Joshua vs Molina: Anthony Joshua, Dillian Whyte, Scott Quigg and co created talking points
Sunday 11 December 2016 11:56, UK
What did we learn in Manchester where Anthony Joshua topped a bill jam-packed with memorable moments?
Is AJ ready for step up in class?
Anthony Joshua again showed unearthing power and dazzling speed to make the second successive defence of his IBF title as he beat Eric Molina, but now the opponent level will go up another notch.
With the announcement that a mouth-watering, blockbuster showdown with former long-reigning unified champ Wladimir Klitschko will take place on April 29, it is now crunch time for 'AJ' as he will finally be tested against the very elite the division has to offer.
The world champion boasts a perfect record of 18 stoppage wins from 18 fights, but Klitschko will bring a fresh challenge, a differing style to anything Joshua has faced before and now we will finally see whether he is and will be the great fighter many believe he will be.
Whyte and Chisora leave heart in the ring
Dillian Whyte and Dereck Chisora went some way to cancelling out the feuding confrontations that dominated much of the build up to the heavyweight scrap.
The bitter rivals produced a thrilling, yet extremely gruelling contest that showed exactly what victory meant to them both and that, when inside the ropes, they can put in a performance that only leaves them lauded in plaudits.
Current British champion Whyte got the nod, but Chisora will feel hard-done by in an extremely close battle. Whether the fight drew a line over their bitter rivalry would be hard to say, or are we simply none the wiser and in the need for another rematch.
Yafai the real deal
Kal Yafai won the WBA world title and won it in some style. Despite not getting the KO that would have sealed the perfect victory, the Birmingham star boxed immensely and dominated from the first bell as he cruised to world glory.
The 27-year-old super-flyweight was in imperious form and he safely put his name amongst the division's elite after defeating Panama's Luis Concepcion.
As is often the case at the smaller weights, there can be a lack of standout names, but in the 115lbs ranks the likes of Roman Gonzalez and Naoya Inoue head up a finely competitive selection of fighters. Birmingham's Yafai is now amongst that list and he definitively backed it up on Saturday night.
Burton-Buglioni lived up to its billing
Rarely does a fight come along that beforehand has all the ingredients to be a classic, fight-of-the-year contender. When it does come along, often it fails to live up to the expectations, but Hosea Burton and Frank Buglioni played their part in producing an explosive, action-packed fight that went above and beyond.
The two light-heavyweights put it all on the line and traded leather for leather over twelve exasperating rounds that had knockdowns, cuts and toe-to-toe unmissable action.
Burton went into the final few rounds up on the scorecards and seemingly on his way to a hard-fought victory, but Buglioni somehow had something left and a devastating right hand in the final few minutes spelled the beginning of the end for Burton who, despite his best attempts, could go on no longer.
Quigg is revitalised
Scott Quigg's step up to featherweight, to the critics, may have been interpreted as a necessary reinvention following a defeat to Carl Frampton earlier this year that left the Bury man without his world title.
But Quigg's explosive knockout of Jose Cayetano on his debut at 126lbs suggested that a brand new talent may have been unearthed. At the heavier weight, Quigg looked physically thicker and his one-punch stoppage demonstrated that his punch power is improving.
Cayetano had never been stopped (he went the distance with Frampton's recent foe Leo Santa Cruz) so Quigg's ability to finish him with a single blow is significant. The broken jaw is hopefully a remnant of Quigg's past, but in order to truly shake off the memories of his sole pro defeat, he must continue the momentum from Saturday and replicate Frampton's success at featherweight.
