London Fight Night! Arthur, Parker, Sharp and Muhammad Ali Win at Royal Albert Hall
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
London, UK (July 12th, 2021)– Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, United Kingdom, was the site of an exciting action packed eight bouts professional boxing card on Saturday, July 10, 2021. The two featured co-main event bouts with local favorites super middleweight Zach Parker and light heavyweight Lyndon Arthur went off with foreign opponents, and emerged with two very different outcomes.
Parker, 21-0 with 15 knockouts, Woodville, Derbyshire, United Kingdom, scored a knockout at 2:47 of the first round for the full ten count over visiting Sherzod Khusanov, 22-3-1 with 10 knockouts, Fergana, Uzbekistan, to win the World Boxing Organisation International Super Middleweight title. Parker, who held this WBO super middleweight title previously, is 27 years old. The inappropriately matched Khusanov is 41 years old, and his three losses have come to fighters with a combined record of 79-0. Khusanov, a super welterweight, returned from a three and half year layoff in 2017 at super middleweight in the wrong division, and father time caught up with him. His previous two losses were decisions to fighters with a combined record of 59-0, and his exit against Parker came from a left hook to the body, down and out, and counted out. So went Khusanov’s unbeaten record in this opportunity bout.
World ranked Lyndon “King” Arthur, 19-0, 13 knockouts, Manchester, Lancashire, United Kingdom, retained the World Boxing Organisation Inter-Continental Light Heavyweight title with a ninth round stoppage at 2:50 of Swiss born previously undefeated Davide Faraci, 15-1 with seven knockouts, Pomezia, Lazio, Italy. Faraci was down twice in the ninth round. Arthur’s win set up a Fall 2021 rematch with Anthony Yarde for the Commonwealth British Empire Light Heavyweight title held now by Arthur, who beat Yarde to win the vacant European title by 12 round split decision in December 2020 at Church House in Westminster. Faraci went down from a left hook, and again from a right-left-right combination.
20-0 super featherweight prospect Archie “Sharpshooter” Sharp, Welling, London, United Kingdom, a former WBO European Super Featherweight champion, won the vacant World Boxing Organisation Global Super Featherweight championship with a 10 round unanimous decision over visiting 13-5-2 Diego Andrade of Durango, Mexico, who gave a good accounting of himself in defeat. Sharp was cut on the left eyelid and over the right eye, serving as a reminder to always have a good cut man in your corner.
Super featherweight Muhammad Ali of United Kingdom (no relation to the late former World Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali), 3-0, Bury, Lancashire, United Kingdom, won a six round referee’s unanimous decision (59-57) over “The Tipton Slasher”, 11-4 veteran Lee Glover, Tipton, West Midlands, United Kingdom. A name is no guarantee to fame. However, “the other” Muhammad Ali, not a heavyweight, did win on this occasion.
Southpaw prospect Dennis “The Menace” Glover, Maidstone, Kent, United Kingdom, went to 10-0 with six knockouts, with a second round stoppage of 20-5 John Chuwa of Das-Es-Salaam, Nigeria. Chuwa has never beaten an opponent outside of Nigeria, losing in the United Kingdom, Scotland, and Hungary.
Other Undercard Results at Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London
Sam Noakes Win Referee’s Technical Decision 3 Lee Connelly, Lightweights (3:00)
6-0 Maidstone Kent prospect Noakes stops 7-57-5 Derbyshire trial horse Connelly
Karol Itauma TKO 2 Tim Ventrella, Light Heavyweights
3-0 Chatham Kent southpaw prospect Itauma had 0-2-2 Ventrella down prior to stoppage
Levi Frankham Win 4 Dale Arrowsmith, Super Welterweights
3-0 Surrey prospect Frankham over 2-43-2 Lancashire journeyman Arrowsmith. Referee’s score 40-35.
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