By Ben Carey

Hatton Promotions are hopeful of attracting a sell-out crowd to their first major promotion in Stoke which will see Matthew Hatton top the bill against Lovemore N’Dou for the IBO welterweight title at the Fenton Manor Sports Complex next Friday (November 13).

The quality card also features Rob Norton defending his Commonwealth cruiserweight crown against Akinyemi Laleye, Darren McDermott contesting the English middleweight championship against Danny Butler and an intriguing eight-rounder between Derry Matthews and local favourite Scott Lawton at super-featherweight.

The main event, which seemed to be in jeopardy a month ago after N’Dou sustained a cut in training, will go ahead despite previous rumours to the contrary.

‘It has wrongly been reported on the internet (not on this site) and indeed in Boxing News that the fight might be off due to a cut to Lovemore. Whilst it is correct that Lovemore did sustain a cut in training, medical examination has confirmed it will not prevent him fighting on the 13th November,’ assured Hatton Promotions in a statement on October 9.

Nevertheless, news of N’Dou’s injury has surely handed Hatton an early psychological advantage going into the sternest test of his 42-fight career. He is sure to target N’Dou’s eye in an attempt to re-open the wound which could then place the normally aggressive South African on the defensive.

“I have been training hard for this fight so I was disappointed when I heard rumours that Lovemore may be pulling out. In the last six months I have accepted fights against Zab Judah and Kell Brook, which fell through because Zab changed his mind and wanted me to fight at light-welterweight and Kell’s team were demanding options on me which my promoters were not prepared to give,” claimed Matthew.
“I have the confidence in my team and I am relieved that the fight will go ahead as planned,” the 28-year-old Hatton added.

Veteran N’Dou, who recently turned 38, is a former IBF light-welterweight title holder and scooped the IBO welterweight bauble in July with a unanimous points win over compatriot Philip N’Dou (no relation). Although the South African has suffered 11 defeats (against 47 wins and a draw) he has never been stopped despite mixing with some elite company including Sharmba Mitchell, Miguel Cotto, Junior Witter, Paulie Malignaggi and Kermit Cintron.

The strength of N’Dou’s CV is likely to make him a narrow favourite but the in-form Hatton will quietly believe that he can cause an upset. Since losing on points to Craig Watson in an unsuccessful challenge for the Commonwealth welterweight title 18 months ago, Hatton has stringed together four decent victories against Ernesto Zepeda (pts 8), former European light-welterweight champion Ted Bami (TKO6), Ben Tackie (pts 10) and Scott Woolford (pts to take his record to a statistically impressive 37-4-1 (14).

Tickets, priced at £150, £85, £50 and £30 are available by calling 0161 775 7500 or 0844 888 9991.

By Ben Carey

Carl Froch is expecting a “war” when he meets Mikkel Kessler in the second group stage of the Super Six World Boxing Classic Cup tournament in contrast to the frustrating evening he endured against Andre Dirrell in front of his Nottingham fans a fortnight ago. Froch scraped a split decision (113-114 and 115-112) on the judges’ scorecards to retain his WBC title against the flashy but elusive Dirrell to get his Super Six super-middleweight campaign off to a winning start.

“It was close but I had no doubt in my mind that I had won the fight. He’s (Dirrell) a slick, fast, counter puncher and when you combine that with the negativity he showed in there it made it a very difficult night,” admitted Froch.

“I don’t know how he expected to come to the champion’s hometown and take the WBC belt fighting like that. Nobody likes to see someone running and being negative and I think people recognised that I was trying to make a fight of it but it takes two to tango. I like to stand there and have a fight and give the fans and the TV viewers a real show but Dirrell wasn’t interested in that kind of fight,” added the frustrated Nottingham man.

Whilst Dirrell’s negativity and unwillingness to oblige Froch in the kind of toe-to-toe ‘The Cobra’ relishes is undisputed, many critics felt the talented American still produced the more eyecatching work in a disappointing contest and seldom took punches in reply from Froch who was out-of-range and out-of-sorts throughout.

“I feel sorry for the fans that it wasn’t a more exciting fight but I can only fight what’s in front of me. I’m satisfied to retain my title, I’ve just beaten one of the best boxers the U.S. has to offer and I didn’t get hit with anything that gave me any trouble at all,” said Froch, who actually did appear to be hurt by a stinging left hand from Dirrell in the eleventh.

“He (Dirrell) felt quite fragile in there when we were in close. I felt twice as strong as him and he didn’t really have any physical presence. I think he felt my strength in there too and that’s why he was so negative and tried to disrupt the rhythm of the fight,” added Froch.

The beauty of this round-robin tournament is that there is little time for each of the six combatants to dwell on what might have been as they quickly turn their attention to preparing for their next opponent in phase 2 in 2010. For Froch that means a mouth-watering clash with Denmark’s reigning WBA super-middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler. In contrast, for now Kessler is only concentrating on Andre Ward, who he will meet on his US debut in the final Super Six Group Stage 1 pairing in California on November 21 in a little under three weeks time.

“I know that Kessler will bring a war and the fans will have a real fight to look forward to there. That’s a fight I’m relishing. Hopefully he’ll beat Andre Ward in their fight next month so both the WBC and WBA belts will be on the line in our fight,” commented Froch who is hoping that promoter Mick Hennessy will be able to persuade Kessler, only beaten by Joe Calzaghe, to come to Nottingham.

“I think he will (beat Ward), so far the tournament’s gone as I expected. Jermain Taylor got knocked out again in the last round against Arthur Abraham so Taylor must be jinxed because it was exactly the same time in the same round that I knocked him out. I expected Abraham to beat him and obviously I expected to beat Dirrell so it’s all gone as I thought it would so far,” asserted Froch.

