European Championships Circular

Heavyweight (Vacant)

 

Matt Skelton has withdrawn from his fight against Sinan Samilsam of Turkey due to an unspecified illness.  The contest, which was scheduled for 4th July 2008 in Antalya, Turkey, has now been postponed.  A future date and venue are yet to be confirmed.

 

Super Lightweight

 

Gianluca Branco (holder, Italy) v Junior Witter is open for private negotiation and Promoters, Managers and Matchmakers have until the 16th August 2008 to reach agreement.  If no contracts have been lodged with the EBU by this date purse bids will be called for.  Branco is expected to make a voluntary defence in the near future.

 

Super Featherweight

 

Serget Gulyakevitch (holder, Belarussia) v Nicky Cook is open for purse offers, which are to be be submitted to the EBU Offices in Rome by 12.00.noon (Rome time) on Thursday, 3rd July 2008.  However, if agreement is reached between the parties and signed contracted lodged with the EBU prior to this date then the purse bids will be declared null and void.

Celtic Championships Circular

Heavyweight (Vacant)

 

Purse offers are called for Ian Millarvie v Scott Belshaw.  All offers for the contest are to be submitted to the Board’s Head Office by 12.00 noon Wednesday, 9th July 2008.  The contest is to take place by the end of October 2008.

 

Super Middleweight

 

Purse offers are called for Steve McGuire (holder) v Nathan Cleverly.  All offers for the contest are to be submitted to the Board’s Head Office by 12.00 noon Wednesday, 9th July 2008.  The contest is to take place by the end of October 2008.

English Championships Circular

Super Middleweight

 

Following the relinquishment of the Title by Champion Tony Dodson the Stewards are calling for purse offers for the contest between Tyrone Wright v Paul David.  All offers for the contest are to be submitted to the Board’s Head Office by 12.00 noon, Wednesday, 9th July 2008.  The contest is to take place by end of October 2008.

 

Light Welterweight

 

Nigel Wright (holder) is to make a defence against Scott Hayward.  A date and venue is yet to be confirmed.

 

Lightweight (Vacant)

      

Following the relinquishment of the Title by Champion John Murray the Stewards are calling for purse offers for the contest between John Fewkes v Martin Gethin.  All offers for the contest are to be submitted to the Board’s Head Office by 12.00 noon, Wednesday, 9th July 2008.  The contest is to take place by end of October 2008.

 

Super Featherweight

 

Champion Femi Fehintola has sustained an injury which has resulted in the postponement of his defence against Steve Foster Jnr.  A new date and venue has not yet been confirmed.

British Championship Circular

Heavyweight

An application from Promoter Frank Maloney has been approved for a change of date for the Heavyweight Championship defence of Danny Williams (holder) v’s John McDermott.

The contest will now take place on Friday, 18th July 2008 at the Goresbrook Leisure Centre, Dagenham.

Middleweight

The middleweight defence by Wayne Elcock (h3older) against Darren McDermott will take place at the Coventry Sky Dome, Coventry on Friday, 20th June 2008. The contest will be promoted by Hennessy Sports.

Welterweight

Following the controversial stripping of the above title from Kevin McIntyre the vacant title is now up for grabs. Promoter Frank Warren has successfully applied for a match between Kell Brook and Barrie Jones for the vacant Championship. The contest to take place at the York Hall, Bethnal Green, London on Saturday, 14th June 2008.

Approval of this contest is also subject to the winner waiving six months grace and defending when so ordered by the Stewards.

The best of the Irish to come out fighting

A quality undercard on the Ladbrokes.com Fight Night will feature rising Irish welterweights Stephen Haughian and John O’Donnell. Both suffered the first setbacks of their careers in 2007 but are determined to bounce back this year.

Galway born O’Donnell tasted defeat for the first time as a pro when he was beaten on the Floyd Mayweather – Oscar De La Hoya undercard in Las Vegas but he recently got back to winning ways to improve his record to 16 and 1.

Haughian also suffered the first defeat of his career in 2007 when he lost a desperately close decision to Italian Giammario Grassellini for the IBF Intercontinental title. The 23-year-old from Lurgan will face another Italian job in Limerick when he squares off with Giuseppe Langella over 8 rounds.

It will be all Wright on the night

Reigning English Champion Nigel Wright believes he can put an end to Paul McCloskey’s unbeaten run when they clash on the Ladbrokes.com Fight Night in Limerick on July 19.

McCloskey is coming off a career best win over former World Champion Cesar Bazan but Wright is confident that he will be the first man to inflict a professional defeat on the Derryman at the University Sports Arena.

Wright says that he knows plenty about McCloskey and will be coming to Limerick full of confidence.

“I know Paul quite well from the amateurs,” revealed the 28-year-old Hartlepool native.

Gladiator Gibbs predicts Lee’s Downfall

Andy Lee has been handed an acid test as he looks to bounce back from the first defeat of his career when he headlines the next Ladbrokes.com Fight Night in his native Limerick on July 19th.

Lee will face Philadelphia puncher Willie “The Gladiator” Gibbs and the American is predicting a nightmare return to the University Sports Arena in Limerick for the hometown hero next month.

“I’m still scratching my head about this fight,” said a bemused Gibbs. “I mean the guy just suffered his first defeat and now they want him to suffer a second one straight away. It doesn’t make sense to me but I’ll do what I have to do and that’s come to Ireland to destroy Andy Lee.”

Hyland set for toughest test to date

By Jonny Stapleton

Local puncher Paul Hyland will bid to put more pressure on his mother’s extended and already fragile mantle piece by becoming the third Hyland brother to claim an Irish title when he takes on Marc Callaghan in Dublin’s National Basketball Arena on July 5. The vacant Irish super-bantamweight crown will be on the line.

Earlier this year, both Patrick and Edward Hyland claimed their first professional Irish belts to make it a total of 20 amateur and professional titles between the brothers and Paul, the youngest of the trio, plans to make it a special twenty first on home soil early next month.

Martinez eyes Dunne rematch

By Jonny Stapleton

The man who disposed Bernard Dunne of his European super-bantamweight title in 86 seconds last year, Kiko Martinez, will offer the Dublin Destroyer a chance to regain the crown if he is successful in his rematch with reigning European champion Rendall Munroe in November.

Dunne’s manager and promoter Brian Peters had given up hope of a European second coming after Munroe declined all offers to fight the Neilstown native and had claimed they were now working toward world title shots. However, Spanish puncher Martinez has revealed that he has Dunne firmly in his sights. Martinez lost his European crown to Munroe on a majority decision in March but has been granted a rematch by the EBU to take place later this year.