Dacres vs Webster Predictions: English heavyweight king Solomon can reign

Solomon Dacres defends his English heavyweight championship against Michael Webster in a rematch this Saturday, July 20. The fight is a late replacement for Dacres’ scheduled bout with David Adeleye, who withdrew with an injury. The 10-round title affair will take place at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham on Queensberry’s Magnificent Seven Card. TNT Sports 1 will screen the event.

Here are my Dacres vs Webster predictions ahead of this battle of the big men.

These two know each other well. Dacres and Webster shared 10 rounds of action in November of last year. ‘The Real Deal’ retained his title and his unbeaten record with a majority decision victory. But the fight was heavy going.

As with this bout, the first Dacres-Webster clash had been cooked up on short notice. This was reflected in the champion’s uncharacteristic sloppiness. A point deduction in the final round for use of the forearm almost scuppered Dacres’ victory entirely. But his clean work over the course of the half-hour won the day.

When Adeleye withdrew, you would have forgiven Dacres for demanding “anyone but Webster”. But the champion instead enters the Birmingham Arena hellbent on delivering an improved display. Webster, meanwhile, will look to close the narrow gap and come away with the belt.

That performance last winter was something of a breakout display for Webster. The Middlesbrough man was unbeaten going in but he had mainly accumulated his 9-0 against journeymen. Dacres was a huge step-up and Webster took it in his stride, almost upsetting the English heavyweight boss.

While Dacres hasn’t fought since, sequestered in preparation for the big-ticket bout with Adeleye, Webster has been in action since. The 29-year-old outpointed Yury Bykhautsou, the 10-31-3 bruiser from Belarus. The journeyman has extended the likes of Robert Helenius in the past, so this test was more valuable than it perhaps appears on paper.

That fight took place in April, keeping Webster ticking over nicely as he eyes this rematch. It will be interesting to see how that freshness factors in as he takes on Dacres, who boxes for the first time in 2024. 

Rematches like this are always absorbing. Will the fighter who was a heavy favourite last time redress the balance and put in a display worthy of their primacy? Or will the effervescent, unexpected challenger launch a more-successful salvo to snatch the throne? Dacres-Adeleye was an excellent fight on paper, but Dacres-Webster II is one heck of a replacement.

Dacres vs Webster Fight Odds

Dacres is 1/2 to take the win here while Webster sits at 13/8 to pull off the upset. A draw between these two heavyweights is 14/1.

Dacres vs Webster Full Card

Nathan Heaney vs. Brad Pauls for British middleweight title 

Ashley Lane vs. Andrew Cain for British bantamweight title 

Chantelle Cameron vs. Elhem Mekhaled; Super-lightweight 

Owen Cooper vs. Ekow Essuman; Welterweight 

Ezra Taylor vs. Carlos Lamela; Light-heavyweight 

Zach Parker vs. Jack Arnfield; Super-middleweight 

Sol Dacres vs. Michael Webster; Heavyweight 

Bradley Thompson vs. Stephen Jackson; Super-flyweight

Dacres vs Webster Prediction

I think Dacres will have taken the lessons of the first fight on board. While Webster is once again a late-notice opponent, the champion will have already been knife-sharp for the Adeleye test. 

Dacres also has the benefit of a 10-round scouting mission against this particular challenger. I am backing him to retain his title with a more dominant victory here. My pick is a Dacres win at 1/2.