British Boxing Preview: Joyce vs. Takam and More
(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Many eyes this weekend will of course be on Tokyo and the Olympics, and among other things the amateur boxing there, but even with the loss of what would have been the weekend’s main attraction in Fury/Wilder 3, there is a solid card to get stuck into in Britain, with Joe Joyce - a star of the last Olympics - looking to continue his late-bloomer run at a heavyweight title, ably supported by a very solid welterweight British title fight and a rising star at super-welter. Let’s get into it.
Joe Joyce vs. Carlos Takam
Since he turned pro after the Rio Olympics (a tourney in which he got absolutely shafted in the final), fans have not always been kind to Joyce- seen as lumbering, crude, too slow to ever really be effective. And, well, he is slow, and you could call him lumbering without much argument- but there’s always been more technique there than critics were giving him credit for, and he proved that against the young upstart Daniel Dubois, employing an unorthodox but extremely effective jab to disrupt any sense of timing Dubois may have had and club his way to a a tenth round stoppage.
This weekend he faces Takam, and while it’s been a while since Takam competed at the top of the division - depending on how you define that, either 2018 against Chisora or against Joshua the year before- he’s a canny campaigner with a big dig who won’t be coming to lie down, and who Joyce will have to be careful against. You’d expect Joyce to eventually simply wear the older man down with his, for heavyweight, relentless pace, but it’s a decent fight in the making.
Chris Jenkins vs. Ekow Essuman
The chief support here comes from a potential firecracker at British title level between the long time British level contender- and current champion- Jenkins and Essuman, a challenger who, although the same age, has been rising through the ranks having turning pro at 27. This is the kind of fight that could showcase what the British boxing system does so well. Neither one is likely to be convincingly challenging for a world title any time soon, but where in some systems such fighters might fall away or end up in an endless circle of mismatched tune-ups, occasionally falling into a fight overmatched the other way and losing, both have been well-tested against evenly-matched opponents on their way here.
Jenkins has progressed from narrow losses at British level at 140lbs to wins and holding the title since he stepped up to 147, while Essuman has fought his way up through the English level (including a win over former 140lbs British champ Tyron Nurse). We know where they stand, and it could well lead to a cracking back-and-forth matchup.
Stylistically, Jenkins is the come-forward fighter of the pair, pressing his opponents with what is to be honest not a lot of thought for defence, but more canny and varied attacks than might be expected, particularly with a thought for working body and head to pull his opponent out of shape. Essuman prefers a longer range, but is by no means averse to stepping in to deliver a combination and try to back his man up. It’s not impossible that Essuman is simply too nimble and wins wide on points, but the hope, and probably the most likely scenario, is a fight in which Jenkins spends some of the time able to close range and turf it out on the inside where he has the advantage, and the rest being caught as he comes in, and which of these is the more dominant pattern will determine the winner.
Hamzah Sheeraz vs. Ezequiel Gurria
This one is, if we’re being honest, a bit of a showcase, and likely to be one sided. Sheeraz is one of Frank Warren’s stars for the future, a classy, high-volume 154lber with a tricky jab and a sweet line in mid-range combination pressure, being brought through the levels with an eye on a British title challenge soon to go with his European belt. He hasn’t, yet, really been tested, but convincing wins over Paul Kean and Ryan Kelly were good markers for a fighter at his stage of development and a damn sight more impressive than what Gurria, a regional level fighter out of Spain who lost to his only opponent of any note when he stepped up for the Spanish title against David Soria. While little known Spanish boxers have caused some havoc with British hopefuls in recent years, it doesn’t seem likely that Gurria, an out-boxer with 3 kos in 15 wins, is going to overcome significant disadvantages in both size and volume thrown to pull out the shock here. It’s really one to just keep an eye on where Sheeraz is at, with a hope that he can get that British belt shot sometime soon.
Those are the three main offerings but there’s more to look out for here, in particular a well-matched super-bantamweight fight between Chris Bourke and James Beech Jr looking to push their way into a British title shot (Bourke in particular seems to carry unusual power for this division), and an early look at heavyweight hopeful David Adeleye in his fifth fight. It’s a card well worth tuning in for.