Boxing in 2021 was the year of the upset. The shocker became the shocked as Lomachenko conqueror, Teofimo Lopez was outpointed by the undeniable George Kambosos Jr. The magnitude of the win exemplified by the fact that Kambosos was not previously even afforded a mention as boxing fans cooed about the emergence of the new kings of the lightweight era. Kambosos now holds all the cards in a pack that has former king of the division Vasiliy Lomachenko, Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, Devin Haney and self-proclaimed ‘King’ Ryan Garcia and must decide whether to pursue the undisputed tag by facing Devin Haney, or instead set up a monster money making clash with Lomachenko or another of the contenders.
There were other upsets on the world stage, notably the defeats to Mikey Garcia at the hands of Sandor Martin and Manny Pacquiao losing to late replacement Yordenis Ugas, but it seemed to be Britain where fighters frequently either benefited from or suffered at the hands of an upset. Josh Warrington was blown away by relatively unknown Mexican Mauricio Lara, and after a cut resulted in the rematch being a technical draw, Warrington now, rather ironically finds himself with an opportunity to win back the belt he voluntarily relinquished before fighting the Mexican.
Kid Galahad was the man who briefly held that vacated title, that was before he had it unceremoniously ripped away from him by veteran Kiko Martinez-an opponent many criticised at the time-brutally knocking out the man from Sheffield. Elsewhere, Terri Harper was literally stopped in her tracks by Alicia ‘The Bomb’ Baumgardner, a dangerous opponent for a comeback from injury and such a devastating loss that it contributed in her decision to move up to Lightweight.
Shannon Courtenay also lost her world title, though her reign came to an end on the scales as she missed weight and subsequently lost the bout against Jamie Mitchell. Even though Anthony Joshua and Billy Joe Saunders also lost world titles last year, there was better news for Brits Savannah Marshall, Lawrence Okolie, and Chantelle Cameron, who all won major straps and helped redress the balance of title fights won or lost by British boxers, along with the inimitable Sunny Edwards and Nottingham man Leigh Wood who came through dangerous tests against Mthalane, and revered puncher Xu Can respectively to pick up major honours.
That was 2021, so as we look forward to the year ahead, here is my offering on the legion of British boxing talent touted to challenge for a major title in 2022 and my assessment on whether they will achieve that goal.
Josh Warrington
It makes sense to assess the chances of those who already have a world title fight scheduled, and fortuitously or not Josh is one of those. Big questions have been asked about the validity of the match up in terms of Warrington getting the opportunity in front of Lara. It should be acknowledged, that it is not the normal route taken to secure a title shot. He vacated the belt, got stopped by a relatively unknown underdog, suffered a technical draw at the hands of the same opponent (due to head clash) and then rather than facing him again, he lands the opportunity to reclaim the same belt he rescinded, against an opponent he has already beaten. There is no wrongdoing on Warrington’s part, he may be reaping the rewards of being a big draw and a top ticket seller and in the warped sport of boxing, that is what counts.
In terms of the fight itself, Warrington must respect the power of Kiko, who will be brimming with confidence after that last performance. If Josh can replicate the work rate and tempo that has earned so much respect on the way to those impressive victories against Frampton and Selby, he can become a two-time champion. The biggest question is how big the impact will be from such a crushing defeat. Is he the same fighter?
Will Josh Warrington win a world title in 2022?
My Verdict: Yes-A disciplined performance can see him win the fight, but I feel he will have to concentrate for the full 12 rounds.
Chris Eubank Jr
You would have to say that Eubank Jr’s career has been largely unfulfilled so far in terms of achievement. It has at times been difficult to ignore the family name, an unavoidable burden and a scenario currently facing Conor Benn and Campbell Hatton, (although Conor is now carving out his own reputation).
Eubank Jr has spent quite a lot of time up at super middleweight chasing opportunities in a weight class where his frame was unlikely to be imposing enough to worry the elite in the division. Ironically though, his best win is still a win over a fighter within that weight class, whose powers had somewhat waned at the time of their fight in James DeGale.
Eubank Jr’s father had already leapt over the top rope for the final time in his career at the age that Jr is now, which tells you all you need to know about his career progression. That said, if he lands the right opportunity, he is capable of picking up one of the sanctioned belts at middleweight. He is certainly very durable, has a very solid chin and is always well conditioned, but boxing is much more than that and there are no easy fights at middleweight. First, he must face a very live and dangerous opponent in long-time foe Liam Williams. I expect him to come through that fight, largely because Eubank Jr is happy in a physical war and tends to struggle more with technically gifted boxers, fighters who can move and box well on the back foot. I don't think he will have to go looking for Williams.
