Arthur and Parker and McCann and Sharp Stay Unbeaten at Prince Albert Hall

Arthur and Parker and McCann and Sharp Stay Unbeaten at Prince Albert Hall

Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions was at Prince Albert Hall in London today with a show that lost some luster when Anthony Yarde’s opponent took ill and his match fell out. Nonetheless, it was an interesting little show that included both the TSS 2020 British Breakthrough Fighter of the Year and the 2020 TSS British Prospect of the Year per Matt McGrain’s annual yearly report.

The “Breakthrough” fighter was light heavyweight Lyndon Arthur (pictured on the left) who earned the nod by virtue of his upset over Anthony Yarde this past December, a split decision that commanded a rematch. Tonight’s card was designed as an appetizer for that rematch and Lyndon Arthur, a 30-year-old Mancunian, upheld his part of the deal with a ninth- round stoppage of fellow unbeaten Davide Faraci (15-0 heading in), a Swiss-born Italian making his first appearance on British soil.

Arthur (19-0, 13 KOs) staggered Faraci in the fifth, but didn’t press his advantage and Faraci, a Swiss-born Italian making his first appearance on British soil, soldiered on until the ninth when Arthur dropped him twice. The end came at the 2:24 mark with Faraci on his feet but well beaten.

Promoter Frank Warren says he hopes Arthur’s win is an omen, referencing tomorrow’s clash between “footballers” England and Italy at Wembley Stadium, one of the biggest sporting events of the year in Europe.

Other Bouts of Note

Twenty-seven-year-old super middleweight Zach Parker (21-0, 15 KOs) wasted little time dismissing 41-year-old Uzbek gatekeeper Sherzud Khusanov. A left hook to the body ended matters at the 2:47 mark of the opening round. Khusanov (22-3-2) hadn’t previously been stopped.

Parker entered the contest ranked #1 at 168 pounds by the WBO. The Derbyshire man insists that he has the perfect style to upend Canelo Alvarez who is 7-0 vs. British opposition.

Irish Traveler Dennis McCann, a 20-year-old southpaw, continued his fast rise up the bantamweight ladder with a second-round stoppage of Tanzanian journeyman John Chuwa. There were no knockdowns, but McCann had Chuwa backed into a corner and was dealing out some punishment when the referee intervened. McCann improved to 10-0 (6); Chuwa declined to 20-5. The official time was 2:06.

In a fight that went after the main event, London super featherweight Archie Sharp (20-0, 9 KOs) scored a 10-round unanimous decision over Mexican import Diego Andrade (13-5-1). The scores were 99-93 and 97-93 twice.

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