London cruiserweight rivals Mikael Lawal and Isaac Chamberlain fight for the British and Commonwealth titles at York on Saturday night, live on Sky Sports; an action-packed undercard features Louis Greene's Commonwealth title clash with Sam Gilley, Karriss Artingstall's return and more
Saturday 21 October 2023 07:02, UK
Mikael Lawal and Isaac Chamberlain both made weight for Saturday’s British and Commonwealth cruiserweight championship fight at York Hall, live on Sky Sports.
The excellent condition of both fighters at Friday's weigh in told its own story. Both have trained with serious intent for a contest they have been building towards for the best part of this year.
Lawal glared stonily at an animated Chamberlain in their final face off before Saturday's clash, turning away with a grim smile and a shake of his head.
But the animosity lingered. Chamberlain broke off from his interview with Sky Sports to bark at Lawal: "Who are you trying to intimidate?"
Lawal later shrugged off the incident. "He's talking, I'm listening to the talk. I don't know what he's talking about. I think all the pressure's actually on him," the British cruiserweight champion said.
"At the end of the day, we're going to let our fists talk," he continued. "Everything he's saying doesn't bother me.
"It has to end [now]. We've got to put an end to it."
Lawal scaled 14st 2lbs, Chamberlain just a pound heavier.
"I put in the miles, I put in the hard yards, I put in the work," the latter threatened. "I'm knocking him out."
Lawal's prediction was simpler. "This is my belt I'm taking it back home with me," he said of the British title. "I'm going to win."
An enticing scrap for the Commonwealth super-welterweight title pits Sam Gilley (11st) against champion Louis Greene (10st 12lbs).
Gilley was well pleased with coming in exactly on weight. "I'm going to be absolutely massive tomorrow," he said.
Both men, on a run of good stoppage wins, will collide over 12 scheduled rounds at York Hall. At their focused but controlled face off, Gilley spoke quietly to the champion.
"I just said let's go to war tomorrow night," he explained.
"We put so much into this for 10 weeks," he added. "There's a reason BOXXER have kept this show on, because of fights like this."
Greene was relaxed about the venue change after the original headliner, Joshua Buatsi vs Dan Azeez was postponed.
"The mecca of boxing is the York Hall," he said. "I think the fight's going to be a good, hard, solid fight from the get go.
"And I'm going to come away the winner."
Michael Hennessy (11st 10lbs), who denied Saturday's opponent Joe Laws (11st 11lbs) ever made him cry in a now long-past spar, arrived at their face-off with a box of tissues.
Laws, already so pumped up that he had to be held back, knocked it out of Hennessy's hand. He declared: "I'm ready to go. I'm ready to go right now… Let me off the leash and watch me go."
"I expect nothing less," Hennessy said, before adding: "I plan on stopping him mid to late rounds."
Olympic bronze medallist Karriss Artingstall (9st) subjected opponent Vanessa Bradford (8st 13lbs) to a brief but steely staredown before offering a firm hand shake.
Unlike the undefeated Artingstall, Canada's Bradford has suffered losses but against elite championship class fighters like Mikaela Mayer, Alycia Baumgardner and more, including a world title fight with Hyun Mi Choi.
Bradford intends to put that experience to good use. "I am super confident," she said. "You haven't been in with anyone with my kind of power. I adapt to every style."
"They all talk a good fight," Artingstall levelly replied, "but it's different when you're in the ring facing me."