The line-up for Stage 2 and 3 matches for the Super Six tournament has recently been announced. Dates and venues for the coming matchups will be confirmed in due course.

GROUP STAGE 2
ANDRE DIRRELL vs. ARTHUR ABRAHAM
MIKKEL KESSLER vs. CARL FROCH
JERMAIN TAYLOR vs. ANDRE WARD

GROUP STAGE 3
ANDRE DIRRELL vs. ANDRE WARD
CARL FROCH vs. ARTHUR ABRAHAM
MIKKEL KESSLER vs. JERMAIN TAYLOR

By Ben Carey

Carl Froch’s persistent endeavour impressed two of the three judges to enable him to retain his WBC super-middleweight crown on a split decision against the fleet-footed Andre Dirrell in the Super Six tournament in Nottingham on Saturday night. Two ringside officials crucially preferred Froch’s dogged determination by scores of 115-112, whilst the other favoured Dirrell’s flashy combinations and quick reflexes, scoring it for the American 114-113.

In truth, this disappointing spectacle wasn’t easy to score predominantly due to Dirrell’s unwillingness to stand and trade combined with Froch’s inability to cut the ring off and land often and accurately against the nimble challenger who was impossible to pin down. Watching at home live on the Primetime pay-per-view network I scored the fight even.

Whilst Froch’s work was often untidy and littered with awkward lunges which frequently connected with fresh air, he was the fighter who was prepared to force the action and hit Dirrell anywhere he could (arms, legs, hey even the face, on occasions). In contrast, Dirrell was content for the most part to pick-pocket his way to victory fighting off the back foot from the southpaw stance. You don’t get points for making people miss.

The unexpected chess match took until midway through the third round to produce the fight’s first meaningful exchange. Dirrell landed a solid left hand delivered with speed and accuracy which prompted Froch to respond with a huge right hand which whistled past Dirrell’s whiskers prompting the American to stick his tongue out at the bemused Froch.

The packed Nottingham crowd, who had waited patiently until 2am to witness this Super Six Classic encounter due to the demands of American network Showtime between two unbeaten fighters, watched in virtual silence as Froch stalked Dirrell around the perimeter of the ring as the American danced out of harms way, occasionally firing off rapid one-twos which Froch mostly blocked on his gloves.

Becoming increasingly exasperated by his inability to get anything going, Froch wrestled Dirrell to the canvas in round five and was warned in the same stanza for hitting the American on the back of the head by referee Hector Afu. Unlike Jean Pascal and Jermain Taylor, who eventually relented and obliged the heavy-handed Froch in the type of trench warfare that plays to his strengths, Dirrell was never going to oblige. But whilst the challenger stuck resolutely to his gameplan of making Froch miss, he seldom made the champion pay, and what could be perceived as defensive brilliance could also be interpreted as negativity which ultimately cost Dirrell on the scorecards.

Froch enjoyed his best success in round six, nailing Dirrell with a right hand which had the American back pedalling furiously and looking uncomfortable. For the first time in the contest Dirrell was starting to lose his composure and remonstrate with referee Afu as Froch looked to employ some roughhouse tactics in close. Three times the whining Dirrell slipped to the canvas but thoughts that he was beginning to unravel were premature as Dirrell’s lightening hand speed and reflexes were again in evidence in the seventh, just nearly not often enough for the judges (and everyone else who had paid good money to watch this fight against two of the best super-middleweights in the world, frankly).

Whatever Froch lacks in speed, he makes up for in sheer persistence. Maybe he should have loosened up earlier and thrown caution to the wind and unleashed bursts of punches in threes-and-fours as instructed to do so by trainer Robert McCracken. Despite this, the WBC champion stuck resolutely to his task and a left hook and a follow-up right hand which again caught Dirrell going backwards was the highlight of round eight. At no time though was Froch ever able to place the quicksilver Dirrell under sustained pressure.

Gradually growing in confidence, Dirrell started to plant his feet and trade with Froch from the ninth round. Had Andre been slightly more positive earlier his speed of foot and punch would surely have seen him bank more rounds that were predominantly tight to score with the judges leaning towards the fighter who was coming forward – Froch.

With the fight in the balance, referee Afu (who looked very young) shocked everyone by taking a point away from Dirrell for holding in round ten. Thankfully, this decision didn’t affect the overall outcome on the judges’ scorecards. It did however light a fuse inside Dirrell which finally saw him take the fight to Froch with almost dramatic consequences. Two left lightening left hands buckled Froch’s legs which forced Carl to retreat onto the ropes as Dirrell looked capable of registering an unlikely knockdown. Fortunately for the stunned Nottingham man the bell sounded before Dirrell could mount a sustained offensive.

The cat-and-mouse action returned to its familiar pattern in the eleventh as Froch momentarily pinned Dirrell to the ropes but aside from landing a couple of blows to the body the American was once again too quick to be trapped for long. There was to be no grandstand finish from Froch that he was able to produce against Jermain Taylor last time out. Dirrell still looked relatively fresh as the fighters entered the final round and it was the American who clearly took the session by peppering Froch with ones-and-twos as the champion looked to load up and land a big punch.

It wasn’t pretty, and it certainly wasn’t effective either, but ultimately Froch got the job done against an opponent who seemed to have his measure but wasn’t prepared to commit himself often enough to prove it beyond reasonable doubt.

“It was close but I had no doubt in my mind that I had won the fight. He’s a slick, fast, counter puncher and when you combine that with the negativity he showed in there it made it a very difficult night,” said Froch afterwards.

