Via Gav Duthie: January can often be a quiet month in boxing. The promoters knew that the public ate too much, drank too much, and spent too much after Christmas. Holding big concerts can be a risk, but there’s a lot to look forward to in the new year. The sport had a disappointing end to 2022, with plenty of matches to come, but 2023 as always, promises some big events. Will January set the stage for a big year? Here are the key stories and how 2023 could take shape next year.
January 6 – Return of Eddie Chambers
I got it; Probably not the big news you’re looking for to start the year off. Eddie was a strong contender in the 1990s and lost to Wladimir Klitschko in 2010 in his only title attempt. His last outing was in 2016, a loss to Gerald Washington. Chambers pitted Tyler Canning 5-5-0 but acted as matchmaker for the event with promoter Corey Williams, who also occasionally hit the box. This is probably more of an adventure into the promotional side than Eddie’s return, which is well worth a look as he is very knowledgeable and is only 40 years old, so can still give a lot to the sport. this sport.
January 7
- Gervonta Davis vs. Hector Luis Garcia
- Jaron Ennis v Karen Chukhadzhian
- Rashidi Ellis vs Villa Roiman
The TGB promotion is in full swing with a big event on Jan. 7. Gervonta Davis was arrested the night before in a domestic incident, so it’s not certain if this fight is actually going to happen. or not. Garcia was supposed to be a tuning fight before the next Ryan Garcia, but Hector is the world champion. Is it worth the risk?
Even if that match doesn’t happen, I’d like to think that the event will, as there are two important welterweight matches going on as well. Many are hoping for a breakout year for Jaron Ennis, and he faces a tough test against Chukhadzhian, who hasn’t lost since his third professional game. He fought three times in 1 night in a Ukrainian prospect tournament and lost the final. Rashidi Ellis, also the least talked about of the trio of Ennis, Ortiz and Ellis, faces Villa, who has 24 ko after 25 wins. 2023 could be an important year for welterweight boxing.
January 14
- Dainier pero
- Efe Ajagba vs Stephan Shaw
- Jonathan Rice v Guido Vianello
On various cards, on January 14th we get to see some great heavyweight action. Last year, we got to see an all-Cuban match involving Lenier Pero on the Fury v Wilder extra card. His younger brother Dainier makes his debut near the end of 2022 and goes up against an unnamed enemy. Certainly there seem to be more Cubans flying nests after the ban on professional boxing in the country.
More importantly, Top Rank is fueling an extremely heavy prospect battle between Nigerian Olympic athletes Efe Agagba and American Stephan Shaw. Agagba was set to take on WBC Bridgerweight champion Oscar Rivas, but due to injury, it was great that Shaw was willing to step in and risk his zero. nasty win over Michael Coffie. He faces Guido Vianello, who is considered a top amateur tennis player.
January 21
There are several cards on January 21, the most important of which is being promoted by Boxxer in the UK.
- Chris Eubank v Liam Smith
- Richard Riackporhe v Krzystzof Glowacki
- Joseph Parker v Jack Massey
Eubank gets his Englishman-averse match, all not against the generation for Conor Benn. The main reason Smith signed with Boxxer and Sky was to get Eubank Jr. Riackporhe also took a big step forward in the face of former world champion Glowacki, who dethroned record 13-time defensive champion Marco Huck. Glowacki is past its peak but still is. Joseph Parker also looks set to bounce back against Cruiserkg pushing Jack Massey 20-1, whose only loss, ironically, was to Riackporhe.
January 21
- Illunga Makubu v Noel Gevor Mikaelyan
- Jonathan Guidry vs Bermaine Stiverne
91 years on, Don King still pursues the sport and hosts a once-a-year show featuring his only Cruiserkg world champion Illunga Makubu. Former WBC heavyweight champion Bermaine Stiverne was also dusted and dragged off the shelf to face Jonathan Guidry, who actually rallied shares a bit after his defeat to paper champ Trevor Bryan. Stiverne hasn’t won a championship since 2015, but while King still has Makubu to advance, we won’t see him for the last time.
January 21
Antonio Tarver Jnr v Drew Dwelly
Son of former light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver aka Mason Dixon from Rocky Balboa, performs his first real test. Tarver Jnr is 10-0, while Dwelly is 11-0 with 2 draws. Tarver Snr is promoting the match as the 3rd event of his total. Jnr turned pro in 2014 but it was slow, this is only his 11th professional fight in 9 years.
January 28
- Agit Kabayel v Agron Smakici
German Kabayel fights for the vacant EBU title he previously owned before relinquishing it in 2020 to secure more lucrative games. This hasn’t quite happened with a failed Tyson Fury fight, among others. Although Smakici was defeated by Kazakh Zhan Kossobutsky in 1 round boxrec rated him higher than Kabayel probably due to his higher activity and good win over Lenroy Thomas recently.
January 28
- Artur Beterbiev v Anthony Yarde
This could be a great slugfest. Both can smash, but Beterbiev’s boxing skills are underrated. Yarde deserves another chance after rebuilding after defeats to Kovalev and Lyndon Arthur before taking revenge on the latter. Yarde will definitely win, that’s for sure.
Set up the rest of the year
Of all the boxing prospects, fans are waiting for the development of Ennis, Ortiz, Ellis, and if he returns, Conor Benn. Would PBC risk putting Ennis and Ellis together if they both win? If Crawford and Spence do end up fighting each other, the belts could open, or even if they don’t, they could look for the title at 154. Many could be left vacant.
Artur Beterbiev will have the main quest if he defeats Yarde. Yarde is also the current highest ranked IBF challenger, and the WBC is generally willing to wait before enforcing mandatory requirements if undisputed matches are in progress. Bob Arum has always been reluctant to work with Eddie Hearn on what he calls Deadzone (DAZN). He also said that Bivol was boring, but he couldn’t say that anymore after the wins over Canelo and Ramirez; Bivol is a star whether Arum likes it or not. Both are Russians and the war is basically huge around the world. Beterbiev was 38 years old before guarding a week, so can he age overnight?
Efe Agagba suffered a crushing defeat in the match against top contender Frank Sanchez but got another chance against the talented Stephan Shaw. Agagba is a mild August 11 favorite that I agree, but it’s a big fight to see who makes it to the next level.
January can be a very exciting month and a good way to start 2023.
