Boxing Tips
Saturday 8pm: Paddy Donovan v Williams Andres Herrera
Donovan Points or Decision
Saturday 9pm: Cheavon Clarke v Tommy McCarthy
McCarthy Points or Decision
Saturday 10:30pm: Lewis Crocker v Jose Felix
Crocker To Win the Fight in Round 7 – 8
Sunday 4am: Jaime Munguia v John Ryder
Ryder by Points or Decision
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
This weekend DAZN is putting on a big boxing double header. At Ulster Hall in Belfast rising star Lewis Crocker faces Mexican veteran Jose Felix, Olympian Cheavon Clarke meets local favourite Tommy McCarthy, and Paddy Donovan takes on Williams Andres Herrera.
While in Phoenix, Arizona the biggest fight of the weekend features former champ Jaime Munguia against British contender John Ryder.
Paddy Donovan v Williams Andres Herrera
8pm, Saturday – Donovan Points or Decision
There is no doubt that Donovan, 25, has a lot of promise, but his team is not rushing him and this weekend he takes on Argentina’s Herrera. The away fighter is tall and game, and he’ll be coming to win against the Irish star.
Donovan has flashy skills but there is real power in his gloves, and he’s knocked out nine of his 12 opponents. Herrera has lost twice in a 17-fight career but he’s never been stopped, and I think Donovan will bank 10 good rounds on his way to a wide unanimous decision.
Cheavon Clarke v Tommy McCarthy
9pm, Saturday – McCarthy Points or Decision
The most intriguing contest on the Belfast card is between two 33-year-olds going in different directions. 2020 British Olympian Clarke turned pro late but has won all of his seven paid contests, with five wins coming inside the distance, while McCarthy has lost three of his last five following a career spanning almost 10 years.
The Irishman has had a lot of tough fights, he has a young family, and he has just seen his podcasting buddy Tyrone McKenna hang up the gloves, so I can see why he has been written off against the power-punching Clarke. However, McCarthy split a decision with current world champion Chris Billiam-Smith just two years ago, and I have to pick the massive odds on McCarthy to nick a famous win on points.
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Lewis Crocker v Jose Felix
10:30pm, Saturday – Crocker To Win the Fight in Round 7 – 8
‘The Croc’ is relentless – not just his fighting style, but it has been just eight weeks since he scored the biggest win of his career against hometown rival Tyrone McKenna. This Saturday Crocker faces the experienced Felix for yet another spurious strap but, more to the point, the chance to get another serious name on his record.
This isn’t Josesito’s first, or even second, trip to the Emerald Isle – just last year the Mexican came over to face unbeaten prospect Gary Cully and Felix took out the home fighter in just three rounds! And in 2021, Felix faced McKenna – getting dropped in the first round, before returning the favour to the ‘The Mighty Celt’ in the third, yet still losing clearly on the cards.
With a 77% KO ratio there is no doubt that Felix can bang, but he’s also been stopped twice and dropped on multiple occasions. The big factor in this fight is that Felix is coming up to welterweight when normally he operates a division or two lighter. I think ‘The Croc’ will be too busy, too big and too quick, and I think he’ll get a late stoppage win.
Jaime Munguia v John Ryder
4am, Sunday – Ryder by Points or Decision
There’s some ‘Silver’ super middleweight title attached to the headline bout at the Footprint Center this weekend but that doesn’t really matter, the important thing is that two top 10 168-pounders are stepping up to the plate to see who is best.
Ryder, 35, is coming off a bruising loss to Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez last May, when the Londoner unsuccessfully challenged for all four of the super middleweight belts. If Ryder wants to be in the mix for more title shots and big fights in the last few years of his career he needs a big win in the US.
Unbeaten in 42 contests, Munguia, 27, seems to have been around forever without having taken on any of the really big names. The former super welterweight champ scored his best win in 2018 against Liam Smith, but most of his victories in recent years have been against average fighters at world level including Gary O’Sullivan, Dennis Hogan and Jimmy ‘Kilrain’ Kelly.
It is difficult to gauge how good the man from Tijuana is when he has dominant wins followed by razor close decision victories. The good news for Ryder is that Munguia always seems to struggle with busy shorter fighters – in June he sneaked a points win past an over-the-hill Sergiy Derevyanchenko courtesy of a 12th round body shot.
‘The Gorilla’ has blown hot and cold too, but he seems to have found consistency – since 2017 Ryder has seven solid wins and two losses to Canelo and, controversially, to Callum Smith, who was champ at the time.
Munguia’s big advantage in this bout is power – he has notched up 33 KO wins in his career, but only one has come after round 6. Ryder will have to be sharp from the first bell to avoid an early bath, but the Brit has shown resilience in his career going the distance with Canelo and Smith, and only suffering one knockout defeat way back in 2015.
There’s a big chance this is close and it goes to points. Ryder can be beaten by a stiff jab but Munguia likes to be in middle and close range, and that’s where John does his best work. And another difficulty for the favourite is that Ryder is a southpaw – I fancy an upset here, and I’m picking Ryder to do it on points.
Boxing Tips
Saturday 8pm: Paddy Donovan v Williams Andres Herrera
Donovan Points or Decision
Saturday 9pm: Cheavon Clarke v Tommy McCarthy
McCarthy Points or Decision
Saturday 10:30pm: Lewis Crocker v Jose Felix
Crocker To Win the Fight in Round 7 – 8
Sunday 4am: Jaime Munguia v John Ryder
Ryder by Points or Decision
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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