Nathaniel Collins vs. Cristobal Lorente for the EBU European featherweight title headlines a quiet slate this weekend in the sweet science.
Yikes.
Now, I am not claiming that trying to pull together a “5 things to watch for in boxing” this weekend is akin to trying to flog a dead horse, but perhaps more like a blind, three-legged goat, approaching its 23rd trip around the sun.
I mean, we’ve already missed the best of the action.
Wednesday night in Lagos, Nigeria, DAZN and Amir Khan Promotions combined to showcase the simply named “Chaos in the Ring” event, headlined by a sixth-round technical knockout from Brandon Glanton over Marcus Browne.
“Top that!” You could hear them cry to the rest of the boxing schedule from inside the Mobolaji Johnson Arena.
Well, let’s give it a shot.
1. One of Nathaniel Collins’ or Cristobal Lorente’s 0s has gotta go
Well, unless there is a draw in Glasgow, Scotland, of course — something quite possible considering Lorente’s (20-0-2, 8 KOs) most recent outing.
But Nathaniel Collins (17-0, 8 KOs), dubbed the “New King of Scotland,” will be doing all he can to make sure he's the only featherweight leaving the Braehead Arena with his unbeaten record intact on Saturday night.
The EBU European title is up for grabs in this Queensberry Promotions show, and live on DAZN this card should get plenty of viewers considering the lack of competition it is up against across the boxing landscape.
Not-so-fun fact for Collins: He was born with gastroschisis, a rare condition where a baby’s abdominal wall doesn’t fully form, meaning the intestines and other organs develop outside the body. This has affected the 29-year-old in later life, seeing him forced to take time out last year due to a twisted bowel.
Collins has positioned this condition as his strength, citing it as a reason he was born a fighter. Saturday night, he gets the chance to headline for the first time as a pro and force himself into the world picture at 126 pounds.
2. A throwback 50/50 fight for the British lightweight title
In a plot Mel Gibson would be proud of, the reigning Scottish and English lightweight champions, Regan Glackin (16-0, 3 KOs) and Louie O’Doherty (10-0, 2 KOs) respectively, meet on Saturday night for the vacant British title at 135 pounds.
There may only be a combined five stoppages shared across their records, but with career stakes at their highest for both men, expect nervous energy to swill around the Braehead Arena.
The bookmakers can’t split these two and the fighters themselves may struggle in a contest that’s expected to require eagle-eyed judging.
It’s boxing’s classic, repeated game of snakes and ladders here — the winner keeps his unbeaten record and can roll again, whereas the loser will tumble down the board.
Throw in the prestigious Lonsdale belt and this one surely can’t disappoint.
3. Mateusz Masternak approaches half-century of wins
If you like cricket analogies, then Poland’s Mateusz Masternak (49-6, 32 KOs) is attempting to run a quick single, notch up his half-century and raise his bat to an adoring Nosalowy Dwór Arena in Zakopane, Poland this Saturday night.
The bowler? Essex-based Belgian, Joel Tambwe Djeko (19-3-1, 9 KOs) who is looking to find the “Master’s” middle stump and claim the vacant EBU European cruiserweight title.
Enough cricket? OK, sorry.
But at 38 years of age and with 49 professional wins under his belt, we’re running out of ways to describe the wearing career of Masternak.
The Pole is attempting to regain the EBU title a staggering 12 years since he last held it, and is now on his third opponent following the pullouts of Leonardo Mosquea and Artur Mann.
The WBC seem to love the EBU title, so who’s to say a dominant win by the cruiserweight won’t see him pushed towards a title/interim opportunity in 2026 against either Badou Jack or Michal Cieslak?
Age is, after all, just a number.
4. Umar Dzambekov’s light heavyweight push
There are a lot of firsts for Los Angeles-based Austrian, Umar Dzambekov, on Friday night.
The 27-year-old light heavyweight, now 12-0 (8 KOs), headlines a card for the first time in the United States, contests a 10-rounder for the first time, and steps up to face a genuine threat at 175 pounds for the first time in his four-year pro career.
If things go well for the southpaw — fighting Russian Artem Brusov (13-1, 12 KOs) — then a lucrative contract with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing could well be on the cards, as the stable from 360 Promotions court their next suitor.
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The 175-pound landscape is dangerously fruitful with the likes of Artur Beterbiev, Dmitry Bivol, David Benavidez, Callum Smith and David Morrell jostling for the top positions, so it’s going to take a standout performance from Dzambekov to bunny-hop over any talent and fly up the rankings.
But you have to start somewhere, and his trainer Marvin Somodio believes the time is now for Dzembekov’s push to the top.
5. Joshua vs. Fury, how soon is now?
2025 will signal the first year since 2007 without an Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury fight.
What’s the big deal? You might ask.
Well, the pair of rival heavyweights had been propping up British boxing for well over a decade now, simultaneously stringing us along on a "will-they-won’t-they” saga for the ages. Both are well into their 30s now and are seemingly opening up to the idea of settling an old score.
It’s a fight that Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn continue to bang the drum on, and with recent Turki Alalshikh-inspired talks ongoing with the Matchroom chairman, 2026 could be the year that we see these two throw it down.
Fury is “retired,” but the lure of flirting with fight fans by posting social media clips of him training and hitting heavy bags appears impossible to resist.
If the price is right, then we will see these two together next year. And with the Saudi influence deeply embedded in the sport now, it’s proving quite hard to get the price wrong.
We’re not saying an announcement is imminent this weekend, but the dial appears to be moving.
Category: General Sports
