Undercard Results from London where Hamzah Sheeraz Made Short Work of Tyler Denny

Undercard Results from London where Hamzah Sheeraz Made Short Work of Tyler Denny

A record crowd was expected at London’s Wembley Stadium for tonight’s boxing card featuring the match between Anthony “AJ” Joshua and Daniel Dubois, a contest fairly billed as the biggest all-British heavyweight showdown since Lennox Lewis touched gloves with Frank Bruno 31 years ago in Cardiff, Wales.

The undercard, which started at 8 in the morning in the Pacific Time Zone, didn’t provide a lot of fireworks until Hamzah Sheeraz blasted out Tyler Denny in the semi-wind-up.

A six-foot-three middleweight of Pakistani and Indian descent, Sheeraz (21-0, 17 KOs) had Denny on the canvas 13 seconds into the opening round. In the second stanza, a harsh right to the body had Denny on the canvas once again. The bout was waived off as he struggled to get to his feet.

Sheeraz, who looks like the real deal, would be favored over every middleweight on the planet including the imposing Janibek Alimkhanuly. This was his 15^th straight win by stoppage. Denny, who came in recognized as a European champion, saw his record dip to 19-3-3.

Other Bouts

In a bruising 12-round tiff sanctioned for the interim WBA light heavyweight title, Joshua Buatsi, a Ghana-born Londoner, scored two knockdowns en route to winning a split decision over Willy Hutchinson. The undefeated (19-0) Buatsi scored his first knockdown late in round six, decking Hutchinson with a combination that started with a big right hand and finished with a body shot. The second knockdown, three rounds later, was scored by a straight left to the pit of the stomach. In the interim, Hutchinson had a point deducted for pushing. But “Hutch,” a 26-year-old Scotchman, kept plugging away and had many good moments. The scores were 117-108 and 115-110 for Buatsi and a curious 113-112 for Hutchinson, now 18-2

Belfast southpaw Anthony Cacace, fresh off his stunning upset of Joe Cordina, won a unanimous decision over hard-trying Josh Warrington who indicated after the match that this was his final fight. They fought for the 130-pound title of a fringe organization after the IBF withdrew their sanction on the grounds that Warrington, a former two-time IBF featherweight champion, was unranked at 130.

Cacace, a 9/4 favorite, is big for the weight class and Warrington, the “Leeds Warrior,” was moving up in weight. If this is his final fight, he leaves the sport with a record of 31-4-1 (8), but his best days were behind him — the blemishes came in his last five fights. The judges had it 118-110 and 117-111 twice. Cacace, a late bloomer, improves to 23-1 (8).

In a 12-round middleweight contest, Josh Kelly built up a big lead and then staved off a last-ditch rally by Ishmael Davis to win a majority decision. A 2016 Olympian, Kelly has fast hands and a good defense, but fights off his back foot in a style that isn’t fan-friendly. Davis, who had a fight booked next month in Manchester, filled the breach when Liam Smith had to withdraw because of an illness.

Kelly, who improved to 16-1-1 (8), scored his sixth straight win since getting stopped in six frames by David Avanesyan in 2021. Davis, the self-styled “Black Panther” from Josh Warrington’s bailiwick in Leeds, suffered his first pro loss after opening his career 13-0 (6). The scores were 115-113, 115-114, and 114-114.

The opener produced a monster upset when Josh Padley won a 10-round unanimous decision over former British amateur champion and previously undefeated Mark Chamberlain. The 28-year-old Padley, an electrician by trade, was undefeated too (14-0, 4 KOs) but the rap on him was that he lacked a hard punch and his first nine wins had come on small shows against opponents with losing records.

Chamberlain, 16-0 with 12 KOs heading in, was flat. Padley put him on the canvas in the eighth frame with a combination and Chamberlain had a point deducted in the next round for pushing. The judges had it 95-93 and 96-92 twice.

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