CLASH OF THE CRUISERWEIGHTS!
Updated: Aug 7, 2019
One fight that seems to be going unnoticed over the coming weekend is the clash between Isaac Chamberlain (9-1 4KOs) and Luke Watkins (13-1 9KOs).
The two cruiserweight prospects are both coming off the back of defeat to the same man Lawrence Okolie, and will be looking to put themselves right back into the domestic picture with a win on Saturday night.
With the introduction of the World Boxing Super Series and the crowning of an undisputed champion the cruiserweight division has really become a hotbed for talent and as a result the domestic scene in the UK is thriving which is leading to more focus on the division.
Earlier this year Chamberlain and Okolie were at the top of the bill on the Matchroom NXTGEN show at the 02.
The hype surrounding the fight grew quite quickly, two undefeated prospects putting their records on the line combined with the quirky promotion of old school newspaper advertisements and social media helped generate the interest worthy of a headline act.
As we now know the fight did not live up to this hype and instead left people questioning why it headlined a bill at the 02 Arena.
Fast forward to June this year and again on another NXTGEN show the cruiserweights were the star attraction as it was the turn of Luke Watkins another undefeated fighter putting his record on the line against Lawrence Okolie.
This fight didn’t fail to deliver as both men promised fireworks which came in the third round as Okolie’s power came though as he stopped Watkins to become the commonwealth champion.
This weekend sees both Chamberlain and Watkins jump from the frying pan into the fire as they face off against one another. Chamberlain is coming off the back of the injuries suffered in the opening round to Okolie and will be looking to show fans why he is being touted as a hot prospect. For Watkins it is a chance to push himself right back into title contention after losing his commonwealth title to Okolie.
Credit must be given to both fighters for wanting a fight of this magnitude after coming off the back of losses, when they could of quite easily took a fight against a lesser known fighter to rebuild their confidence before mounting another assault on the British crown which is currently with Lawrence Okolie after he beat Matty Askin on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs Alexander Povetkin.
However this fight goes, on paper it has the makings of a great cruiserweight clash and one that will show us more about both men’s character.