Boxing expert Chris Oliver has two selections for Friday night's action, including a cracking all-female card on Sky Sports.
Boxing betting tips: Friday night
2pts Harlem Eubank to win by decision 6/4 (Sky Bet)
1pt Raven Chapman to win 23/10 (Paddy Power, Betfair)
On the eve of International Women’s Day, we have a fantastic all-female card to enjoy at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday evening.
The famous South Kensington venue boasts a rich history and has pretty much seen it all, but this is the first time it has staged a boxing show headlined by two females and the welterweight unification bout between Lauren Price and Natasha Jonas is very much deserving of the billing.
While the latter has done so much for the female side of the sport on these shores and is undoubtedly the fans’ favourite here, Price is seen as the future of British boxing and is a red-hot 1/4 favourite with the bookies.
Price was a standout amateur who won gold at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and has wasted little time in making her mark as a professional, as she dominated former undisputed champion Jessica McCaskill to win the WBA strap in just her seventh outing in the paid ranks.
A third-round stoppage of the overmatched Bexcy Mateus in Liverpool just before Christmas set the scene for a domestic blockbuster with Jonas, who defended her IBF title via a wide margin on the scorecards against Ivana Habazin on the same card.
Jonas has enjoyed a remarkable Indian summer (16-2-1), claiming three world titles at super welterweight with as many wins in a brilliant 2022, before dropping to 147lb to pick up the IBF belt by stopping Kandi Wyatt. The popular Scouser has now won seven on the bounce since losing a razor-thin decision to Katie Taylor in May 2021, including a career-best victory over Mikaela Mayer 14 months ago, and has every right to be a little offended by her odds of 4/1.
Jonas is the puncher in this one and has all the experience on her side, and there have been no signs of the 40-year-old veteran slowing down so far. The odds are probably too far apart, and nobody has an easy night against Jonas, so this is a serious test for Price. Jonas has the power to turn this fight on its head at any moment and we still don’t know how Price will react when she faces adversity for the first time as a professional.
However, the favourite looks very special, and this could represent a passing of the torch.
It is a testament to Price’s ability that her stellar amateur achievements came at a higher weight, and the Welsh star looks extremely strong now back down at a more natural 147lb. The big difference here could be her speed, as she has superb feet which she uses to bounce in and out of range to great effect. Her hands are even quicker, and her sharp combinations really catch the eye of the judges.
Price, who is 10 years the junior of her opponent, can set a very fast pace from the off and maintain it throughout, which could be a problem for Jonas.
In what should be a cracking 10 rounds of high-quality action between two excellent southpaws, I think Price’s style could be all wrong for Jonas and I fancy the favourite to announce herself to a wider audience with a decision victory. However, Price taking this one on points is only 1/2 and there is no juice left in those odds.
Price is right so value lies elsewhere
One thing that could have a negative effect on Price would be a loss for her partner, Karriss Artingstall, who takes on RAVEN CHAPMAN in a fascinating British featherweight title fight earlier in the night.
Artingstall (6-0) also made the podium in Tokyo, picking up a bronze medal, and had lofty expectations on her shoulders when turning over in 2022. She may well still reach the heights expected of her, but her professional career has yet to take off and she has managed only six outings so far.
This is her first 10-rounder and her last fight was back in January 2024, when she was given all sorts of problems by the rugged Lila Furtado before escaping with a narrow points win.
That’s the same Furtado who lost a wider 10-round decision to Chapman the time before, so the latter could well be a little overpriced at 23/10 to beat Artingstall, who is a best of 4/9. Those odds are understandable given Artingstall’s amateur pedigree and the fact she came out on top when they met in the unpaid code, but professional boxing is a different game.
Chapman followed the Furtado win up with two more points victories over the experienced Lucie Sedlackova and Yohana Sarabia, before coming up short in her world title bid against the skilful Skye Nicolson in October. There was no shame in losing to someone as good as Nicolson and, while she was ultimately well beaten on the scorecards, Chapman (9-1) did start well that night and this represents a drop back in class.
Tall and longer for the weight, Artingstall can look great when allowed to box on the outside and the left-hander clearly has plenty of talent. However, she has yet to really convince as a professional and she will need to raise her game to beat Chapman, who should be better for her experience on the world stage last time.
The underdog is busy, quick and hits with authority, while we know she can maintain her high tempo from the first bell to the last. Stamina remains a slight question mark over Artingstall, who tired against Furtado and has yet to go beyond eight rounds.
Chapman may have lost to a southpaw in Nicolson but she beat one the time before and the fact her last two opponents have been ‘lefties’ should be good preparation to face Artingstall. This could be the fight of the night, and I am happy to go with what looks the value in Chapman, whose work rate and aggression can win the day.
Caroline Dubois defends her WBC lightweight title against Bo Mi Re Shin (18-2-3) and the champion is a 1/16 chance (as short as 1/100) to get back to winning ways after an unfortunate technical draw last time out.
Dubois (10-0-1) was well on her way to stopping Jessica Camara when the fight was halted due to a cut over the latter’s eye early on, and she should have too much for the challenger here.
Bank on Harlem
As well as that Sky Sports show, there is Friday night action on Channel 5 as HARLEM EUBANK puts his unbeaten record on the line against Tyrone McKenna.
Following a career-best win over Timo Schwarzkopf (TKO11), Eubank (20-0) had a frustrating year out of the ring but blew away the cobwebs in an eight-rounder against Nurali Erdogan (UD) in November and another victory here would get him back on track.
McKenna (24-5) retired following a third defeat in four outings when stopped by Mohamed Mimoune in August but returned with a good victory over Dylan Moran (TKO2) in December and should be a decent test for Eubank.
A 9/2 shot, McKenna is the naturally bigger man in this welterweight clash and will look to make it a physical war, but surely Eubank won’t oblige him in that wish. The latter brings the much better footwork to the table, and he isn’t easy to hit, with his counter-punching style expected to prove ideal against someone like McKenna.
Eubank can justify odds of 3/10 to register win number 21 of his career and that is most likely to come on the scorecards, as he only has eight stoppages on his record and McKenna has always proven pretty durable.
Posted at 1500 GMT on 06/03/25
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