“I don’t know how he expected to come to the champion’s hometown and take the WBC belt fighting like that. Nobody likes to see someone running and being negative and I think people recognised that I was trying to make a fight of it but it takes two to tango. I like to stand there and have a fight and give the fans and the TV viewers a real show but Dirrell wasn’t interested in that kind of fight. I’m sure he’ll improve from that performance and it will have been a learning experience for him but at that kind of pace I could have gone 25 rounds”, he continued.

Froch will now fight Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler, beaten only by Joe Calzaghe, in the second leg of the Super Six tournament.

“I know that Kessler will bring a war and the fans will have a real fight to look forward to there. That’s a fight I’m relishing. Hopefully he’ll beat Andre Ward in their fight next month (in their first Super Six encounter) so both the WBC and WBA belts will be on the line in our fight.”

Earlier in the evening, Arthur Abraham produced a peach of a right hand to knock out Jermain Taylor with just six seconds remaining in the contest to kick off the inaugural Super Six super-middleweight tournament. Taylor, who was stopped in almost identical fashion by Froch six months earlier, has now lost four of his last five fights.

By John Hannen at ringside

Jason Booth looked tremendous on Friday night forcing Michael Hunter to retire on his stool, and surely from the fight game altogether, as he retained his British super bantamweight title at the Seaburn Centre in Sunderland. A mixture of Booth being just ‘2 smooth’, and Hunter seeming a shadow of the fighter he once was, combined to see the fight waved off between rounds five and six as the man from Hartlepool told his corner ‘no mas’.

Hunter entered the ring in his traditional camouflage attire looking very determined and pumped up by a vocal and largely partisan crowd, with many fans making the trip from the challenger’s home town of Hartlepool. Ominously though, and in contrast, Booth appeared very relaxed, confident and assured both in the dressing room before the fight and as he made his way into the ring.

Hunter couldn’t wait to get at Booth and, at the first bell, immediately attempted to pressure the champion from Nottingham. The difference in size was evident as the two fighters traded. Booth’s weight had been announced as 8st 9lb, and while I missed Hunter’s poundage due to the roar of the crowd during the introductions he looked noticeably taller, bigger and stronger.

The first round was close and a little scrappy. Both boxers landed shots but I had Hunter edging it for his more aggressive work as he had success harrying and bullying Booth, and nullifying the Nottingham man’s boxing.

However, by the end of the second round it was clear that a sea change was occurring. The fast hands of Booth were beginning to make Hunter look pedestrian as the champion began to land flush, both to the body and head. Hunter was continuing to try to pressure and did his best work when he managed to push Booth against the ropes but, discouragingly, his level of success in repelling the champion was nowhere equal to the effort expired.

Booth’s work was even more impressive in rounds three and four as he began to completely dominate the contest. The 31 year old’s hand speed, variety of shots and intelligent ‘in and out’ boxing were giving Hunter problems that he had no solution to. Booth was mixing up his work with precise combinations making the challenger look one dimensional and easy to hit as the man from Hartlepool continued to try to fight the only way, it seems, he knows how – straight ahead and aggressive.

Booth was proving just too clever and too quick, and had Hunter under his spell, landing with almost everything he threw, and with little reply. In the third round the classy Booth caught Hunter flush with a tremendous straight right followed by a left hook to the head, and also had him backed against the ropes towards the end of the round. Against all the pre-fight perceived wisdom – it was now Booth who was pressuring and bullying Hunter.

Similarly, in round four Booth’s tail was well and truly up. The challenger just didn’t seem to be able to pull the trigger, was waiting too long to throw shots, and appeared static – all gold dust to a fighter like Booth. Hunter’s mouth was now open and his head movement seemed non existent as his noggin was continually rocked back by Booth’s accuracy. Hunter was being beaten up, his will was being drained by punishing body shots, and he looked totally dispirited as he made his way back to his corner at the end of round four.

Credit to Hunter as he came out purposefully at the start of round five and pushed Booth back to the ropes. This success was only fleeting though as normal service was resumed and Booth really began to do a number on him. The champion was rolling back the years with a cerebral show of silky counter punching. A blistering body shot saw Hunter visually wilt and he was absorbing so many combinations that there seemed a case for stopping the fight.

Hunter, did well to make it through to the end of the round, but returned to his corner looking like a man who desperately wanted to be anywhere else but in the ring with Booth. And so it proved as, during the minute’s break the referee was called to Hunter’s corner and was instructed to wave the fight off as Booth, W34(14) L5(0), celebrated one of, if not the, best win of his career.

Booth proved a lot of people wrong with this victory, including myself, who thought that Hunter would be too big and have too much for him. The similarities and, yet, differences between these two fighters at this stage in their careers couldn’t have been more striking tonight. Both men are aged 31, both have had problems outside the ring, and both have had successful, long careers. Yet the inspirational Booth is in the form of his life and looks as though he’s reversing the ageing process. Hunter, W29(13) L2(2) D1, meanwhile was just a shell of the fighter from a few years ago and looked exactly what he seems to be – a boxer at the end of the road.

Booth’s a real success story and now moves onto more glory nights and possibly the European success that’s evaded him in his attempts previously. I feel for Hunter and, no doubt, some keyboard warriors on Internet boxing forums will label him a ‘quitter’. In my book, though, anybody that gets through the ropes deserves respect. Hunter knew it was ‘mission impossible’ at the end of round five and there seemed little point in him taking more punishment. He’s a fighter that’s provided boxing fans with great entertainment over the years, and I hope he finds peace and success in whatever he decides to do with his future.

Undercard Review

In addition to this main event there were a number of other fights on this packed, Frank Maloney promoted show, including the two Olympic medallists; Tony ‘Jaffa’ Jeffries and David Price.

