was unexpected, but he may well have got into a position which was beyond his capabilities. He is good but needs refinement. As for Deontay Wilder, he did look off the pace, off with his timing and a guy who knew he was fighting to feed, rather than fighting for pride. His legacy is assured with his right hand, but this time round, it could find nothing upon which to feed. His hunger is being questioned and I would think that if he were to depart now, it would not be a bad thing. Having said that we hear he may be on another card with a possible match up with Zhilei Zhang. That sounds like a good match up.

It also brings me to the fighters who were not on the card but are heavyweight, heavyweights. Zhang is one, so too are Martin Bakole, Michael Hunter, Joe Joyce, Andy Ruiz Jr. and Jared Anderson. Hughie Fury and Dereck Chisora would make a claim to be in with them too.

Now we know that Ngannou/Joshua is a thing. Because the Fury/Usyk fight may have a rematch clause, both winner and loser are mostly tied up for the most of 2024. Joshua could beat Ngannou, then fight Hrgovic for the IBF title, if the IBF don’t play ball and strip the winner of the undisputed headliner. They have done it before to Fury and he has never forgiven them. By the tail end of this year, Fury v Joshua for all the belts could be a thing. Or it could be Usyk v Joshua III for all the belts. Let’s hope so.

The WBA might also order Bakole and Joshua as an eliminator to challenge for their title. Bakole is the most avoided heavyweight, and I cannot see Joshua entertaining that fight. Joshua could follow another way round to fight for the title – as an undisputed challenger…
Joseph Parker will also have something to say about it. He was the man on the night who did an amazing job with an amazing jab and amazing tactics that nullified Wilder. For him, a rematch with Josuha was mooted but the likelihood is that he may have to pick another rematch – against Andy Ruiz Jr. Bringing those two together would be a great spectacle.

Daniel Dubois also has a challenge as he is again in no man’s land. A rematch with Joe Joyce would feel like a step down as would chasing the lesser WBA title once more – which he won in a strange and bizarre fight promoted by Don King in America. Having fought Usyk, that would feel a massive step down, but Martin Bakole would give him real problems. That could work as could Hunter or Anderson with a return to America to build his international profile – how about against Frank Sanchez? As for his promoter suggesting a match up with AJ, it was fanciful as there is little reward for AJ.

He is not alone in being in a state of transition as both Agit Kabayel and Frank Sanchez look like fighters to be avoided rather than run to the ring for. Kabayel in particular brings little reward to entice the best to share the ring with him. Sanchez had looked a decent enough fighter, until he struggled against Fa – people will not want a stinker on their resume and this fight stank. The question is will he ever be able to build to the elite level? Hrgovic meanwhile should shine as the IBF mandatory. He is saying he will not step aside for anyone and should have a world title fight this year. With someone. If not Fury or Usyk or AJ, then Wallin, Parker or Sanchez, though he name checked Anderson.

And so, this was billed as a game changer. Aren’t all big events changing something. Did it? Not entirely but it pulled rivals together in the promotional game and made headlines around the world, pulled superstars in to watch what they could do and showered money on people. Next up is what the new game should look like. If we get the best v the best, most will say it was worth taking their money. I may be one of the lone voices saying, it never shall be, but you cannot carp from the sidelines and ignore events at the same time. I shall keep doing both. Why? Because I remember that money talks, very, very loudly in this sport.

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