By Elliot Foster
Sam Maxwell has made the switch to the professional game.
Maxwell, who won bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, didn’t quite make it to the Olympics in Rio this summer and has, as a result, made the decision to begin punching for pay.
The Liverpool man, 27, has inked a deal with the Liverpool arm of the MGM empire and has been handed a date for his debut.
Having competed in the World Series of Boxing while wearing a headguard and vest, the Salisbury ABC fighter, who looks set to campaign at super-lightweight in the pros, has ditched those two garments and will make his bow on the pro circuit on October 7, as part of MGM Liverpool’s inaugural show.
“Everyone knows MGM and how big they are in boxing,” Maxwell said. “This is ?a big deal and I'm excited to be working with them.
“I boxed [two-time world champion Vasyl] Lomachenko twice in two weeks, once in Kiev and once in London, the second time I really held my own [in the WSB and] it was a really good fight.
“I've had 10 rounds with him in total and it was a great experience," he said.?
The managing director of the MGM group, Sam Kynoch, believes that Maxwell has a big future ahead of him.
“The signing of Sam is one that has us very excited,” he said.
“His accomplishments as an amateur are extremely impressive and we have no doubt he will go on to make a major impact in the professional ranks.”
The card on which Maxwell will make his debut, which is being billed ‘Genesis’, will take place at Greenbank Sports Academy and is already set to feature names like James Metcalf, the undefeated rising super-welterweight star who is the son of former champion Shea Neary, and former British middleweight title challenger Tom Doran, who is also an ex-holder of the WBC International crown in the 160lb division.
Ryan Moorhead (7-1, 1 KO) and John Quigley (13-0, 2 KOs) will each make their MGM debuts on the show, while Tommy Carus, Ged Carroll, Steven Lewis and Brandon Daord are also set for action on the bill.
Meanwhile, MGM have also confirmed the capture of Steven Ward.
Ward, who had a glittering amateur career and won a silver medal in the Commonwealth Games, will campaign at light-heavyweight in the paid code.
And having turned over, the Belfast man is eager to get going in the pro game and will make his debut in the autumn.
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