STAR BOXING PREVIEW: Tyler Denny v Felix Cash

Tyler Denny will make the first defence of his EBU European middleweight title in front of his home crowd this weekend as he welcomes big punching Felix Cash to Birmingham, writes JORDAN NEILD.

Denny has scrapped for every opportunity as a professional and when he beat River Wilson-Bent to become English middleweight champion in 2022 many believed he had reached his pinnacle as a professional. However, the 32-year-old was not interested in settling for a domestic title and after three highly impressive wins over Bradley Rea, Brad Pauls and Macauley McGowan, he got a shot at the EBU title and stopped Italian Matteo Signani in eight rounds.

Tyler Denny isn’t the biggest personality in the world and therefore, he isn’t the biggest star in the sport. That is just how modern boxing works but he is a well-rounded, consistent fighter and they are intangible traits that will always take a fighter far. When Denny fights, you know he will turn up 100%, the same can’t always be said for his opponent this weekend.

Since his professional debut in 2016, Felix Cash has always been highlighted as future world title contender and he has delivered some performances along the way to back up the hype. With a record of 16-0 (10KO), the Londoner has some impressive wins against the likes of Denzel Bentley and Jack Cullen but huge periods of inactivity have hampered his progress.

This will be the first time we have seen Felix Cash since December 2022 and it’ll also be the first time we see him under new trainer Adam Booth. He has spent his entire career under Tony Sims but with

Felix Cash comes into this fight with no momentum but it’s hard to forget this is a man who once obliterated Denzel Bentley inside three minutes. Since that fight, Bentley has gone the distance with dominant middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly and that begs the question to how good Felix Cash really is.

Tyler Denny is a dangerous man to underestimate but there is enough evidence in the past to suggest Felix Cash can still realise his full potential. Adam Booth is a shrewd appointment and has a proven history of reiving fighters and if he has had the desired effect, this could be the perfect opportunity for Felix Cash to reannounce himself in the middleweight division.

Felix Cash to win by KO/TKO is the bet here.

In the co-main event, undefeated prospect Lewis Crocker continues to impress and he takes another step-up here against highly regarded Connah Walker. Crocker is being fast-tracked up the welterweight rankings and he arrives in Birmingham on the back of knocking out the dangerous Jose Felix inside five rounds.

Crocker has been highly impressive in recent fights and now has the power of Eddie Hearn behind him and he looks like a fighter that could make his presence felt at the top of this highly competitive welterweight division.

Conah Walker has built his reputation on the domestic scene and he has claimed some solid wins in recent times. He beat highly regarded Cyrus Pattinson in 2023 and backed that up with a win over previously undefeated Lloyd Germain and he will enter the ring this weekend full of confidence.

Lewis Crocker is a diamond in the rough and he has all the fundamental skills to carry himself towards a world title over the next twelve months. This is a credible test against a good competitor but the Belfast man has a ruthless streak and if he can put Walker under pressure, he may have enough power and variety to claim a huge knockout win.

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RECOMMENDED BETS
BACK Felix Cash to win by KO/TKO 1pt at 9/4 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Lewis Crocker to win by KO/TKO 2pts at 13/10 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)

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PROFIT/LOSS (JUN 2024): +10.20 POINTS

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