BN Preview: Dan Azeez, an English light-weight-heavyweight in Paris – Boxing News
DAN AZEEZ will head to Paris for the next halt on his whistlestop journey to globe title rivalry. The 33-calendar year-outdated is previously the 1st British mild-heavyweight to acquire all of the British Boxing Board of Control belts at domestic degree and extra the Commonwealth title to his selection by beating Rocky Fielding in December.
Now he has been rewarded with this crack at European champion Thomas Faure, the 21-4-1 (2) Frenchman. Faure, of Chateauroux, will get pleasure from residence advantage in Paris, which is close to 250km north of the town exactly where he at this time resides.
Azeez has been one particular of the unsung heroes of British boxing given that COVID hit in 2020 – and he has accomplished the enterprise all in excess of the region. He gained English title fights in Kirkby and Bolton, gained the British in London and then defended it in Liverpool before December’s triumph in Bournemouth. A tiny trip throughout the Channel is unlikely to faze him.
“I want to be the king of Europe,” he said. “So why not go and combat for the title anyplace in the continent?”
This combat experienced been scheduled to get place at the Wembley Arena final thirty day period but when Azeez fell unwell all through January it was postponed. He had hoped to land on a card in England, perhaps the a person headlined by his former secure-mate and a person-time novice opponent Lawrence Okolie, but he has been despatched to France as an alternative. The demonstrate is a co-promotion concerning Boxxer and All Star Boxing and will be broadcast on Sky Sports activities listed here in the United kingdom and Canal+ in France.
Azeez admits he appreciates little of Faure, and he is not alone. The Frenchman has never ever boxed exterior his home place and has not had a struggle considering that he gained the vacant European title back in January 2022 – so extensive ago that he is at this time considered ‘inactive’ by Boxrec.
That night he claimed a unanimous determination more than his compatriot Kevin Thomas Cojean who moved to 27-10-2 (11) as a final result of the defeat. It was a rematch of their 10-spherical draw a 12 months earlier. He has also earlier gone the 10-spherical distance with Tony Averlant who was stopped in a person spherical by Joshua Buatsi, and 7 by Anthony Yarde.
In truth, Faure will have developed accustomed to distance fights more than the class of his vocation with just two stoppage victories out of 21 so significantly. He has also been beaten within the length only as soon as, from Eddy Lacrosse back again in 2018.
Azeez might consider some self-assurance from the nature of that seventh-round finish from Lacrosse who, like him, is a shorter, compact light-weight-heavyweight who closed the distance to the rangey Faure, routinely slipping inside of his extensive levers and operating on the within. Faure appears to like maintaining matters very long but 5ft 10in Azeez has built a residing from making points awkward for taller opponents.
As this sort of, expect Buddy McGirt-experienced Azeez to have on Faure down all over the initially fifty percent of the fight just before turning the screw and forcing a stoppage amongst rounds 6 and nine to claim the belt.
That clash, even so, is not the most important party at the Zenith de Paris, the 6,000-seater arena a handful of miles north of the metropolis centre in La Villette. At the leading of the monthly bill, Paris-born heavyweight Tony Yoka takes on fellow Frenchman Carlos Takam as he attempts to start off rebuilding from the first defeat of his vocation past time out.
On Could 14, the 2016 Olympic winner Yoka dropped a vast majority choice to Martin Bakole in what was his only fight of 2022 but he will get again on the horse with what appears to be like a stern exam versus Nevada-primarily based Takam, a former opponent of Anthony Joshua, Joe Joyce and a myriad of other prime heavyweights.
At 42, however, Takam is well earlier his greatest and arrives in Paris off the back again of two defeats: 1, that sixth-round knockout by Joyce and most not long ago a 10-spherical details reduction at the hands of Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Yoka, 30, ought to be much too younger and contemporary for Takam at this stage and a points earn in this 10-rounder appears most likely. If Yoka is really serious about ever demanding for earth titles, he cannot manage to slip up towards an ageing Takam in this article.
As very well as Azeez, there is other British curiosity on the card with Wales’ Lauren Value vying to continue her continuous development as a professional when she requires on Germany’s challenger Naomi Mannes.
The 28-yr-aged, whose final outing was a defeat to Englishwoman Kirstie Bavington for the European welterweight title in November, is 6-1 (4), will do very well to last the distance with a healthy and firing Value, who has gained her very first two outings as a expert with minimal hassle.
Rate has fond reminiscences of Paris, in which she booked her location for the 2020 Olympics, and it is unlikely that she will taste defeat hers. The 28-yr-old, from Ystrad Mynach, Wales, went on to win gold in Tokyo and appears even far better suited to the expert video game.
“I was proud to characterize Great Britain all above the entire world in my novice occupation,” she claimed. “And heading to Paris, exactly where I certified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, for my third qualified bout gives me a comparable feeling.
“I know that Naomi Mannes not long ago challenged for the European title so she’s unquestionably a phase up in competitiveness. I can not hold out to get in excess of to France and present the environment what I’ve been working on.”
There is also a run-out for Wythenshawe’s Macaulay McGowan, who has now gained a few 4 rounders since he was beaten more than 10 rounds by 48-yr-old Sergio Martinez previous yr. He usually takes on property favourite Farrhad Saad who is 8–1, but is but to finish a struggle within the distance.
McGowan, experienced by Joe Gallagher, has combined at a considerably increased degree than Saad and will be hoping to make his practical experience depend on the evening. The Englishman knows a win listed here could fireplace him into far even bigger fights less than the Boxxer banner in the upcoming.
THE VERDICT: Azeez accomplishing points the outdated university way.