Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing Promotion returns to Leeds and the First Direct Arena this Saturday (October 4, 2014) with a card mainly created to pad the records of several up and coming British fighters and to notch wins for some veterans. The lines reflect big mismatches throughout the card, but it may bear watching, as anything can happen in boxing. The main event features Davide Dieli (+1700) of Italy as a big underdog against undefeated Josh Warrington (-5100). The match is for the vacant European Featherweight title, and Warrington at (18-0) already has British and Commonwealth titles on his mantle. Warrington is a 23-year old considered on the rise, while Diele (15-3) is in his mid thirties. Former WBO World Lightweight champion Ricky Burns is favored heavily (-6000) to snap his two-fight skid as he faces late replacement Alexandre Lepelley (+2000). Burns is a two weight class world champion (Super Featherweight and Lightweight), but he has gone 0-2-1 in the last 13 months, the worst slide of his career. To illustrate the difference in levels here, Burns has been in 10 world title fights in his career, while this will be the first fight scheduled for 10 rounds for Lepelley. Undefeated Callum Smith (-13500) has worked his record up to (13-0) and this match shows him hunting win number 14. Rafael Sosa Pintos (+3500) provides the opposition. The Uruguayan fighter is a well traveled veteran with a good record and a lot of fights, but he tends to lose when outside of South America. He is a known quantity in the Commonwealth, as he fought Matthew Macklin in Ireland back n 2009. With Smith being groomed for bigger things, you can assume Pintos will be right up his alley. Brian Rose (-11000) is trying to bounce back after his failed attempt at a world title back in June. He faces Ignacio Lucero Fraga (+3000), a journeyman with an (11-7) record. In Rose’ big title shot at the Barclay’s Center back in June, he was handily dispatched by Demetrious Andrade, with most observers feeling the referee could have stepped in a round earlier than when he did in the seventh. Rose, now back in the UK and in an eight-rounder where the level of competition suits him and you see how you get a line that wide. In the only match with a line that does not extend itself to four figures, Dave Ryan (+325) is the underdog against well regarded Tyrone Nurse (-475) as they battle for the vacant Commonwealth Light Welterweight title. Since falling short at the Prizefighter tournament reality show to take his only loss, the (29-1) nurse added 7 more wins. Ryan is a journeyman who is hot right now, as he is coming off a win against Paul McCloskey.
