Jack Massey hoping to upset Isaac Chamberlain to set up revenge fight with Richard Riakporhe
Isaac Chamberlain ‘IC’ (16-2, 8KO) is set to defend his Commonwealth and European cruiserweight titles as he takes on fellow Brit, Jack ‘One Smack’ Massey (21-2, 12KO) at Selhurst Park, Crystal Palace, this Saturday, June 15.
The fight will take place on the undercard of Chris Billam-Smith’s WBO world title defence against Richard Riakporhe, live on Sky Sports.
The occasion will mark Chamberlain’s first defence of the belts after winning a unanimous decision over Mike Lawal in October.
The 30-year-old looked back to his best against Lawal. ‘IC’ was too fast and too elusive for his opponent, dancing in and out of danger and utilising a strong jab, working around the edge of the ring with neat footwork.
Speaking after his dominant win, Chamberlain felt he had finally proved himself as a top-level competitor.
“I didn’t have the best amateur career, I had nine fights, they chucked me in the deep end and I kept going.”
“When I was younger I had low self-esteem, but I said I’d believe in the ability I have. Even though I had niggles coming to this fight, I said ‘it’s now or never’.
“I’m very grateful.”
Chamberlain’s only two losses come against current or former cruiserweight champions. ‘IC’ faced his first defeat in 2018, well-beaten in a unanimous decision loss to Lawrence Okolie.
More recently, he was outpointed by Chris Billam-Smith in 2022, where, similarly to the Okolie fight, he was not given the opportunity to trade freely, being outclassed by the now champion.
On the other hand, Massey will be looking to prove that he can once again dance with the best at cruiserweight.
Massey’s last outing saw him win a first-round stoppage over Steve Eloundou Ntere in January. However, Ntere is not an elite fighter, far from it.
Massey’s last outing against someone at the very top saw him lose a close but fair unanimous decision over New Zealand icon Joseph Parker, when he bravely stepped up to heavyweight.
Massey previously held the IBO World cruiserweight title, with a stoppage over Bilal Laggoune in 2021. Unfortunately, his triumph was short-lived. ‘One Smack’ took a five-month layoff and had the title stripped from his grasp.
Massey’s only other defeat came by way of Riakporhe in 2019, a result he is hoping to avenge should both men win their respective bouts on Saturday.
“Get this fight done, win the European title and I’ll be right in the mix for the winner of those two,” Massey revealed to BoxingScene.
“It’s a perfect opportunity. Get this fight done in convincing style, get the belt and then we can maybe have a little jump in the ring after their fight.”
Betting Odds
Chamberlain: 8/11
Massey: 6/4
Draw: 16/1
Prediction
An interesting matchup, Chamberlain vs Massey is certainly a clash of styles. Chamberlain will be hoping to drag the fight out, using his sleek footwork and ring craftmanship to stay out of danger and box to a comfortable points victory, he is not a finisher.
Massey, on the other hand, possesses significant knockout power, and while he may not have an incredible finishing rate (57%), he certainly has the ability to end a fight quickly. He has demonstrated in the past that he can take punishment, so Chamberlain will struggle to do any real damage to the challenger.
While Chamberlain is the heavy betting favourite, mostly tipped to win on points, I think Massey’s superior experience will allow him to find a chink in the champion’s armour, and, ultimately, cause an upset stoppage in the middle rounds of the fight.