When Eddie Hearn announced his foray into the US market with his DAZN partnership many US promoters would have been looking over their shoulder to see if Hearn could indeed replicate the success he’s having in the UK, putting boxing firmly into the public’s consciousness. However, if this DAZN shown is going to be the sort of quality Hearn will be putting on regularly it will be unlikely to last long, not only because of the quality of the fighters on the bill but more the entertainment within the ring.
Heading up the card is Daniel Roman 25 (9 KOs)-2 (0 KOs)-1 against Britain’s Gavin McDonnell 20 (5 KOs)-1 (0 KO)-2 for the WBA Super- Bantamweight title, and though the fight is not without quality, neither are fighters who are capable of really entertaining the crowd. McDonnell especially is very unremarkable to watch, not because he isn’t a top boxer, but because he doesn’t sit down into his punches at all and neither does he throw in combinations Amir Khan style. McDonnell instead uses an incredibly active jab and really his whole skill is around the jab and hooks to the body, occasionally he mixes it up with a left hook upstairs, but McDonnell is very unremarkable to watch simply because he neither dishes out tough punishment nor does he take it, with a good sense of range.
Daniel Roman on the other hand is a little more fan friendly, though that isn’t saying too much. On a glance Roman does look to be in that traditional Mexican fighter mould, with planted but educated feet, solid head movement and doubling up the left hand to body then head. He perhaps lacks a little power, shown in his KO record, but against McDonnell I’d be shocked to see Roman on the back foot. The fight will most likely play out with Roman coming forward looking to slip the McDonnell jab and coming over the top with right hands or underneath with left hooks to the body. It will be competitive at least for the opening rounds if a bit of a snooze fest, but Roman being the harder hitter and just being a bit sharper with the combinations should be enough to take the fight with Roman getting most of the mid to late rounds.
If the card is on the whole a bit of a stinker with Jarrell Miller 21 (18 KOs)-0-1 going in as a huge favourite against the 41 year old Tomasz Adamek 53 (31 KOs)-5 (2 KOs)-0, and Jessie Vargas 28 (10 KOs)-2 (0 KOs)-1 against Thomas Dulorme 24 (16 KOS)-3 (2 KOs)-0, the saving grace may be the undercard. It’s unlikely to be a barnstormer, but it could end at any moment when Artur Beterbiev 12 (12 KOs)-0-0 faces undefeated Brit Callum Johnson 17 (12 KOs)-0-0 for the IBF Light- Heavyweight title.
Beterbiev is a bit of a beast at 175, but in a division with Kovalev, Alvarez, Stevenson, Bivol and Jack he almost looks normal with that company, and why you do have to commend Johnson in making a brave but correct decision because no fight at 175 easy. With fighters such as Anthony Yarde turning down this fight, Johnson at 33 had to take his chance but will go in as a heavy heavy underdog. Beterbiev’s greatest strength seems to be exactly that his strength, though he does have incredibly heavy hands it seems to be his ability to manhandle his opponents around the ring that is the kryptonite for most of his opponents. He looks like a mix of Kovalev and Porter in style, with a wide stance but wide lunging shots from the outside. Johnson on the other hand has a similarly wide stance and can almost look like George Groves at times, but where Groves’s best shot has always been the straight right, Johnson does his damage with the left hook and is the shot Bterbiev should be watching out for. When watching the fight it will be easy to forget that both of these fighters were very accomplished amateurs, from Johnson winning the commonwealth games gold medal to Beterbiev winning the world championships, but don’t be fooled it will be most likely be decided with a few choice shots.
When the bell goes I believe it will be Beterbiev’s strength that will be the decisive factor here, with Johnson unable to hang on the inside. I reckon it will only take three to four rounds to get Johnson back pedalling and for Beterbiev to land something and from there its only a matter of time. It must be said however that Johnson is a bit of an unknown quantity only ever fighting at British level, and I at least hope that Johnson can pull it out of the bag as a tribute to his late father.
On a card which doesn’t look like its going to set the world alight Eddie Hearn is certainly hoping it will to bring boxing back in a big way to the US, but he may need to buck up his ideas if he isn’t going to be hopping back across the pond with his tail between his legs.