It seems strange that Parker vs Dzambekov is on the prelims.
It's a very good card, with three excellent matchups.
Chris Billam-Smith vs. Cheavon Clarke | Sky Sports - 7 November 2026
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Perkin Warbeck
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Ruthless-RKO
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Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Cheavon Clarke | Sky Sports - 7 November 2026
Parker wants statement win vs. Dzambekov after frustrating Buatsi saga
It has been a long year for Zach Parker.
By the time he climbs through the ropes at Copper Box Arena on Saturday night, it will have been 371 days since the controversial defeat to Joshua Buatsi that altered the course of his life.
Parker thought he won that night in Manchester and so did many others. Crucially, however, two of the three judges believed Buatsi edged it 96-94. The Derby native has not fought since.
In a cruel twist of fate, both Parker and Buatsi will box on Saturday night. But, while Buatsi faces Willy Hutchinson for the WBC light heavyweight championship of the world in Manchester, Parker is up against the dangerous undefeated southpaw Umar Dzambekov in a Zuffa Boxing prelim a few hours before.
“It’s just weird how it has landed,” he says. “When they announced that fight for the world title I put up a post saying 'embarrassing' because Hutchinson pulled out on four days notice against me and the other one, Buatsi, I beat.
“It was obviously very frustrating and it felt like a kick in the teeth at first but now I just think it is what it is. You’ve got to take the ups and the downs at the same pace. I just have to focus on myself.”
Had the decision gone his way last November, Parker’s 2026 would have looked incredibly different. Instead, his contract with Queensberry Promotions expired in the summer and he has worked part-time on a building site to help ends meet at home.
He said: “It has been a bit frustrating because of the contract ending in June but I’ve been training throughout the whole year. I’ve been doing jobs with my brother on a building site, grafting, which has made me train harder, trust me, because I don’t want to be there full time.
“That has kept me busy and kept me up on the money. People might expect us to all be wealthy but definitely not, boxing is a broke man’s sport really. My brother is a plasterer so I reckon I’ve done about 40 days with him. I run before and then he picks up at about half seven and then I’m on until three or four.”
Those physically demanding shifts have kept his body fit and, most importantly, his mind busy during some of the most frustrating months of his career. At 32, and following stints with Sauerland and Queensberry, Parker (26-2, 18 KOs) is one British boxing’s elder statesmen now.
“I do feel like I’ve been around the block to be fair,” he says. “But physically I feel better than I ever have. Sometimes I look around the gym and I think ‘I was here when I was 13 years old and now I’m the oldest one here.’
“But it’s not like I’m 40 yet, I’m still early 30s and I feel like I’m coming into my prime. Saturday night is about making a statement and reminding people what I’m all about.”
It has been a long year for Zach Parker.
By the time he climbs through the ropes at Copper Box Arena on Saturday night, it will have been 371 days since the controversial defeat to Joshua Buatsi that altered the course of his life.
Parker thought he won that night in Manchester and so did many others. Crucially, however, two of the three judges believed Buatsi edged it 96-94. The Derby native has not fought since.
In a cruel twist of fate, both Parker and Buatsi will box on Saturday night. But, while Buatsi faces Willy Hutchinson for the WBC light heavyweight championship of the world in Manchester, Parker is up against the dangerous undefeated southpaw Umar Dzambekov in a Zuffa Boxing prelim a few hours before.
“It’s just weird how it has landed,” he says. “When they announced that fight for the world title I put up a post saying 'embarrassing' because Hutchinson pulled out on four days notice against me and the other one, Buatsi, I beat.
“It was obviously very frustrating and it felt like a kick in the teeth at first but now I just think it is what it is. You’ve got to take the ups and the downs at the same pace. I just have to focus on myself.”
Had the decision gone his way last November, Parker’s 2026 would have looked incredibly different. Instead, his contract with Queensberry Promotions expired in the summer and he has worked part-time on a building site to help ends meet at home.
He said: “It has been a bit frustrating because of the contract ending in June but I’ve been training throughout the whole year. I’ve been doing jobs with my brother on a building site, grafting, which has made me train harder, trust me, because I don’t want to be there full time.
