Since boxing returned to UK shores on 25 July we have witnessed the lengths the sport will go to in order to ensure the safety of fighters and all involved.
We have also seen some brutal fights that will set up some great future bouts.
On Saturday 25 July, Frank Warren’s Queensbury made sure Joe Joyce and Michael Wallisch were the first pair of fighters to get back in the ring, when they met at the BT Sport Studios in London.
The result went to the British heavyweight Joyce, with a third round stoppage of the German. This puts Joyce at 11 professional bouts undefeated, and sets him up for a much-anticipated fight with Daniel Dubois in October.
Six days later, and Lyndon Arthur and Dec Spelman were at the BT Sports Studios to fight it out for the Commonwealth light-heavyweight title.
Arthur made his first successful defence of the title with a unanimous points decision over Spelman. This lines up a potential October fight for Arthur with Anthony Yarde, after an earlier match between the pair was tabled due to Covid-19.
Stepping into the boxing world on Saturday 1 August was Warren’s rival promoter Eddie Hearn, who constructed ‘Fight Camp’ in the back garden of his home and Matchroom's headquarters in Brentwood, Essex.
First up to fight in the impressive new ring were James Tennyson and Gavin Gwynne, with Tennyson becoming the new British lightweight champion after a sixth-round stoppage thanks to a devastating right hook.
The victory takes Tennyson to 27 wins in 30 professional fights, and could set up a title defence later this year, before a possible world championship fight in summer 2021.
Later that night Ted Cheeseman took on Sam Eggington at super-welterweight, in what Hearn described as “one of the best fights I have ever seen live”.
In the gripping match, Cheeseman landed the victory over Eggington – surviving an epic 12th round where he was almost stopped – with a unanimous 116-113 116-113 115-114 points win. It was certainly a fight that deserved a crowd.
UK fights coming up in August
Friday 7 August at Fight Camp, Brentwood
- Terri Harper vs Natasha Jonas (WBC IBO super-featherweight world titles)
- Chris Billam-Smith vs Nathan Thorley (Commonwealth cruiserweight title)
- Anthony Fowler vs Adam Harper (Super-Welterweight)
- Aqib Fiaz vs Kane Baker (Lightweight)
- Hopey Price vs Opponent TBC (Featherweight)
Wednesday 12 August at LS-LIVE, Wakefield
- Jono Carroll vs Maxi Hughes (Super-Lightweight)
Friday 14 August at Fight Camp, Brentwood
- Felix Cash vs Jason Welborn (Commonwealth middleweight title)
- Zelfa Barrett vs Eric Donovan (Super-Featherweight)
- Kieron Conway vs Navid Mansouri (Super-Welterweight)
- Shannon Courtenay vs Rachel Ball (Bantameight)
- John Docherty vs Opponent TBC (Super-Middleweight)
Saturday 15 August at BT Sport Studios, London
- Carl Frampton vs Vahram Vardanyan (Super-Featherweight)
- Michael Conlan vs Sofiane Takoucht (Featherweight)
- Archie Sharp vs Jeff Ofori (Super-Featherweight)
- Troy Williamson vs Michael McGurk (Super-Welterweight)
- Dennis McCann vs Opponent TBC (Bantamweight)
Thursday 20 August at BT Sport Studios, London
- Archie Sharp vs Jeff Ofori (WBO European super-featherweight title)
Saturday 22 August at Fight Camp, Brentwood
- Dillian Whyte vs Alexander Povetkin (WBC interim heavyweight world title)
- Katie Taylor v Delfine Persoon (WBC, IBF, WBO and WBA lightweight titles)
- Martin Bakole vs Sergey Kuzmin (Heavyweight)
- Luther Clay vs Chris Kongo (Welterweight)
Saturday 22 August at Venue TBC
- Shakan Pitters vs Chad Sugden (British Light-Heavyweight Title)
- Isaac Chamberlain vs Opponent TBC (Cruiserweight)
Wednesday 26 August 26 at LS-LIVE, Wakefield
- Lewis Crocker vs Louis Greene (Welterweight)
Saturday 29 August at BT Sport Studios, London
- Daniel Dubois vs Erik Pfeifer (heavyweight)
- Sunny Edwards vs Thomas Essomba (Super-Flyweight)
- Sam Maxwell vs Joe Hughes (Super-Lightweight)
- Willy Hutchinson vs Luke Blackledge (Light-Heavyweight)
- Muhammad Ali vs Opponent TBC (Featherweight)
