There is some serious talent in the junior middleweight division. There is the RING champ, Jermell Charlo, with all of the major belts. Tim Tszyu of Australia signaled his arrival among the elite of the division with an impressive beatdown of Tony Harrison this past weekend. Liam Smith is very much in the mix after his stunning knockout of Chris Eubank Jr. In fact, there is not a weak spot in the top 10 with every contender bringing their own unique package to the table.
Outside of the top dogs, over in South Africa, there is an exciting young fighter who is making waves. Roarke Knapp (15-1-1, 11 knockouts) had a standout 2022. He reversed his only loss to Brandon Thysse, edging a split decision in an all-out war last June. Then he put on a boxing clinic against the dangerous Dante Jardon after sending the hard hitting Mexican down in the third, winning a unanimous decision in December.
He will be taking another significant step up in class this Saturday at Emperor’s Palace in Gauteng, South Africa when he faces the vastly more experienced former French and European champion Ahmed El Mousaoui.
El Mousaoui has a very respectable 34-4-1 (8 KOs) record and has faced some big names with mixed success. He dropped a split decision to undefeated David Papot in his last fight in an All-French clash.
BY DROEKS MALAN |
