May 18th. The world will bear witness to the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the world since Lennox Lewis, an astonishing 24 years ago.
Under the titanic weight of such a conflict – that of Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury – the undercard may go under appreciated by many. But Saudi Arabia promises to display some of the greatest boxing talent in the world.
So, who exactly will be entering the Ring of Fire?
Preliminaries
Occupying the bottom of the card are three fighters of substantial note. The first, David Nyika, is one of the most promising stars in the cruiserweight division. The New Zealand native, currently shining and undefeated, looks to extend his streak by beating German and European cruiserweight champion Michael Seitz. Currently 12-0 himself, Seitz should be a good name on the resume, should the Olympian Nyika come through.
Popular southpaw prospect Moses Itauma is set to take to the stage against 25-3 heavyweight Ilja Mezencev. The 19 year old is being conditioned to take over the division as the older talent starts to age out and, given the wealth of power and talent he possesses, should begin to inch his way towards some recognisable names, after this showing.
Finally, in a bout that is sure to produce entertainment, ‘The Westgate Warrior’ Issac Lowe (24-2-3) goes up against the former WBC Asian Featherweight champion Hasibullah Ahmadi. In yet another example of the positive influence the Saudis have had on boxing, the eyes of the world will be drawn to Ahmadi, a relative unknown with a 16-1 record, who will be looking to add Lowe to his record.
Frank Sanchez vs Agit Kabayel
Two fighters with records and histories that scarily mirror one another, Agit Kabayel and Frank Sanchez are guaranteed to produce heavyweight fireworks. Both 24-0, both 31 years old and both continental titleholders of their respective regions, this is an inspired and perfect piece of matchmaking. Kabayel is hot off his fourth round TKO of Arslanbek Makhmudov during the Day of Reckoning, whilst Sanchez comes off a seven round TKO of Junior Fa from the same card.
These two fighters are so similar, this is truly a bout that will dictate their destiny.
Mark Chamberlain vs Joshua Oluwaseun Wahab
His Excellency’s favourite fighter, Mark Chamberlain is set to return to Saudi Arabia in order to put his 15-0 record up against 23-1 Joshua Oluwaseun Wahab, the WBO Africa Super Featherweight champion.
Yet again, the Saudis give a platform to a lesser known fighter, one with the potential to trouble Chamberlain. However, last time out, Chamberlain seemed unstoppable against the iron-willed Gavin Gwynne (17-3-1) and, with his strong gas-tank and southpaw stance, this might prove to be too much of a step-up for Wahab.
Sergey Kovalev vs Robin Sirwin Safar
The ‘Krusher’ Sergey Kovalev has been drawn to the Ring of Fire by Saudi Arabian money, despite his age and activity suggesting a possible decline. Now 35-4-1, Kovalev has not fought since his unanimous decision win over the lesser Pulev brother in 2022 – not the sort of fight that would set someone up for a fight on this scale.
Whilst his opponent Robin Safar (16-0) has not faced anywhere near Kovalev’s calibre of competition, his age and drive might assist in taking the legendary Kovalev the distance.
However, there are many question marks in this bout; concerning the talent of Safar, the diminishment of Kovalev and who is most likely to win, in the Ring of Fire.
Joe Cordina vs Anthony Cacace
‘The Welsh Wizard’ Joe Cordina (17-0) will put his IBF title on the line against Anthony Cacace’s lesser IBO Super Featherweight title in a Wales versus Ireland match-up. One can’t help but wonder if a fight like this should’ve headlined somewhere like Cardiff, although for a card as titanic as Ring of Fire, it only makes sense. ‘The Apache’ is sitting at 21-1 and Cordina will be looking to keep his perfect record intact in Saudi Arabia.
Certainly, this is a fight that is expected to catch fire from the opening bell through to its dramatic conclusion.
Jai Opetaia vs Mairis Breidis
Jai Opetaia (24-0), the current king of the cruiserweight division, is set to revisit his fight against Mairis Briedis (28-2), with that first bout taking place in 2022. The Ring Magazine champion last beat Briedis in Australia to earn his IBF belt, before it was controversially revoked leading into the Day of Reckoning.
Briedis managed to take Opetaia to a points decision last time out, however, a stern lack of activity and age are sure to be crucial factors here and Opetaia has only looked better since. With two years of brilliant development, it is hard to see how Opetaia can’t end this well within the distance; especially with the chance to get his belt back.
And so, ultimately, with these fights on the line, one can begin to look past the undisputed and get excited for a whole card of non-stop action at the highest level of the sport.