There are always high expectations of super middleweight Jeffries whenever he fights in his home town of Sunderland, and this scenario was no different tonight. Jaffa (12st 4lb) took on the experienced Artem Solomko (12st 3lb) from Belarus and outpointed his foe over six rounds to move his record onto 4-0. Jeffries seemed to be trying too hard to finish this contest early and ended up smothering much of his work by rushing in. The Olympic bronze medallist looked far more effective when working off his jab and keeping a little distance. Jeffries, though, is still a novice pro and it won’t have done him any harm to get some rounds under his belt against the awkward Solomko who slips to 10-18.

David Price, from Liverpool, in just his second fight beat German opponent Liridon Memishi. Price (17st 10lb) towered over the ‘fleshy’ Memishi (18st) and peppered him with enough, occasional hard shots to ensure that the German failed to come out for the third round in a scheduled six rounder. Price, 2-0 (2), is due to fight again on the Jamie Moore-Ryan Rhodes undercard next Friday.

Another super middleweight making a name for himself is former ABA champion George Groves. Groves (11st 12lb) looks very accomplished for someone with so little professional experience and stopped his Lithuanian opponent, Tadas Jonkus (11st 4lb), with a display of patient, clinical boxing in the fourth round of a scheduled 6X3’s. Groves, now 6-0 (5), looks a dangerous member of a bubbling super middleweight division that includes the likes of James DeGale and the aforementioned Tony Jeffries. After this defeat Jonkus now has a record of 4-5.

In a 8X3 lightweight contest, Sunderland’s Paul Holborn (9st 8lb) drew with Ben Murphy from Hove. Holborn, now 11-2-2, struggled with the muscular and very strong Murphy (9st 11lb) who was constantly in Holborn’s chest whether punching or grappling. Murphy, 6-2-1, looked as fresh at the end of the contest as he did when he started it. I thought the better quality work came from Holborn but the harder shots from Murphy. The referee, Andrew Wright, scored the contest 76-76.

Hard hitting Travis Dickinson (12st 12lb) from Durham demolished debutant Steffan Hughes (12st 4lb) from Wales within 40 seconds of the first round. Hughes managed to land one left hand before Dickinson, with a significant height advantage, moved him onto the ropes and unleashed damaging shots forcing the referee to intervene. Although still standing, Hughes looked in bad shape for a while and still had shaky legs as he left the ring. Dickinson moves onto his next contest 4-0 (3).

In other contests on the night:

George ‘razor’ Watson (10st) beat Kristian Laight (9st 11lb) on points in a four round contest. Laight, who seems to fight just about every week, was unambitious hence the referee’s score of 40-36. Watson, 7-1-1, also previously beat Laight, 6-67-5, in his second professional contest, again on points.

Heavyweight, Dave Ferguson (16st 8lb) from North Shields took just one minute and 23 seconds to beat the Latvian, Roman Dabolins (14st 13lb) in a scheduled six round fight. Ferguson, 10-2 (four inside), connected early with a big right hand and had his man down a further two times before the referee had seen enough. Dabolins is now 9-12.

Cruiserweight Jon Lewis Dickinson, brother of Travis, beat Martyn Grainger (14st 10lb) from Lancashire on points over four rounds by a score of 40-37. Dickinson worked hard, had a better variety of shots and ground out the win to keep an unbeaten record of 5-0. Grainger is now 3-2.

Unbeaten Gary Sykes (9st 10lb) kept his career ticking over with an eight rounds points win over durable Ibrar Riyaz (9st 11lb) from Reading. Former ABA champion Sykes, now unbeaten in 13, from Dewsbury put in a solid, workmanlike performance to clearly outpoint Riyaz without ever looking like he would finish it early. Riyaz, with some justification, leant over the ropes at the final bell to tell Sky TV commentators Ian Darke and Jim Watt that it wasn’t a bad performance seeing as he’d only been given two weeks notice!!

Making his professional debut, Kirk Goodins (9st 8lb) from Sunderland looked a tidy and accomplished fighter as he outpointed journeyman Sid Razak (9st 11lb) over four rounds by a score of 40-36.

The last fight of the night saw a terrific welterweight scrap between Chris Mullen from South Shields and Lancashire’s William Warburton. The well supported Mullen (10st 8lb) didn’t have it all his own way in the first half of this four round contest as Warburton (10st 10lb) threw the uppercut and hooked to some effect. Mullen, though, looks strong and his work to his opponents’ body was impressive, taking it’s toll over the duration, with Warburton doing well to survive the last round. Mullen moves on to his next contest sporting a 6-1 record, Warburton is 1-5-1.

By Ben Carey
Essex battler Tom Glover will be out to dethrone another Nottingham champion in the form of English welterweight title holder, Adnan Amar, on the undercard of local hero Carl Froch’s Super Six WBC super-middleweight scrap with Andre Dirrell at the Trent Arena tonight.

While the eyes of the boxing World will be on Froch’s showdown with Dirrell for Glover and Amar it will also be a huge night in their respective careers. Reigning title holder Amar will be looking to put a frustrating year and a half of inactivity behind him while Glover will be looking to bounce back from his Commonwealth title defeat to John O’Donnell last month.

On that occasion a brave but outgunned Glover was rescued by the referee while still on his feet in the sixth round after O’Donnell had broken his nose in the second round with a vicious uppercut. However Glover is adamant that the setback has only made him more determined to succeed against Amar.

“Let’s be honest at the start of the year very few people would have predicted I’d go on to fight the Commonwealth champ,” said Glover who has enjoyed a remarkable turnaround in his career. Just over 12 months ago the 28-year-old bricklayer was considered to be a journeyman pro but high profile wins over leading contenders such as Jon Thaxton and Nadeem Siddique have seen his stock rise considerably.

