Chris Oliver returns with more boxing tips for Friday's Fight Camp, and is predicting two late stoppages in the feature bouts.
Recommended bets
2pts Felix Cash in rounds 7-12 at 7/4
2pts Zelfa Barrett in rounds 7-12 at 21/10
For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record
Felix Cash v Jason Welborn
Felix Cash and Jason Welborn have a lot to live up to as they top the bill in the third instalment of Matchroom's Fight Camp on Friday night.
The first two weeks served up cracking main events, with Natasha Jonas and Terri Harper's thrilling draw a week ago possibly eclipsing the brutal 12-rounder between Ted Cheeseman and Sam Eggington on Eddie Hearn's comeback show, and the ingredients are there for another exciting feature contest for the Commonwealth middleweight title.
Both men have been in fight of the year contenders in the last two seasons and are not known for taking backwards steps, but they are at very different stages of their careers and that is reflected in the betting. Cash is the promoter's big prospect at the weight and, having impressed in winning all of his 12 fights (eight early), he is a very warm 1/14 (as short as 1/33) favourite to extend his winning run. However, Welborn is no stranger to upsetting unbeaten Matchroom fighters as he outpointed the then highly-touted Marcus Morrison in early 2017 and is saying all the right things as he looks to pull off an 8/1 shock.
Having previously campaigned at welterweight and light middleweight, that win over Morrison was part of a fine five-fight winning streak up at this 160lb division that included two points wins over better-fancied Midlands rival Tommy Langford in barn-burning British title tear-ups and led him to a surprise shot at 154lb WBA champion Jarret Hurd in America. He gave a good account of himself before being stopped in the fourth round, and it was a similar story last time out when he gave the unbeaten JJ Metcalfe plenty to think about before being halted abruptly in the eighth session. Now 34 and without a win in two years, is this the right time to catch Welborn or is the step up too early for Cash?
A member of the Team GB podium squad before turning pro in 2016, Cash had little trouble in racking up 10 straight wins before landing this belt with an impressive first-round stoppage of Rasheed Abolaji, but it was his victory over Jack Cullen in Manchester last time out that really made people sit up and take notice. He put the popular local down in the first but that was far from the end of things as Cullen refused to go anywhere and things quickly heated up into a scorcher of a fight. With his opponent firing back in every exchange, Cash was asked questions for the first time in the paid ranks but answered them in style, with his relentless assault eventually wearing his man down in the eighth stanza. It wasn't just his fitness in the frenetic pace that impressed that night, he slipped and evaded shots well and showed good variety and power in his own arsenal. He also ticked another box by displaying plenty of heart and will have learnt more in that encounter than his previous 11 put together.
Welborn is better than his record of 24-8 suggests and on the pick of his form over the last three years, along with his superior experience, he has the potential to give Cash a really troublesome evening. The underdog, who likes to be on the front foot, does his best work up close and needs to get inside here where he can do damage when he lets his hands go. Also, don't be surprised to see plenty of rough stuff from the challenger as he looks to take the younger charge out of his comfort zone.
The taller man with longer levers, Cash will want to maintain the distance and he has the jab to do so, as well as a fine selection of power shots to deter Welborn's advances. He mixes his punches up and is effective to the body, which could be the key to this one. Welborn has been stopped by shots downstairs in his last two outings, making it four of his five early defeats coming that way, and this certainly won't have skipped the attention of Cash and astute trainer Tony Sims. A Cash stoppage is 2/7 and, while he is expected to make sure Welborn doesn't hear the final bell again, this is a good test for him and he will have to work hard for it. This could well be a case of déjà vu for the underdog, who made an unbeaten favourite work hard before being stopped in the second half against Metcalfe last time and a similar outcome makes appeal at 7/4 here.
Best bet: Felix Cash in rounds 7-12 at 7/4
Zelfa Barrett v Eric Donovan
Zelfa Barrett is a best price of 1/5 to overcome Eric Donovan and there is plenty of pressure on the favourite here.
With thunder and lightning in the forecast, it could be ironic that 'The Flash' makes his Matchroom debut on this card and he will be looking to continue his eye-catching form since his first defeat. The Manchester native lost his '0' via a majority decision to tough Scotsman Ronnie Clark in February 2018, but showed a lot of heart after a heavy knockdown that night and his improvements since show he clearly learnt a lot from that reverse. After a couple of routine wins, he dazzled in widely outpointing Lyon Woodstock before beating up Jordan McCorry in relentless fashion over nine rounds in what was probably his best performance yet.
There is much more to Donovan's story than his record of 12-0 against mainly journeymen suggests, having enjoyed a stellar amateur career for many years before that, and this is his big chance to step up to similar heights as a professional. Part of the excellent Irish team that enjoyed great success, he picked up European bronze in 2010 and his experience of mixing with elite fighters while wearing a vest will stand the 5/1 outsider in good stead here. There is no doubt this is a leap in class on who he has faced since he ditched the headguard, but he has the pedigree to handle it and the potential is there for this to be a tricky night's work for the home fighter.
The Irishman is well schooled and technically very sound, so this could be very competitive if we get a stand-up boxing match. However, the pro game is a very different one and Barrett presents the kind of style he won't have seen much of in the amateurs. The favourite is all about his tremendous speed and reflexes, which complement his excellent balance and footwork and allow him to land from all sorts of angles. While he doesn't possess one-punch knockout power, it's the sheer speed and sharpness of the shots that has an effect and catches the eye.
It's 2/5 that Barrett gets this done inside the distance, with 11/8 about him doing it before halfway, and he certainly has the tools to do so if on his game. However, Donovan's best chance is clearly to box and move and look to nick it on the cards, which is a 15/2 chance, and those sorts of tactics could see him drag this fight longer than some expect. Throw into the mix that he's a southpaw and that Barrett struggled with 'lefty' Clark in that sole defeat, and you can see the outsider making things tricky in the early stages and even bring Barrett by decision into the equation at 7/2. That said, I think Barrett is a really improving fighter right now and can break him down as he starts to land more regularly after working him out in the first third. Barrett in rounds 7-12 at 21/10 is the call as, even though it may take a while for him set this one alight, 'The Flash' can sparkle eventually once again.
Best bet: 2pts Zelfa Barrett in rounds 7-12 21/10
The rest of the card is a tricky one from a punting point of view. Kieron Conway was unlucky not to get the nod against the aforementioned Cheeseman and is fancied to have his time in the limelight against Nav Mansouri, but it is hard to see this not going to the scorecards and there is no juice in the 2/5 about him scoring by decision.
Shannon Courtenay versus Rachel Ball is a cracking match-up and the latter was excellent value at 11/4 a week or two ago, but it didn't go unnoticed and that has all dried up now as she is a best price of 5/4. A watching brief is advised for what should be another entertaining clash.
Posted at 1635 BST on 13/8/20
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