Boxing tonight: Kal Yafai defends his world title against Israel Gonzalez – but will anybody be watching?

Should you watch Yafai defend his super flyweight world championship tonight on Sky Sports? For once, the answer is not really

Khalid Yafai with his WBA super-flyweight belt (Getty)

Boxing deserves its reputation as one of the most entertaining and popular sports in the world, but a lot of the appeal is based on the atmosphere.

Packed arenas full of screaming fans adds an incredible amount of ambience and importance to a boxing event, for both the fighters and the audience. Without the roars and the gasps, and with only the thud of fist on face, the stark reality of the sport comes to the fore.

Boxing is violent, it’s dangerous and clinical, which when presented with crowd-pleasing music and flashing lights can turn into a spectacle. Yet tonight’s main boxing card in Monaco will not feature atmosphere or raucousness, but instead a bunch of semi-bored suits waiting for the action to finish so they can go and spend thousands on the roulette table.

So, should you watch Kal Yafai defend his super flyweight world championship tonight on Sky Sports? For once, the answer is not really. Not only will the crowd make you fall asleep faster than a Brexit documentary, but the overall quality of the bouts on offer are poor and not worth watching.

It should all be so much better. Yafai is an undefeated world champion with excellent skills, an Olympic pedigree and a likeable personality. He became WBA Champion in December 2016 after outpointing Luis Concepcion in Manchester and has since defended his title three times to increasingly less attention.

Super flyweight is not the most glamorous division in boxing, yet there are a number of fine talents in the rankings. So why is Yafai fighting Israel Gonzalez tonight, instead of someone of note? 23-2 as a professional, Gonzales has never beaten a fighter of note, with his last three victories coming against opponents with a combined record of 13 wins and 19 losses.

Those numbers would barely be enough for a shot at a Southern Area title, let alone a world championship bout. Gonzalez’s weaknesses were exposed Sandwiched in a stoppage loss to Jerwin Ancajas where he lost every round before being stopped in the tenth. In this era of boxing, it’s not enough for boxing promoters to big up their fighters while consistently serving them dross opponents.

Yafai is an unheralded champion for a reason, because he has not entertained or challenged himself in the ring. Tonight’s fight is not going to change that, so why bother watching? It’s not as if the people inside the venue will care, so why should you? Unless you’re a heavy-hitting beast or a dynamic supremo, it’s unlikely fans will clamour to watch you fight unless you give them a reason to care.

Not every fighter can be a charismatic marvel, but the likes of Dave Allen have achieved significant support just by being a decent guy who chats to people. When you have the skills that Yafai does, it’s just not good enough to proclaim yourself a champion without acting like one. Much of the blame should go to his promoter, but some needs to go to the fighter too.

A weird card in Monaco also features 39-year-old cruiserweight Denis Lebedev who fights undefeated American Mike Wilson. With a combined age of 74, don’t expect too much agility on show, nor fireworks. Lebedev has struggled to impress in recent years, while Wilson has stopped just one of his last six opponents, who have mainly consisted of American journeymen.

Denis Lebedev is not the fighter he once was (Bongarts/Getty)

British light heavyweight Frank Buglioni also features on the undercard, as he continues his comeback after being knocked out in a round by Callum Johnson earlier this year. Buglioni will be fighting 13-0 Chinese star Fanlong Meng, who achieved success in the amateurs before turning professional in 2015.

This is Meng’s first legitimate step-up in the paid ranks, and he will come against a determined Buglioni who has tremendous amounts of heart and grit, as well as underrated power. The Londoner will know this could be his last chance to create a stir above domestic level and will be eager to impress in Monaco.

There aren’t many Saturday evenings until Christmas, and with plenty of mouthwatering fights to come before December 25th, do yourself a favour and switch off from this one tonight.