“Obviously I was disappointed at the result against O’Donnell but it hasn’t discouraged me in the least, if anything it’s just made me hungrier for success,” revealed the Maldon native. “It was a fantastic experience to headline a live TV card and box such a great champion and I want more of that. I’ve no excuses, O’Donnell’s an excellent fighter. I knew going into the fight that it was a hard task but the broken nose made it impossible and he did what he had to do in there.”

Glover doesn’t believe the nose injury will be a factor when he steps into the ring to face Amar. “I took a week off from the gym after the fight and obviously I didn’t spar for a bit because I was wary of my nose but I’ve had the all clear from the doctor so I’m raring to go again. This was too good an opportunity to turn down for me. It’s a chance to get my hands on the English title belt and I wasn’t going to let one defeat ruin what’s already been a great year for me.”

Amar is a product of the famous Ingle Gym in Sheffield but having already upset Amar’s gym mates Jon Thaxton and Nadeem Siddique earlier in the year Glover is confident of making it a hat trick of wins.

“I’ve faced the speed and skill of O’Donnell and the power of Thaxton and I’m very familiar with the Ingle style now so I can’t see what Amar can bring to the ring that will faze me. We were due to meet back in March and he actually got injured after we had weighed in but I feel I’m in an even better position to beat him now.

“I’ve won three of four since then and the wins have come against good lads like Thaxton, Siddique and Chas Symonds. I’ve had plenty of competitive action while he’s been inactive for nearly 18 months now and I think I can use that to my advantage.”

The fleet footed Amar is likely to race into an early lead, but as Nadeem Siddique discovered, the determined Glover provides stubborn opposition at this level. The Essex Cinderella man can shade another tight one on points as Amar fades down the stretch.

New satellite channel Primetime (Sky channel 480) will broadcast the opening night of the Super Six tournament event live on pay per view in the UK and Ireland with a knockout double header from Nottingham and Berlin. In addition to screening Glover-Amar and Froch-Dirrell, the channel will also televise the opening Super Six tournament clash between Arthur Abraham and Jermain Taylor live from Germany.

For details of how to order this event, now priced at £14.95, go to channel 480 or log on to www.primetimelive.co.uk.

By Ben Carey

Fans clamouring to see the eagerly anticipated English heavyweight title rematch between Tyson Fury and John McDermott will have to wait a little longer. An injury to Fury, sustained to his right hand during his points win over Tomas Mrazek in Dublin three weeks ago, has resulted in the British Boxing Board of Control to put back the opening of purse bids until its next meeting on Wednesday 11th November. The rematch, which was originally stipulated to take place before the end of December, has now been extended until the end of February next year.

The unbeaten Fury was awarded a highly controversial 98-92 points victory by referee Terry O’Connor over McDermott to capture the English title in Brentwood last month. Somewhat ironically, even the Board (incorrectly) list the unfortunate McDermott as the reigning English champion in its latest Championship circular. To read the rest of the latest English title news click the link.

ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIPS

HEAVYWEIGHT JOHN McDERMOTT v TYSON FURY (HOLDER)
Due to injury to Champion Tyson Fury, the purse bids called for the above contest have been postponed. The Stewards decided this contest will be put out for purse bids at the next meeting of the Board on Wednesday, 11th November 2009, the contest to take place by the end of February 2010

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DANNY McINTOSH (Holder) v TONY OAKEY
Following agreement being reached between the parties the above contest to be promoted by Richard Hatton will take place on a date and at a venue as yet to be advised.

MIDDLEWEIGHT DARREN McDERMOTT (Holder) v DANNY BUTLER
The above contest to be promoted by Richard Hatton will take place on Friday, 13th November 2009 at Fenton Manor, Stoke on Trent.

LIGHT MIDDLEWEIGHT ANDREW FACEY (Holder) v GARY WOOLCOMBE
Due to no confirmation being received from Promoter Frank Maloney of a date or venue for the above contest, Championship status has been withdrawn.

WELTERWEIGHT ADNAN AMAR (Holder) v TOM GLOVER
The above contest to be promoted by Hennessy Sports will take place at the Nottingham Arena, Nottingham on Saturday, 17th October 2009.

LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT (Vacant) STEVE WILLIAMS v MICHAEL GRANT
The above contest to be promoted by Barry Hearn will take place at the Meadowbank Sports Arena, Magherafelt, Northern Ireland on Friday, 6th November 2009.

SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT RYAN BARRETT (Holder) v GARY SYKES
The above contest to be promoted by Frank Maloney will take place on a date and venue as yet to be advised.

BANTAMWEIGHT JAMIE McDONNELL (Holder) v STUART McFADYEN
Due to injury to Stuart McFadyen, the above contest to be promoted by Frank Maloney has been postponed.

By Ben Carey

In a surprising outcome, The British Boxing Board of Control has allowed Danny Williams to keep his British heavyweight title despite Williams losing in the quarter-final of the recent Prizefighter: The Heavyweights III competition against outsider Carl Baker a fortnight ago. Williams, who was floored twice by Baker in the opening round before conceding a three-round points decision, was expected to be stripped of his British crown and retire following his disappointing loss. The Board of Control has given Williams a reprieve however but have insisted that the Brixton man must defend his British title against the winner of Sam Sexton and Martin Rogan who will contest the Commonwealth crown in a rematch in Belfast on November 6.

The Board’s decision now opens the door for current British title holders to take part in future Prizefighter events and potentially keep their Lonsdale belts even if they fail to win the tournament. To read the rest of the latest British title news, click the link.

HEAVYWEIGHT DANNY WILLIAMS (Holder) v SAM SEXTON/MARTIN ROGAN
Regulation 22.17. The Stewards of the Board at their last meeting on Wednesday, 14th October 2009 considered the status of the British Heavyweight Champion Danny Williams. The Stewards decided that Mr. Williams would remain Champion and his next defence of the British Championship would be a mandatory defence against the winner of the Final Eliminator between SAM SEXTON v MARTIN ROGAN, which takes place at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast on Friday, 6th November 2009.

