Is Cruiserweight Cheavon Clarke a Different Fighter Under Zuffa?

Boxing social media is full of people heaping scorn on the head of Dana White's Zuffa Promotions. The most vocal critic, Matchroom supremo, Eddie Hearn maintains that Dana is out of his depth in boxing and should scurry back to the UFC in the States.  

Eddie says Dana is contractually barred from any promotional involvement in Fury vs Joshua in December, and has had an awful first year in the business.

But is Dana being written off prematurely? When Frank Warren was asked about Dana White's statement that he should be judged on his body of work after one year, he reminded reporters that the year isn't over yet.

Indeed it isn't. If Dana White has an active role in "The Battle of Britain", he will certainly prove Eddie wrong and end the year on a high. But what of the other promotions that make up "his body of work"?

Well, Saturday's card featuring cruiserweight Chris Billam-Smith against Cheavon Clarke can definitely go in the "plus" column for Dana. It may be true that neither of them are world beaters, despite Billam-Smith once holding the WBO title. But both certainly fought with the fire of champions and gave the fans a thoroughly enjoyable night's action. The whole production was also polished and professional.

Clarke also exhibited something that I'm tempted to call the "Zuffa Effect". His career was nothing special prior to his signing, and prompted many to question the wisdom of bringing him under the Zuffa banner. He'd lost consecutive decisions to Leonardo Mosquea and Viddal Riley and been floored by Jack Massey before scoring a stoppage himself.

But under Zuffa, he seems to have found a rich seam of self-belief. 

Fighting on the undercard, the London middleweight, Denzel Bentley said the same thing. He felt valued under Zuffa. If you treat someone like a star, then maybe they'll start to behave like a star, and discover talents and reserves of courage they didn't know they had.

Bentley talked about feeling somewhat lost under Queensberry. He was certainly given opportunities, but he said he wasn't one of the fighters that Frank Warren prioritised. 

Zuffa is well-known for paying above the normal wage for its boxers while it tries to establish itself. Is it simply the extra money that's making these boxers feel special, or is there more to it than that? 

Clarke put on an inspired performance against Billam-Smith. He behaved like a man who would not be denied, and quickly found a home for his lead right hand. He also managed to out jab the much taller man. When the opening came, the right that floored CBS was brutal. 

If Zuffa can take boxers with unexceptional records like Cheavon Clarke and Denzel Bentley and turn them into stars, then they may have a winning formula after all.