Sunday’s European Championship final will not be the only England vs Italy sporting event taking place this weekend, as Saturday night will see Lyndon Arthur look to defend his WBO Inter-Continental light-heavyweight title against Davide Faraci.
Manchester fighter Arthur will not only be putting his title on the line at the Royal Albert Hall, but also an unbeaten record that spans 18 professional fights, with 12 of those successes coming via knockout.
Arthur’s most recent performance was perhaps his most impressive to date as, despite being the outsider, he claimed a split-decision victory over fellow Brit and former world title challenger Anthony Yarde to take both the Inter-Continental and Commonwealth belts.
Opponent Faraci will also be looking to protect an unbeaten career that spans 15 victories, while he has previous for upsetting the odds in his opponent’s own back yard, as he saw off German fighter Emre Cukur via unanimous decision in Goppingen last year.
Arthur to Build on Growing Reputation
December’s victory over Yarde has helped propel Arthur into the spotlight, with the 30-year-old now ranked as the second-best light-heavyweight in Britain behind only Joshua Buatsi.
Arthur has won a dozen of his 18 previous fights before the final bell, but all three of his bouts over 12 rounds have gone the distance.
Just look at the razor sharp reactions of @LyndonArthur
That's a man raring to go on July 10th
#ArthurFaraci pic.twitter.com/Ia7rXw3Stk
— Boxing on BT Sport
(@BTSportBoxing) July 3, 2021
Faraci will be entering unchartered territory on Saturday, as he has never fought a 12-round contest, but he did go the full eight rounds against Cukur and should be all the better for the experience.
This should be a fight that Arthur eventually wins, but the man whose nickname is ‘King Arthur’, may have to go the full 12 rounds before getting his Royal approval, with the Brit priced at 12/5 to win via decision or technical decision.
Parker Sets Sights Beyond Khusanov
There is also a tasty undercard on offer at the Royal Albert Hall, including Zach Parker’s defence of his WBO International super-middleweight title against Sherzod Khusanov.
Parker has won all 20 of his previous fights and he is the number one ranked challenger to Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’ WBO super-middleweight title.
The Brit has his eyes firmly set on challenging Canelo in the future, while a bout with compatriot Chris Eubank Jr also appears to be on the cards, but he must first overcome experienced Uzbek fighter Khusanov.
The 41-year-old may be entering the twilight of his career, but he has only lost two of his previous 25 fights and he will certainly have the knowhow to test Parker if the younger man is not on his game.
It would be a major surprise if Parker did not go on to win this fight and he can be backed at 6/5 to claim the victory via KO, TKO or disqualification.
Sharp Should Have Edge on Opponent
Another unbeaten British fighter on Saturday’s card is Archie Sharp, who will take on Diego Andrade Chavez for the vacant WBO Global super-featherweight title.
The 26-year-old has not lost any of his previous 19 fights, although he has only been in the ring once over the last 18 months, with his fight against Marcio Soza having to be postponed after his opponent tested positive for Covid.
Soza is still feeling the effects of that setback, which means fellow Mexican Chavez has come in as a late replacement for Saturday’s bout.
Chavez has lost four of his previous 19 fights and should hold nothing for Sharp to fear, but this could be another fight that goes the distance, as the Brit looks to blow away any potential cobwebs.
A Sharp win by decision or technical decision is available at 5/7, while a victory would also move him a step closer to a showdown with either Jamel Herring or Shakur Stevenson.
*All odds correct at time of writing