The Stewards decided this contest will be put out for purse bids at the next meeting of the Board on Wednesday, 11th November 2009, the contest to take place at a time determined by the Stewards.

CRUISERWEIGHT ROBERT NORTON (Holder) v DAVID DOLAN
Following agreement being reached between the parties the above contest to be promoted by Richard Hatton will take place on a date and at a venue as yet to be advised.

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT TONY QUIGLEY (Holder) v PAUL SMITH
The above contest to be promoted by Frank Warren will take place at the Echo Arena, Liverpool on Friday, 30th October 2009.

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT (Eliminator) PAUL DAVID v KENNY ANDERSON
Following the opening of purse bids at Head Office at 12.00.noon on Wednesday, 14th October 2009, the winning bid was submitted by Promoter Tommy Gilmour. The contest to take place on 18th January 2010 at the Radisson SAS Hotel, Glasgow.

LIGHT MIDDLEWEIGHT ANTHONY SMALL (Holder) v THOMAS MCDONAGH
The Stewards approved a request from Promoter Richard Hatton for the above voluntary defence to take place on Friday, 27th November 2009 at the Robin Park Arena, Wigan.

WELTERWEIGHT KELL BROOK (Holder) v MICHAEL JENNINGS
The above contest to be promoted by Frank Warren will take place at the Echo Arena, Liverpool on Friday, 30th October 2009, strictly subject to the winner waiving grace and defending when called upon to do so.

SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT KEVIN MITCHELL (Holder) v RICKY BURNS
The above contest to be promoted by Frank Warren will take place at the Newcastle Arena, Newcastle on Saturday, 5th December 2009.

FEATHERWEIGHT MARTIN LINDSAY (Holder) v JOHN SIMPSON
Due to John Simpson having contractual obligations to defend his Commonwealth Championship, the purse bids for this contest were cancelled. The Stewards decided to put out the purse bids for the following contest.

MARTIN LINDSAY (Holder) v JAMIE ARTHUR
The above contest is put out for purse bids to be submitted in accordance with the Terms and Conditions attached to the Board’s Head Office by 12.00.noon Wednesday, 11th November 2009, the contest to take place by the end of January 2010, strictly subject to the winner waiving grace and defending when called upon to do so.

BANTAMWEIGHT GARY DAVIES (Holder) v IAN NAPA
The above contest to be promoted by Frank Maloney will take place at the Bolton Arena, Manchester on Friday, 23rd October 2009.

SUPER FLYWEIGHT LEE HASKINS (Holder) v DON BROADHURST
Following agreement being reached between the parties, the above contest to be promoted by Frank Maloney will take place on a date and at a venue as yet to be advised.

FLYWEIGHT CHRIS EDWARDS (Holder) v SHINNY BAYAAR
The above contest to be promoted by Frank Maloney will take place at the Bolton Arena, Manchester on Friday, 23rd October 2009.

By Ben Carey
Andre Dirrell needed two attempts to make the weight ahead of his Super Six super-middleweight tournament showdown with Carl Froch at Nottingham’s Trent FM Arena tonight. The American, who will challenge Froch for his WBC super-middleweight title, initially tipped the scales fractionally over the super-middleweight title limit at 168.4 lbs at the first time of asking at the weigh-in yesterday afternoon.

Dirrell quickly returned to the gym at his hotel to lose the excess poundage. He returned one hour later to finally make the weight on the second attempt registering 167.5 pounds on the scales. In contrast, consummate professional Froch comfortably made the weight at the first time of asking, registering 167.4 lbs.

“It was a simple misjudgement on my part, my scales at the hotel said I was on the weight so it was just a misunderstanding. I didn’t have to train yesterday or today so I haven’t had to work hard to make the weight, in fact I was on the weight yesterday but it was just a misunderstanding on my part with the scales,” insisted Dirrell afterwards.

“It hasn’t bothered me at all. In fact it only adds more fuel to the fire for me tomorrow night and made me even more determined to bring that WBC belt back home with me to the U.S,” he added.

A focused Froch however believes Dirrell’s perceived weight making difficulties have already handed the Nottingham star a psychological before the opening bell rings.

“He’s a big, tall lad and he obviously has to work hard to make the weight but it’s very unprofessional on his part not to get it right first time,” blasted Froch. “He’s obviously been training right up to the weigh in and not eating or drinking right if at all and he’s still needed a second attempt to make it. Mentally that will be devastating for him,” the WBC champion reasoned.

“He can say what he wants but to miss it by that much first time round he must have really struggled. I’m a consummate professional and I never miss the weight. I’d my breakfast this morning, a bowl of cereal, a banana and an apple so I’m fully fuelled up.

“I never have a problem making the weight and that’s why I’m still punching hard in the last few rounds when the other guys are fading late on. It’s obviously a good sign for me but I’m not going to waste too much time thinking about it. I’m better than him, I’m stronger than him and I’m going to beat him anyway regardless of the weight issue,” asserted Froch.

Froch-Dirrell will follow tonight’s opening Super Six bout between former middleweight champions Arthur Abraham and Jermain Taylor, who Froch dramatically stopped in the 12th and final round in April. The two men clash at The O2 World Arena in Berlin as the Super Six tournament kicks off before the action switches to Nottingham for Froch’s WBC World Super Middleweight title defence against 2004 Olympic medalist Dirrell. Abraham-Taylor will be screened live on big screens inside the Trent FM Arena.

It what promises to be an exciting and memorable evening, both Froch and Abraham can come from behind on the scorecards to record late stoppage wins.