“That has kept me busy and kept me up on the money. People might expect us to all be wealthy but definitely not, boxing is a broke man’s sport really. My brother is a plasterer so I reckon I’ve done about 40 days with him. I run before and then he picks up at about half seven and then I’m on until three or four.”
Those physically demanding shifts have kept his body fit and, most importantly, his mind busy during some of the most frustrating months of his career. At 32, and following stints with Sauerland and Queensberry, Parker (26-2, 18 KOs) is one British boxing’s elder statesmen now.
“I do feel like I’ve been around the block to be fair,” he says. “But physically I feel better than I ever have. Sometimes I look around the gym and I think ‘I was here when I was 13 years old and now I’m the oldest one here.’
“But it’s not like I’m 40 yet, I’m still early 30s and I feel like I’m coming into my prime. Saturday night is about making a statement and reminding people what I’m all about.”
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Ruthless-RKO
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Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Cheavon Clarke | Sky Sports - 7 November 2026
Bentley unaffected by loss of world title, fires back at Hearn jibes
Denzel Bentley’s bizarre world middleweight title reign came and went without him ever setting foot in a boxing ring.
“It was the greatest three months of my life,” he says. “No, I’m joking.”
The Londoner claimed the WBO interim title with a seventh-round knockout of Endry Saavedra in London on April 4, then was elevated to full champion three months later.
However, after failing to meet his mandatory obligation against No. 1 contender Yoenli Hernandez, the WBO stripped the 31-year-old of his belt.
It means Bentley (22-3-1, 18 KOs) joined a very elite club of boxers who not only won their world title via email but also lost it without throwing a punch.
“I don't even know what to say, man,” he says, shrugging. “Nothing feels different, I'll be honest. “From when I got elevated to when I've been stripped, it's just the news. Nothing has changed in my life. My life's still the same. When I became champion, it didn't change; when I got stripped, it didn't change. My career's still moving forward. I've got a great fight on Saturday.”
That fight comes against Shane Mosley Jr. (23-5, 13 KOs) at London’s Copper Box Arena in the first fight of his new deal with Zuffa Boxing following his decision to end a long alliance with Queensberry Promotions.
Bentley and his team had petitioned the WBO to allow the clash with Mosley Jr. to stand as a voluntary defense on the basis that the winner would face Hernandez next, but the sanctioning body denied that appeal. Instead, Bentley will fight Mosley without a belt, and Hernandez and Michael Zerafa will now contest for the vacant title.
Zerafa’s promoter Eddie Hearn has had a lot to say about the situation, suggesting Bentley has been ill-advised and that the loss of his title shows Zuffa Boxing and its head, Dana White, simply don’t know what they’re doing.
The Matchroom chairman said that Bentley had made the wrong decision to leave Queensberry for Zuffa for the sake of “100 or £200,000.”
Bentley says: “He's so good at spinning narratives, but Eddie Hearn wasn't involved in any of the negotiations with Zuffa. He doesn't really know what's going on.
“Even him saying 100, 200 grand more, it's a lot of money for me. If it's not for him, but it is for me. Leave the fighters alone, bro. We're just trying to make a living, man.
“He's never promoted me, so he doesn't know what I've earned or what I've had to do to get to where I am now. So him saying that is all just taking a shot at Dana and Zuffa.”
Against that backdrop, Bentley has prepared diligently for his clash with Mosley Jr., the chief support on the event headlined by Chris Billam-Smith against Chev Clarke, which will be shown live on Sky Sports. It will be Bentley’s debut on the channel, having boxed on BT Sport, TNT and DAZN so far.
He is the favorite against Mosley Jr., but he is taking nothing for granted given what could lie in wait during 2027.
“Moving forward, it's just big fights,” he says. “Going back to Eddie Hearn talking about legacy and if I want to unify. Where else am I going to unify if all the middleweights are here? Two of the champions are with Zuffa right now.”
Irishman Aaron McKenna claimed the IBF belt on a Zuffa show in Dublin in August, and they have just signed Carlos Adames to a promotional contract too. “I made the decision to come here, and now another two champions are here too," he adds. "Fortunately for them, they get to keep their title, and unfortunately for me, I didn't.
