Nathan Heaney and Brad Pauls fought to a draw in their British middleweight title match over the previous weekend. As a result, Heaney, the reigning champion, managed to retain his title while Pauls, the challenger, left the ring without any reward despite the shared points decision.
If two fighters cannot be distinguished by points in their initial encounter, a sensible course of action would be to arrange a rematch. However, in the world of boxing, the logical choice is seldom pursued when more profitable opportunities are available.
When I initially competed for the British super-lightweight title in 2017 against Tyrone Nurse, the then-champion, I discovered that I was in a similar predicament as Pauls. Our match ended in a controversial draw, leaving me eager for a rematch that unfortunately never came to fruition.
The nurse decided to risk his title in a match against Jack Catterall, who offered a higher financial reward. This choice prioritizes the business aspect of professional boxing rather than the true spirit of the sport. It would have been logical for the nurse to have a rematch with me instead, considering the sporting aspect. I sincerely hope that Pauls, in his current situation, has better luck than I did and manages to earn another opportunity to challenge the champion.
Dalton Smith, who currently holds the same belt that Nurse and I competed for, will be stepping into the ring on Saturday (March 23) for what is anticipated to be the most challenging fight of his career. His opponent is none other than Jose Zepeda, a seasoned contender for multiple world titles. Zepeda’s standout victory came in the form of a fifth-round knockout against former IBF champion Ivan Baranchyk. This bout was an absolute spectacle, with a remarkable total of eight knockdowns occurring throughout the match!
In addition to his defeats against top-notch opponents like Jose Ramirez and Regis Prograis, Zepeda also fell short in his recent bout against the relatively inexperienced Richardson Hitchins. This loss to Hitchins might indicate that Zepeda, who is now 34 years old, is not performing at his peak anymore. Consequently, this could be the perfect opportunity for Smith to secure the most significant victory of his career thus far.
Should Smith triumph in a remarkable manner, it would demonstrate his readiness to advance to the next level and take on formidable opponents on the world stage. However, before that, I would prefer to witness his encounter against the reigning European champion, Adam Azim.