To watch the opening night of the Super Six tournament on Primetime (Sky channel 480) call 0871 200 4444 (+448702 416 666 from the Republic of Ireland) or see http://www.primetimelive.co.uk. The event is now available at a price of £14.95.

About SUPER SIX WORLD BOXING CLASSIC
The inaugural Super Six World Boxing Classic is a ground-breaking, six-fighter tournament from SHOWTIME Sports® featuring the class of the super middleweight (168-pound) division. The field is comprised of world renowned fighters with a staggering combined record of 161-4-1 with 117 knockouts: former IBF middleweight champion “King” Arthur Abraham of Germany; U.S. Olympic medalist Andre “The Matrix” Dirrell of Flint, Mich.; WBC super middleweight champion Carl “The Cobra” Froch of England; WBA 168-pound champion Mikkel “Viking Warrior” Kessler of Denmark; former undisputed 160-pound world champion Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor of Little Rock, Ark.; and U.S. Olympic gold medalist Andre “S.O.G.” Ward of Oakland , Calif.

All bouts in the Super Six World Boxing Classic will be contested under the Unified Rules of Boxing. Each boxer fights three bouts against different opponents in the field in the points-based Group Stage of competition (Win – 2 pts with a 1-pt bonus for KO/TKO; Loss – 0 pts; Draw – 1 pt.). After the Group Stage, the four fighters with the highest point totals will advance to the single-elimination Semi-Finals. The winners of the Semi-Final bouts will advance to the Finals and fight for the inaugural Super Six World Boxing Classic trophy.

By John Hannen

When the fighting’s finished, so could be a career at title level, after Jason Booth and Michael Hunter have contested the British super-bantamweight title this Friday at the Seaburn Centre in Sunderland.

With both boxers aged 31, and with long careers behind them, this fight really has a ‘winner takes all’ feel to it – more glory nights for the victor, a very long road back for the loser. Frank Maloney promotes this cracking crossroads clash which also features local hero and Olympian Tony Jeffries and a host of talent from the North East on a jam-packed undercard.

Michael Hunter, 29-1-1 (13), is the former British and European super-bantamweight champion whose solitary loss (KO5) came in an IBF world title challenge to Canada’s classy Steve Molitor in November 2006. Since losing to the Canadian, Hunter has been ‘missing in action’ and the career momentum he’d generated has been lost. The man from Hartlepool promised to be straight back after the defeat but the reality is that he’s fought just three times since, where he has appeared a shadow of his former rampaging self.

The combination of the passing of Michael’s mother and the loss to Molitor saw the all-action Hartlepool man become disillusioned with boxing. So much so that, after a lacklustre win against tricky journeyman Youssef Al Hamidi in early 2008, Hunter actually retired from the game. Since then though, a change of heart has seen him resume his career with a points win over Frenchman Osman Aktas (currently W33 L17 D5) in December 2008, in his last outing. Hunter is also back in his favoured super-bantamweight division after briefly flirting up at featherweight and insiders believe he has whipped himself into fantastic shape for this must-win fight.

In Hunter’s defence, there’s no doubt he’s been used to a bigger stage. So during this comeback period it’s possible that, psychologically, he may have felt he’d left the combination of small halls and fighting journeymen behind him. If however, Michael under-performed due to a lack of motivation rest assured this won’t be a factor when he meets reigning British 8st 10lbs king Jason Booth.

Talented, Nottingham stylist, Jason ‘2 Smooth’ Booth won the aforementioned super bantamweight title in April of this year, beating Mark Moran in six, on cuts. Tellingly though, in the 13 years that he’s been a pro, Booth has competed for the majority of his career as a flyweight or super flyweight.

So, while the classy, current champion Booth, 33-5 (13), has also previously held titles at flyweight (British, Commonwealth), super flyweight (IBO) and bantamweight (Commonwealth) highlighting the quality fighter he is, in this forthcoming contest against Hunter, he’s naturally the smaller man.

However, if size isn’t in Booth’s favour in this contest then career momentum, and recent form, certainly are. The man from Nottingham will definitely enter the arena as the fighter whose star is in the ascendancy. Since losing to Ian Napa for the British bantamweight title back in July 2006 (a fighter he had previously beaten), Booth has won six fights on the spin – fighting twice as many times as Hunter in the same period.

Additionally, Booth’s acquired his moniker for good reason – against Hunter he’ll deliver confusing angles, good footwork and sharp counter punching in an attempt to nullify the come forward aggression of his opponent. Booth says that he’ll live up to his nickname and be ‘2 Smooth’ for Hunter but acknowledges that he needs to stay relaxed, not get tense and, crucially, needs to be at his best to win. A little soberingly though for Booth, the last time he suffered a career loss, Ian Napa was busier, persistent, and pressured constantly – all attributes that the ‘old’ Michael Hunter had in abundance.

Boxing might be a sweet science but it’s not an exact one. ‘Styles make fights’ and common opponents are not always a great indicator of how a future fight will unfold. In spite of this, Booth’s last fight was a 12 round, title defence, points win against Rocky Dean who, the champion admitted, gave him a really tough night (Booth won at a canter though – Ed). In contrast, Hunter demolished Rocky in one round back in 2003. Obviously, a lot of water has passed under the bridge since 2003 but Dean’s record highlights a fighter that rarely gets beaten early, just three times in 11 losses over a ten-year career. Also, of interest but perhaps little else, Hunter and Booth have actually faced each other previously as amateurs with each winning one of their head to head clashes.

Hunter’s aggressive, exciting style has attracted a loyal and vociferous following – for example, Molitor acknowledged the Hartlepool crowd as the most hostile he’d faced. With Friday night’s clash taking place in Sunderland, just ‘up the road’ from Hunter’s hometown, expect the man from the North East to be ‘fired up’ by a large support. Booth, though, is a seasoned, experienced and travelled professional and shouldn’t be affected by the likely hostile atmosphere.

