Francesca Hennessy, from Kent, England, is set for a showcase on British television on the October 25 undercard of the British heavyweight title fight between Frazer Clarke and Jeamie TKV. The 20-year-old, 6-0 (1 KO) and dubbed as the “Billion Dollar Baby”, will step up to 10-round level against the more experienced former WBC atomweight champion Fabiana Bytyqi, 22-2-2 (5 KOs). The bantamweight contest will be broadcast live on BBC 2 and BBCiPlayer.
“It’s a new age,” said Hennessy of the chance to fight in front of a huge broadcast audience inside Derby’s Vaillant Arena. “I want people to look back and say this was the night the next generation arrived.”
Bytyqi, 29, became the first female world champion from Czechia when claiming her world belt in 2018. She would reign until last year and is coming off a loss to Seren Cetin, which occurred as recently as September.
Also on the bill is Redcar’s Bobby Dalton, 11-0 (2 KOs), who defends his English welterweight title against Dagenham’s Southern Area champion Joel Kodua, 9-0 (2 KOs).
Manchester’s Mauro Silva, 9-0 (4 KOs), encounters a step up against Coventry’s Bradley Goldsmith, 13-1 (9 KOs), in a middleweight eight-rounder. The 23-year-old Silva is managed by Chris Eubank Jnr while Goldsmith, 27, trains out of Sheffield’s Ingle Gym.
Jack Massey, who was outgunned 12 months ago in a bid for Jai Opetaia’s IBF cruiserweight title, returns to take on Argentina’s Ivan Gabriel Garcia, 10-4-1 (10 KOs).
