Arthur vs Cameron Predictions: Long night for Lyndon but he’ll win
Former world title challenger Lyndon Arthur returns to the ring this Friday, June 21 against Liam Cameron. The light heavyweight contest will take place at the Bolton White Hotel with Channel 5 broadcasting the action. The WBA inter-continental title will be up for grabs.
Here are my Arthur vs Cameron predictions ahead of this terrestrial tear-up.
Lyndon Arthur has seen his dreams squashed against the boxing glass ceiling before. After launching his top-flight career in earnest with a split decision over Anthony Yarde, he was crushed in four rounds in a rematch. After battling back with four wins and an IBO title victory, Dmitry Bivol toyed with him in a WBA championship challenge.
Arthur lost every round on every scorecard against the Russian technician. It was a rude awakening at world level. The Manchester fighter is clearly talented. You don’t beat Yarde if you aren’t cut out for this game. But true world level acceptance continues to evade the 33-year-old.
This fight won’t give Arthur that, per se. But the WBA ranking bauble on the line will certainly help. ‘King Arthur’ currently sits outside the world rankings for all four major bodies. Despite his obvious talent, he also cannot claim to be the present best of British at light heavyweight.
The 175-pound division is currently blessed with a plethora of Union Jack-wielding light-heavies. Joshua Buatsi and Anthony Yarde are leading the charge with strong support from the likes of Craig Richards, Dan Azeez, Zach Parker, Willy Hutchinson and former world champion Callum Smith.
It is a truly brilliant field. We have already had some match-ups between the group. As mentioned, Arthur and Yarde are 1-1 in their series. Buatsi beat Azeez in February. Hutchinson has just outpointed Richards. There are plenty more tasty match-ups in there. Arthur will hope to be involved, but he needs a win on Friday night.
His opponent, Liam Cameron, is a former Commonwealth champion in his own right. But ‘Cannonball’ brings so much more than that to the ring. The Sheffield boxer has a determination and belief in himself that has helped him weather some incredibly difficult times.
Cameron took five years out of the ring after failing a drugs test following a 2018 stoppage of Nicky Jenman. The 33-year-old felt a lack of support from British boxing authorities and retired from the sport. Cameron returned last year and has racked up a 3-0 record on his comeback, with two first-round knockouts.
Fighting Arthur is a huge step-up though. Cameron has only fought in bouts scheduled for six rounds since returning. Now he partakes in a full 12-round championship fight with a boxer who has battled the very best light heavyweight in the world. It is a huge gamble but, after blowing off the cobwebs, it is one Cameron will feel he can win.
Sadly, I do not feel the same way. Cameron is game but even in his pre-sabbatical pomp he was not a fighter on Arthur’s level. The tough ‘Cannonball’ was never stopped, but defeats to Zac Dunn, Luke Blackledge, Rod Smith, Jez Wilson and Eric Ochieng are not losses you’d expect Arthur to incur. There are levels to this game, after all.
I think Cameron retains that toughness and his time off will have only sharpened his will. Getting back into ring shape after five years off is an incredible achievement in itself. It is for that reason, along with his history of durability, that I think Cameron will last the distance.
But ultimately, I can see Arthur taking the nod on points. That selection is priced at 11/8 and is great value at those odds. Cameron has everything it takes to compete here, but not enough to win in my view. It will be a good fight between a game survivor and a boxer who is just that level or two above him, but who might be dragged into the trenches. Arthur will prevail, but it won’t be plain sailing.
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