There’s no doubt that if this fight was taking place a few years ago then Hunter would have been the clear favourite – it isn’t and he isn’t. Key to the outcome of this fight seems to be, how much does he have left? Michael’s talking a good game. Any questions about ‘lifestyle’ are countered with the answer that alcohol and poor diet have been substituted for a nutritionist, and he assures that he’s back to his old self and is desperate to win his old title back.

Equally, Booth’s a very accomplished fighter, highlighted by the fact each of the five defeats on his record have come in title fights of one sort or another. In addition, ‘2 Smooth’, who has also battled back from alcohol related problems, is in excellent form and if victorious can expect a shot at the European title, a huge incentive for a fighter who surely has to be near the tail end of his career.

So – who wins this fight? It’s a very difficult one to call and a genuine case can be made for either man. For me, it all depends on which Michael Hunter turns up. I’m prepared, though, to throw the recent form book out of the window, go against the pundits and perceived wisdom, and take a rejuvenated and focused Michael Hunter to beat the brave but smaller Booth on points, or even by stoppage in the later rounds.

What is much easier to predict, for sure, is that the future prospects of each man hangs in the balance of this keenly anticipated title showdown.

By Ben Carey

Andre Dirrell is insistent that his speed and flashy switch-hitting style will be too hot for Carl Froch to handle ahead of their Super Six world super-middleweight championship showdown at Nottingham’s Trent Arena on Saturday night. Froch will defend his WBC super-middleweight crown against the undefeated American who hasn’t been shy to talk up his chances in the build-up.

“He may have fought southpaws and orthodox style fighters, but he has NEVER fought a switch-hitter like me. I’m going to go Mickey Mantle on him and shoot the works from the moment the bell rings. Mr. Froch can kiss my Yankee Doodle,” boasted Dirrell.

“I’ve spent my whole life dreaming of this night when I fight for the world title. Froch has been foaming at the mouth saying how hopeless my chances are against him. Frankly I find his rants tiresome. No wonder Joe Calzaghe didn’t give him a shot,” he continued.

Froch however isn’t losing any sleep over Dirrell’s tirade. “By the time I’m finished with him he’ll be more Mickey Mouse than Mickey Mantle,” began the WBC champion.

“He’s coming in to a whole world of trouble getting in a ring with me, in my hometown, in a fight for my title. I keep hearing about how great he is and how much potential he has, well now it’s time for him to step up to the plate. He’s in with the big boys now so it’s time to put up or shut up and I’ve no doubt I’ll be shutting him up. By the time I’m finished with him he’ll understand exactly why Joe Calzaghe didn’t want to get in a ring with me.”

Dirrell arrived in Britain at the weekend along with his promoter Gary Shaw and Shaw remains quietly confident that his young charge can produce an upset victory.

“Andre is considered the dark horse of this tournament and that’s just fine with us,” said Shaw. “No one gave him a chance against Victor Oganov (28-1, 28 KOs), or Anthony Hanshaw (21-1-1, 14 Kos), and he had an early night with both of them, knocking them out in the sixth and fifth rounds, respectively. I have no doubt Andre will be the new WBC super middleweight champion on October 17 and I have no doubt Andre will be in the finals of this illustrious tournament.”

Froch though believes his stellar victories over the previously unbeaten Jean Pascal (to win the WBC crown) and his spectacular last-gasp knockout over fellow Super Six contender Jermain Taylor last time out will give him a decisive edge over the relatively untested Dirrell.

“I’ve proven I can get in the trenches and emerge on top,” said Froch. “He hasn’t been in that deep yet so let’s see what happens when he finds himself in that kind of fight.”

Like Dirrell, the 32-year-old champion also boasts a perfect record having won all 25 of his pro fights with 20 of those wins coming inside the distance and he’s predicting another short night. “I believe I’ll knock him out, the sooner the better as far as I’m concerned. I’ve studied him and I think he has a number of flaws that I can exploit. My record proves I can punch and I just need one opportunity to finish a fight be it in the first round or the last round,” concluded Froch.

Froch-Dirrell, disappointingly shunned by mainstream television networks in Britain, will be screened live on pay per view in the UK and Ireland on new satellite channel Primetime (Sky channel 480) as part of a Super Six tournament double header from Nottingham and Berlin .The tournament officially kicks off in Germany when former marquee Middleweight Champs Arthur Abraham and Jermain Taylor clash at The O2 World Arena in Berlin before the action moves to Froch’s hometown and the Trent FM Arena in Nottingham.

To watch the opening night of the Super Six tournament on Primetime (Sky channel 480) call 0871 200 4444 (+448702 416 666 from the Republic of Ireland) or see http://www.primetimelive.co.uk. The event is available at a special price of £12.95 until 24 hours before the fight after which it will then increase to £14.95.

Primetime will build up to the event by screening Froch’s previous two world title fights, his twelve round thriller with Jean Pascal to win the WBC title and his sensational final round KO over Jermain Taylor in the U.S. in April. The fights will be broadcast from 7-10pm on Primetime each night leading up to the Super Six tournament double header on October 17th. Primetime will also broadcast FIGHT CAMP 360°: Inside The Super Six World Boxing Classic, a new reality series that will give fight fans unprecedented access into the lives of the Super Six tournament participants.
Tickets for Froch V Dirrell are available from the Trent FM Arena, Nottingham Box Office priced £30, £45, £125 and £400. To purchase tickets call the Box Office on 08444 124 624 or visit www.trentfmarena.co.uk. Tickets are also available from Ticketline on 0844 888 4402 or via www.hennessysports.com.