In terms of the current champions in the middleweight division, Williams found out himself, someone like Andrade would be unbelievably tricky to overcome, as would any of the currently recognised belt holders, Charlo and Murata. Eubank and his promoters the Sauerland brothers have long courted a fight with Golovkin, believing that he is past his prime, but that is a fight that represents extreme risk and if he is to pick up that elusive strap, he will have to show some rapid improvements from his tutelage under Roy Jones Jr, more than just the imitative posturing we have seen so far.
Will Chris Eubank Jr win a world title in 2022?
My Verdict: Unlikely-Politics may prove difficult in securing an opportunity, especially as he is initially tied up with the Williams fight.
Anthony Yarde
Yarde was widely criticised after his first fight against Lyndon Arthur. Misplaced loyalty to his trainer, too gun-shy, and a delusional belief in his own ability were just some of the post-fight assessments from boxing fans and critics alike. Yet Yarde always maintained that he had the artillery to beat Arthur and he duly cemented the validity of that claim, turning in a scintillating performance in the rematch, stopping Arthur after a ferocious tempo left Arthur unable to defend the barrage of punches raining in on him.
Yarde has learned plenty since he emptied the tank against Sergei Kovalev in his only other attempt at a world title, and with Callum Johnson once again proving that if he didn’t have bad luck (testing positive for Covid), he wouldn’t have any, Yarde could find himself at the front of the queue in terms of opportunity. Callum Johnson had to withdraw from the fight with Smith Jr, who fought and beat replacement Steve Geffrard instead. Geffrard was a voluntary defence and therefore Smith Jr should make a mandatory defence in his next fight, with Frank Warren insisting that Anthony Yarde has manoeuvred himself into that mandatory position to fight for the title after his win over Lyndon Arthur. Smith Jr’s promoter Joe DeGuardia thinks otherwise. He was quoted in an interview with @boxingscene saying, “He’s not the mandatory right now. Committees have to get together to determine who the mandatory is. He’s got a win over Lyndon Arthur, who was number one, but it’s up to the sanctioning body to make that determination as to who’s gonna be the mandatory and if, in fact Joe is gonna be ordered to fight a mandatory (next) Because look, if you have a massive unification fight out there, that might not even be ordered. So, we’ll wait and see what happens.”
The light heavyweight division domestically is rich in talent and although wrestling a title from Russian fighters Bivol and Beterbiev would prove difficult, Smith Jr is presumably a fight that Yarde, Johnson and even Buatsi and Craig Richards would see as much more winnable. The emphatic nature in which Yarde halted Arthur offers enough to suggest that should a fight for a world title be sanctioned, Yarde can do the business.
Will Anthony Yarde win a world title in 2022?
My Verdict: Yes-There are 3 or 4 British light heavies who could plausibly step up and take their chance against Smith Jr, but it looks increasingly like Yarde will be the one to get the shot. He has the style to trouble Smith Jr.
Ellie Scotney
A fighter who excited fans as she burst on the scene with some technically assured performances and a uniquely engaging media persona to match. Unfortunately, like many she was a hapless victim of the boxing landscape in general last year, with fights not getting made or falling through, but she joined forces with McGuigan’s Gym last year, hooking up with a host of other burgeoning talents like Chris Billam-Smith, Robbie Davies Jr, Anthony Fowler, Caroline Dubois, and the impressive Azim brothers.
Scotney had her first win under Shane McGuigan in October of last year, shaking off some ring rust and taking a wide points victory against Eva Cantos. If you pair the slick boxing style of Scotney, with the likelihood that Shane McGuigan will have her sitting down on her punches more, you can bet that there will be some big nights on the horizon for the 3-0 fighter.
Gangloff Mailys is a win that has aged well, the French fighter is a mutual opponent of Scotney and some other high profile female fighters in the game and with Gangloff proving troublesome against others at bantam/super bantamweight, it only served to highlight the ability of Scotney.
The Catford fighter is scheduled to take on Argentinian Jorgelina Guanini, (February 12th) a fighter who was beaten on points by Rachel Ball. She will no doubt be looking to use that fight as a platform to move onto bigger tests, making no secret of the fact that she is now ready to pit herself against the best out there. It could be one of the biggest years yet for British female fighters, with Chantelle Cameron, Hannah Rankin and Savannah Marshall already holding titles and Tasha Jonas, Terri Harper, Sandy Ryan, and Ellie Scotney all looking to land world titles in 2022.
Will Ellie Scotney win a world title in 2022?
My Verdict: Yes-The pool is not as deep as the men's in certain weight classes, meaning Scotney can escalate through the rankings more quickly. Expect her to be challenging for major honours towards the end of 2022.
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