"But if I was allowed to keep my title, I'd be unifying with them guys next. That was the plan, and that was the aim, but I just wasn't allowed to do that.”
But before Bentley can think about becoming a two-time middleweight champion, he has to take care of business at Copper Box Arena.
“Next year could be a defining one in my career,” he says. “That's why I've got to finish this year first before we get to next year. You can't even worry about it.
“Fights against McKenna and Adames have been mentioned, but not directly. Listen, we're in conversations, but they will change if I don’t win on Saturday.”
Denzel Bentley’s bizarre world middleweight title reign came and went without him ever setting foot in a boxing ring.
“It was the greatest three months of my life,” he says. “No, I’m joking.”
The Londoner claimed the WBO interim title with a seventh-round knockout of Endry Saavedra in London on April 4, then was elevated to full champion three months later.
However, after failing to meet his mandatory obligation against No. 1 contender Yoenli Hernandez, the WBO stripped the 31-year-old of his belt.
It means Bentley (22-3-1, 18 KOs) joined a very elite club of boxers who not only won their world title via email but also lost it without throwing a punch.
“I don't even know what to say, man,” he says, shrugging. “Nothing feels different, I'll be honest. “From when I got elevated to when I've been stripped, it's just the news. Nothing has changed in my life. My life's still the same. When I became champion, it didn't change; when I got stripped, it didn't change. My career's still moving forward. I've got a great fight on Saturday.”
That fight comes against Shane Mosley Jr. (23-5, 13 KOs) at London’s Copper Box Arena in the first fight of his new deal with Zuffa Boxing following his decision to end a long alliance with Queensberry Promotions.
Bentley and his team had petitioned the WBO to allow the clash with Mosley Jr. to stand as a voluntary defense on the basis that the winner would face Hernandez next, but the sanctioning body denied that appeal. Instead, Bentley will fight Mosley without a belt, and Hernandez and Michael Zerafa will now contest for the vacant title.
Zerafa’s promoter Eddie Hearn has had a lot to say about the situation, suggesting Bentley has been ill-advised and that the loss of his title shows Zuffa Boxing and its head, Dana White, simply don’t know what they’re doing.
The Matchroom chairman said that Bentley had made the wrong decision to leave Queensberry for Zuffa for the sake of “100 or £200,000.”
Bentley says: “He's so good at spinning narratives, but Eddie Hearn wasn't involved in any of the negotiations with Zuffa. He doesn't really know what's going on.
“Even him saying 100, 200 grand more, it's a lot of money for me. If it's not for him, but it is for me. Leave the fighters alone, bro. We're just trying to make a living, man.
“He's never promoted me, so he doesn't know what I've earned or what I've had to do to get to where I am now. So him saying that is all just taking a shot at Dana and Zuffa.”
Against that backdrop, Bentley has prepared diligently for his clash with Mosley Jr., the chief support on the event headlined by Chris Billam-Smith against Chev Clarke, which will be shown live on Sky Sports. It will be Bentley’s debut on the channel, having boxed on BT Sport, TNT and DAZN so far.
He is the favorite against Mosley Jr., but he is taking nothing for granted given what could lie in wait during 2027.
“Moving forward, it's just big fights,” he says. “Going back to Eddie Hearn talking about legacy and if I want to unify. Where else am I going to unify if all the middleweights are here? Two of the champions are with Zuffa right now.”
Irishman Aaron McKenna claimed the IBF belt on a Zuffa show in Dublin in August, and they have just signed Carlos Adames to a promotional contract too. “I made the decision to come here, and now another two champions are here too," he adds. "Fortunately for them, they get to keep their title, and unfortunately for me, I didn't.
"But if I was allowed to keep my title, I'd be unifying with them guys next. That was the plan, and that was the aim, but I just wasn't allowed to do that.”
But before Bentley can think about becoming a two-time middleweight champion, he has to take care of business at Copper Box Arena.
“Next year could be a defining one in my career,” he says. “That's why I've got to finish this year first before we get to next year. You can't even worry about it.
“Fights against McKenna and Adames have been mentioned, but not directly. Listen, we're in conversations, but they will change if I don’t win on Saturday.”
