GOLD IN THE COPPER BOX
Edwards would be wise to take heed of Cheeseman’s travails, writes Paul Wheeler
Charlie Edwards prepares for the first defence of his WBC flyweight crown
THE last time boxerturned-promoter Sergio Martinez brought one of his unfancied Spaniards over to London to take on a Matchroom Boxing starlet, it ended in a punishing defeat for the home favourite. Ted Cheeseman was an unbeaten British champion when he stepped into the ring with Sergio Garcia last month, but his spotless record was sullied by the visitor, who pummelled his way to a unanimous points triumph at the O2 Arena in Greenwich. Less than six miles up the road at the Copper Box Arena in Stratford, another Spanish explorer with bad intentions is aiming to bring down a Brit this Saturday (March 23), live on Sky Sports Action/main Event (UK) and DAZN (US).
Representing ex-unified middleweight king Martinez is Madrid’s Angel Moreno, who will challenge his old sparring partner Charlie Edwards for the WBC flyweight title, in what is the Sutton man’s first defence. The former amateur standout unseated Cristofer Rosales from the throne three months ago with a top-class performance which resulted in a unanimous decision win. Rosales had been regarded as the number one at 112lbs prior to this. Edwards’ previous stab at world honours had seen him suffer a brave 10th-round stoppage reverse to then-ibf titlist and two-weight ruler John Riel Casimero in September 2016.
Although Moreno has won his last nine fights in a row, all of these victories have come against unheralded adversaries. On the two occasions that he has taken on noteworthy rivals, he has come unstuck. Interestingly, both of these losses took place on away turf – the only times he has ever fought outside of Spain. Artem Dalakian – who would go on to become the WBA boss – unanimously outscored him in July 2015 in Ukraine, while Thomas Masson secured the same result over Moreno in successfully defending his European strap in France eight months later.
EDWARDS ATTACKS WITH SPEED AND PRECISION
At 35 years old, Moreno, 19-2-2 (6), is getting on in age, especially for a fighter operating in the lower weight classes. However, having turned professional late at 29, he hasn’t got a vast number of miles on the clock as a pro. Diminutive but sturdy, he thrusts out strong jabs and likes to go to work on the inside with compact hooks and uppercuts, often relying on solid single shots, rather than combinations. He exhibits clever upperbody movement and fast reflexes, though the fact that he holds his hands low means that he can be caught at times.
A tidy boxer and smart punch-picker, Edwards, 14-1 (6), attacks with speed and precision, both to head and body. Possessing intelligent footwork, he is able to dictate the pace behind his accurate jab. Currently in peak form and boasting superior high-level experience compared to Moreno, the 26-year-old can box his way to a deserved points success.
The vacant British light-heavyweight belt is up for grabs on the undercard, as Croydon’s 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Joshua Buatsi, 9-0 (7), collides with
Barrow boy Liam Conroy, 16-3-1 (8).
Ghana-born Buatsi, 26, heads into this clash on the back of three consecutive opening-round wins, with the most recent two of these having come against recognised-if-outgunned opponents. Conroy is also currently on a good run, having triumphed in nine outings on the spin, with the last three all being contested at English title level. On top of this, the 26-yearold has recorded five successive stoppages. The four blemishes on his résumé all occurred in his early 20s, when he was fluctuating between weights – as low as 157 1/2lbs and as high as 181lbs. He has been dropped a few times in the past, but has been much improved since maturing and settling at 175lbs.
Game, fit and dedicated, Conroy will give it all that he’s got, but the ruthless and powerful Buatsi has the potential to be something special. He can demonstrate why he is viewed as one of the premier prospects in the sport today by winning inside the course.
Buatsi’s fellow GB Olympian from three years ago, Hackney cruiserweight
Lawrence Okolie, 11-0 (8), also sees action on the bill. The British champ puts his gold on the line against Canning Town southpaw Wadi Camacho, 21-7 (12), who does the same with his Commonwealth belt – a title that was previously vacated by Okolie. Despite having been stopped four times during his career, Camacho has displayed admirable resilience and hunger to continually bounce back from setbacks, culminating in him capturing the vacant Commonwealth crown in November by overcoming former conqueror Arfan Iqbal on a seven-round technicial decision. Nevertheless, the 33-year-old Barcelona native has undeniably been left battle-scarred by the multiple tough wars he has engaged in.
Okolie, 26, significantly stepped up his calibre of opposition last year, yet came through these trio of tests – provided by Isaac Chamberlain, Luke Watkins and Matty Askin – with his perfect ledger still intact. Tall, rangy, athletic and heavyhanded, he can power past Camacho inside time.
Further down the card, Forest Hall’s ex-british lightweight leader Lewis
Ritson, 17-1 (11), attempts to rebound from his first defeat when he moves up to super-lightweight to face Argentine
German Benitez, 21-3 (9) 1NC. Garín’s Benitez, 27, has never competed away from Argentina before, so will be up against it here. With the 25-yearold Ritson motivated and looking to impress, expect him to dispatch his South American foe inside the scheduled 10-round distance.
THE VERDICT Martinez’s men have shown before that they can be dangerous on British soil.