Matchroom vs. Queensberry: A Battle for British Boxing Supremacy in Saudi Arabia?

Image: Matchroom vs. Queensberry: A Battle for British Boxing Supremacy in Saudi Arabia?
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 28: Anthony Yarde (L) and Artur Beterbiev (R) exchange punches during their WBC,IBF and WBO light heavyweight Championship fight, at OVO Arena Wembley on January 28, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Mark Robison/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)
By Charles Brun - 01/16/2024 - Comments

British promotional battle between Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions and Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing will be taking place in 2024 in Saudi Arabia in a five vs. five event involving UK fighters.

The date of the event & exact location in Saudi Arabia are still unknown, but two fights have been mentioned thus far.

It would mean more if the fighters that take part in the event were world champions or at least destined to win world titles, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Potential Fights On The Event:

  • Callum Smith vs. Anthony Yarde: Both of these guys are coming off knockout losses to IBF, WBC & WBO light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev, so it’s a little strange that they would be fighting.
  • Nick Ball vs. Raymond Ford: It’s too early to include Ford (14-0-1, 7 KOs) in this card because he’s got a title fight coming up against Otabek Kholmatov (12-0, 11 KOs) on February 16th for the vacant WBA featherweight title in Verona, New York. There are many who believe that Kholmatov will be too strong for Ford and knock him out, as he’s done with 11 of his 12 opponents during his career. But assuming the 25-year-old Ford somehow wins this fight, a match between him and Ball would be an excellent fight. On the other hand, Ball (19-0, 11 KOs) is challenging WBC featherweight champion Rey Vargas (36-1, 22 KOs) on March 8th on the Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. That’s going to be a tough fight for the tiny 5’2″ Ball, who isn’t exactly the hardest fighter to hit, and he’ll be giving up a ton of height and reach to the 5’8″ Vargas.

Beyond the Big Names

One positive of the five vs. five card taking place in Saudi Arabia this year is that it’ll slow Matchroom and Queensberry fighters, the ones that don’t receive worldwide attention, a lot of visibility.

That’s a big plus for the more obscure fighters with these promotional companies that have been toiling away for years without being seen by fans outside of the UK shows.

It’s too bad that the card is limited to fighters on Queensberry and Matchroom Boxing stables because there are many better options for Callum Smith and Raymond Ford to fight than these guys.

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