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Ruthless-RKO
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Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Cheavon Clarke | Sky Sports - 7 November 2026
Undercard Weights
In the chief supporting contest Shane Mosley Jnr initially weighed in one pound over the 160lbs middleweight limit for his fight with Denzel Bentley, 22-3-1 (18 KOs).
Mosley, 23-5 (12 KOs), stripped and returned to the scales behind a screen but remained overweight. The American was subsequently given an hour to shed the excess pound and successfully made 160lbs on his second attempt.
Elsewhere on the bill, light heavyweights Zach Parker and Umar Dzambekov weighed 174.9lbs and 174.8lbs, respectively, ahead of their 10-round contest.
Heavyweights Da'Mazion Vanhouter and Ivan Balaz registered 230.6lbs and 244.8lbs, while unbeaten Scottish middleweight Sam Hickey weighed 161.4lbs for his eight-round contest with Amaury Massenaux, who came in at 160.6lbs.
In the chief supporting contest Shane Mosley Jnr initially weighed in one pound over the 160lbs middleweight limit for his fight with Denzel Bentley, 22-3-1 (18 KOs).
Mosley, 23-5 (12 KOs), stripped and returned to the scales behind a screen but remained overweight. The American was subsequently given an hour to shed the excess pound and successfully made 160lbs on his second attempt.
Elsewhere on the bill, light heavyweights Zach Parker and Umar Dzambekov weighed 174.9lbs and 174.8lbs, respectively, ahead of their 10-round contest.
Heavyweights Da'Mazion Vanhouter and Ivan Balaz registered 230.6lbs and 244.8lbs, while unbeaten Scottish middleweight Sam Hickey weighed 161.4lbs for his eight-round contest with Amaury Massenaux, who came in at 160.6lbs.
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Ruthless-RKO
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TheLeprechaun
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Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Cheavon Clarke | Sky Sports - 7 November 2026
I don't think Parker will be able to spoil his way through this one. Umar is very good with controlling distance.Perkin Warbeck wrote: ↑Yesterday, 12:52 It seems strange that Parker vs Dzambekov is on the prelims.
It's a very good card, with three excellent matchups.
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Ruthless-RKO
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Re: Chris Billam-Smith vs. Cheavon Clarke | Sky Sports - 7 November 2026
Date: Saturday 7 November 2026
Location: Copper Box Arena - London, UK
TV/Stream: Paramount+ | Sky Sports
Start Times
YouTube: 5 pm GMT | 12 pm ET | 9 am PT | (Preliminary Card)
Sky Sports | Paramount+: 7 pm GMT | 2 pm ET | 11 am PT | (Main Card)
Promoted by: Zuffa Boxing
Running Order
Preliminary Card
8 Round Featherweight Contest
Masood Abdulah (13-1, 8 KOs) vs. Adan Palma (14-1, 9 KOs)
Followed by
4 Round Middleweight Contest
Vinnie Kemp vs. Liam McElhinney (0-2)
Followed by
10 Round Light Heavyweight Contest
Zach Parker (26-2, 18 KOs) vs. Umar Dzambekov (14-0, 10 KOs)
Main Card
8 Round Cruiserweight Contest
Lucas Roehrig (9-0, 5 KOs) vs. Connal McDonald (5-1, 1 KO)
Followed by
6 Round Super Lightweight Contest
Kayla Allen (1-0, 1 KO) vs. Julia Igel (5-2, 4 KOs)
Followed by
8 Round Middleweight Contest
Sam Hickey (6-0, 3 KOs) vs. Troy Coleman (15-5-1, 7 KOs)
Followed by
8 Round Heavyweight Contest
Da’Mazion Vanhouter (13-0, 10 KOs) vs. Ivan Balaz (9-1, 7 KOs)
Followed by
10 Round Middleweight Contest
Denzel Bentley (22-3-1, 18 KOs) vs. Shane Mosley Jr. (23-5, 15 KOs)
Followed by
10 Round Cruiserweight Contest
Chris Billam-Smith (22-2, 14 KOs) vs. Cheavon Clarke (12-2, 9 KOs)
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Ruthless-RKO
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