Special Summer Looming Large

The big fights keep on rolling as the boxing boom continues into July and August.

Here at Queensberry we have got an exceptional run of fights and big nights coming up, but we are on our travels first of all on July 12 when we cross the pond to New York for the super middleweight introduction of Hamzah Sheeraz.

I say introuction, but our man is jumping in deep at 167lbs and has a massively tough assignment in Edgar Berlanga, the big-punching ‘Chosen One’ from Florida.

This Ring Magazine production will be something special because the event is taking place at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, better known as the home of the US Open.

Let’s hope that it is Berlanga in need of ‘new balls please’ after taking a few on the whiskers! Seriously though, this is a top fight and probably the best match that can be made outside of a world championship at the moment.

Saul Alvarez has got all the belts, so the winner of this one will be a front runner in the next Canelo stakes.

I obviously believe Hamzah will win the fight, but he will have to be smart about it. We know Berlanga will be coming to blast him out right from the first bell, so Hamzah needs to keep him at bay with his own formidable jab before wearing the puncher down.

After his world title fight in February in which he sustained a badly injured hand, Hamzah would’ve had every right to ask for a more gentle gateway into the super middles.

But as far as Hamzah is concerned now, there is no turning back and this is the level of opposition he wants to encounter from now on.

A week later we will have a spring in our step as we trot along Wembley Way full of anticipation ahead of the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world showdown between Daniel Dubois, the IBF champion, and the unified champion Oleksandr Usyk.

It will be a night where history will be made whatever happens because it will be the first time an undisputed heavyweight collision has taken place in this country. However, I do believe Daniel’s time has come.

Daniel has developed an inner strength and resolve across his recent win-treble against Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua. Truth be told, there weren’t many tipping him to win any of the three.

He is near enough the complete package as a heavyweight now. All that was missing before perhaps was a total belief in himself.

I can really see him sticking it on Usyk and giving him the sort of fight he has never experienced before, especially at heavyweight.

Whatever your viewpoint, I think we can all agree that we are in for something very special and it will likely turn out to be one of those ‘I was there’ nights that will go down in boxing folklore.

From Wembley the Queensberry train heads south to Bournemouth for the next chapter of the Ryan Garner story on July 26.

Ryan is another who I have nailed my colours to from the start and I really feel that he is on the verge of something big.

Now the European champion, Ryan goes up against the British and Commonwealth champion Reece Bellotti just a short hop from his Southampton home.

Anyone who follows this sport closely will tell you we are in for a cracker. Both come to fight, but both are smart operators who come with a strong amateur pedigree.

Also on the card, our Blue Chip prospect - again at super featherweight - Royston Barney-Smith will have his credentials properly tested against the undefeated IBF and WBO European champion Danny Quartermaine.

From the South Coast we head back out to Saudi Arabia on August 16 for a Queensberry-heavy Riyadh Season event headlined by the intriguing clash between Moses Itauma and Dillian Whyte.

This really is a fascinating one. There is not much more I can say about Moses at the moment because my opinion on him seems to be universal and he has the potential to be one of the greats.

The imponderable is what we will get from Dillian at this stage of the game. What we do know is that nobody will get an easy time of it against this tough-as-old-boots campaigner who has operated at the top level for some time now.

This isn’t Dillian checking out with a fat pay cheque. He wants what Moses has got and that is the No.1 spot with the WBO because Dillian still believes he has got a world title in him.

Another great fight in Riyadh - although they all are - is Nick Ball defending his WBA world featherweight title against the Australian Sam Goodman.

You all know what I think about Nick by now. To me he is the best out there and I would love for him to get a date with the Monster some time soon.

Goodman though is no mug. He was set to face Inoue back in the New Year but was forced to pull out at late notice after sustaining a cut in sparring. Coincidently, do you know who it was who inflicted the accidental damage?

It was Nick’s Everton Red Triangle teammate Brad Strand, who ventured Down Under for a sparring trip.

Also on parade is Anto Cacace in a defence of his IBO world title against Ray Ford who, of course, lost his WBA world title at featherweight to Nick Ball.

That being said, he still showed us enough on the night to know that he is a top-notch fighter and he will need to be against Anto in his late-career flourish.

The one that took a few people by surprise is back at heavyweight, with the WBO International title being defended by Filip Hrgovic against another Queensberry heavy in David Adeleye.

The British champion David was set to defend his belt in a rematch against Jeamie Tshikeva, but he wanted something bigger and he has got that in a fight with long-time contender Filip, who is coming off his win over Joe Joyce.

So we’ve got an unrivalled run of fights coming up and, if you can’t be there in person, you know you can catch it all live and exclusive on DAZN.