Sunny, Ball, Dalton and Denzel all compete in championship bouts this weekend
There's a quartet of British boxers competing in title fights this weekend – Sunny Edwards defends his IBF flyweight world title and Nick Ball defends his WBC Silver strap on the same night this Friday, November 11; then Dalton Smith battles to keep his British super-lightweight belt on Saturday night, while Battersea's Denzel Bentley challenges for the WBO world middleweight title stateside in Las Vegas.
What's intruiging is that three of four fighting at home are all hot favourites, but the one Brit abroad, Bentley, is a 7/1 underdog. Check out some of these British betting sites for more odds.
Friday, November 11
Sunny Edwards vs Felix Alvarado
IBF World Flyweight Title
Defending his IBF World flyweight title for the third time, Sunny Edwards (18-0, 4KO) will have to put on a career-best performance in Sheffield tonight if he wants to back up his recent claim he is the best 112lbs fighter in the world.
His 19th opponent may not be the one he actually wanted, having been chasing after WBC champ Julio Cesar Martinez for a unification fight, but he is the highest ranked flyweight in the IBF ratings and is a real handful for anyone on any night.
Felix Alvarado (38-2, 33KO) has 33 stoppages from 38 victories and hasn't lost in over eight years. In 2013 and 2014, he fought back to back world title fights, losing via unanimous decision, firstly against Kazuto Ioka for the WBA light-flyweight title, then to Juan Carlos Reveco in the division above the for WBA flyweight belt.
He is an awkward pressure fighter, with heavy hands that wants to sit on his opponent's chest and punch relentlessly. However, he may not get to exact his game plan against arguably one of the most skilful fighters in world right now.
'Showtime' Sunny is flashy, elusive and hard to nail down. He is always one step ahead of his foes and his punch anticipation is unrivalled. However, he has been knocked down once before, by Marcel Braithwaite in their 2019 British super-flyweight title fight, and even though he dominates fights, he does drop rounds to his opponents. An upset could well be on the cards if the combatant from Croydon is not on his A-Game.
Watch: FITE TV
Verdict: Sunny is widely expected to win on points.
Nick Ball vs Eduardo Ramirez Rubio
WBC Silver Featherweight Title
Liverpool's wrecking machine Nick Ball (16-0, 9KO) defends his WBC Silver belt for a second time since winning it in emphatic fashion under the arch at Wembley Stadium in April. He beat the headliner Tyson Fury's friend Isaac Lowe into submission inside seven rounds in a bloody battle that stole the show.
Both these men have three stoppage wins in a row to take them into this York Hall headliner. Rubio is a Mexican force to be reckoned with and this fight will explode from the very first bell. Ball himself has predicted a bloody battle in Bethnal and that is what fight fans fully expect to see.
Ball is well known for his aggression, a throwback fighter who only wants to inflict pain and punishment on his opponents, reminiscent of Mike Tyson but in a smaller form.
Rubio is also a big puncher and is coming up from super-bantamweight. Despite usually competing at 122lbs, the man known as KO-Reano came in over the championship weight limit but was able to lose the excess pounds within the two hour timeframe given to set the scales to 125lbs 12oz.
Watch: BT Sport 2
Verdict: Nick Ball to win via knockout between rounds 7-12
Saturday, November 12
Dalton Smith vs Kaisee Benjamin
British Super-lightweight Title
Two of the country’s hottest super-lightweight prospects clash, as champion Dalton ‘Thunder’ Smith (12-0, 10KO) defends his British title against challenger Kaisee Benjamin (16-1-1, 6KO) in Manchester.
Former Team GB Boxing sensation Smith scored an impressive sixth-round stoppage win when he headlined in Sheffield last month – his third consecutive win inside the distance – to win the vacant title and take his number of professional stoppage wins to 10, including a 2021 TKO of BOXXER Series tournament semi-finalist Lee Appleyard.
Benjamin, from Birmingham, has 16 wins from 17 professional appearances and is undefeated in his last 13 fights. In June, he celebrated a unanimous decision win over Serge Ambomo at the Coventry Skydome to maintain his status as Smith’s mandatory opponent.
The Brummie boxer has won a Midlands Area title during his career, but he will be out of his depth against arguably the country's hottest prospect at 140lbs.
Watch: Sky Sports
Verdict: Dalton Smith to win via knockout between rounds 7-12
Sunday, November 13
Denzel Bentley vs Janibek Alimkhanuly
WBO World Middleweight Title
This is one fight that definitely will not go the distance!
In the early hours of Sunday morning – for UK fight fans – Denzel Bentley (17-1-1, 14KO) challenges fearsome Kazakh, Janibek Alimkhanuly (12-0, 8KO), who is currently riding on a six-fight KO streak.
Battersea's Bentley is also riding a wave, winning his last three fights in a row since his sole career loss to Felix Cash in 2021.
The two-time British middleweight champion is awkward and heavy handed – a deadly combination. He is going up against one of the best world champions around right now, who destroyed the last British challenger he had. 'Qazaq Style' completely took Danny Dignum apart during two very one-sided rounds in May this year.
Most expect this fight to end the same way, with Bentley beig taken out early. However, the 27-year-old known as '2Sharp' will be able to land his own heavy blows and there could be shootout which will come down to who has the best punch resistance. this fight should not be deemed as lopsided as it is. Bentley has a very good chance of scoring an upset and, having started boxing late, he is only getting better and more experienced with each fight.
Watch: ESPN
Verdict: Denzel Bentley to win by knockout between rounds 3-6.
