Danny McIntosh is confident he will go on to fight for bigger titles after Saturday’s English Light-Heavyweight Title challenge against Steve Spartacus.
The Norwich boxer has won all of his seven fights and will be seeking to keep his home fans happy when he takes on experienced Ipswich warrior Spartacus at the Norfolk Showground in Norwich.
McIntosh’s fellow Norwich boxer Jon Thaxton challenges for the European Lightweight Title as top of the bill on ‘Big Fight Live’ on ITV4 promoted by Hennessy Sports.
McIntosh believes winning the English Title will launch his career and propel him towards the British and Commonwealth Titles.
"It’s excellent news that it’s for the English title because you just look at what has happened to Rendall Munroe recently," he said.
"He only became English super-bantamweight champion a year ago and now he is European champion talking about world titles. It can happen that quickly and this can be the start for me.
"I’ve got the potential to do that and win titles beyond the English title – this is just the start for me.
"I’ve always had the potential but now I just have to let people see what I can do in a title fight.
"I took the fight against Joey Vegas at just a week’s notice and I boxed his head off in his own back yard, so that shows I’ve got the potential to do more."
McIntosh says there is an extra edge to this English Title showdown with being it an East Anglia derby: Norwich v Ipswich.
The 28-year-old, who trains at Brendan Ingle’s gym in Sheffield, has told Ipswich hero Spartacus to expect a hostile reception for their local spat.
"Me and Steve have sparred together and he’s a good lad, but he’s my foe at the moment and I’m thinking about doing a number on him," he said.
"When the Norwich fans here he is from Ipswich when he is announced to come to the ring, he will get a very hostile reception.
"There’s a lot of rivalry between Norwich and Ipswich and football, and boxing is no different.
"Norwich and Ipswich don’t get on and he’s going to be getting it on the night. He will have all the Norwich fans giving him grief as well as me in the ring."
Hayemaker snap up hot Liverpool prospect McNally
Hayemaker Boxing are delighted to announce the acquisition of Liverpool’s Joe McNally to their ever-expanding roster of professional boxers. The ambitious 23-year-old light-middleweight signed for Hayemaker last week and has been pencilled in to make his bow for the team on November 15 at The O2 in North Greenwich, London.
Currently 5-0 (1 KO) as a pro, McNally was a former Junior Olympic bronze medallist and Senior ABA finalist as an amateur. Boasting over 50 bouts in the unpaid game, southpaw McNally has now been punching for pay since March 2007. Following a stop-start beginning to his pro career, McNally is overjoyed to have landed under the wing of David Haye and Hayemaker Boxing.
“I’m just delighted to have signed with Hayemaker,” admits the chirpy Liverpudlian, one of the most sought after young pros in Britain.
“The sky’s the limit for me right now. There were other offers on the table, but I decided Hayemaker were the ones who could give me exactly what I wanted. The thing that attracted me to Hayemaker above all the rest was their willingness to put the power back into the boxers’ hands and also put on fights that have value for money.
“David’s taken his career in his own hands and that’s how it should be. Promoters shouldn’t be getting the big chunk. They’re not the ones getting punched and risking their health. David has given boxers the power back.”
Despite only claiming five pro bouts to his name, the in-demand McNally fights and speaks with maturity beyond his years and number of fights.
“I want world titles,” he says. “I like to do it the old-fashioned way – British, Commonwealth, European and then the main world title. I know, talent-wise, I’m British, Commonwealth and European title level now. It’s only experience and the fact that I need to grow into the 12-round distance that is stopping me. The only thing most of these guys in Britain have got over me is experience.”
McNally continues: “I don’t want to be WBU or WBF champion. Who’s going to remember that? I’d rather have the British title and do things the right way. I’d rather go down fighting than go along doing nothing – taking no risks and never knowing how good I could’ve been.”
Sharing a similar go-getting attitude to Haye, McNally feels more than at home with his new promoter.
“I was with Young England back in 2001 when David went to the World Championships,” he explains. “I was training down in Crystal Palace at the time and watching David’s progress through the tournament was an inspiration. Seeing someone from your camp go that far was amazing. Since then he’s become WBC, WBA, WBO and Ring Magazine cruiserweight champion of the world. He’s shown that it can be done. He’s my idol. I couldn’t be with a better person.”
On November 15 at North Greenwich’s magnificent O2 Arena, McNally and Haye will both share a bill. While Haye will be looking to kick-off his heavyweight assault in fine style against Monte ‘Two Gunz’ Barrett, McNally will be looking to score his sixth straight pro win.
“I can’t wait to box on David’s undercard,” beams Joe, a gym-mate of Derry Mathews and brothers Paul and Stephen Smith. “I’m ready to fight now. I’ve got seven weeks to fine-tune everything and hopefully I’ll come out and get the knockout and impress everyone on the big bill. It’s just incredible to be given the chance to fight on such a stage. What more can you ask for?”
Finally, for those yet to see the skilful southpaw in action, McNally gives the uneducated a quick lesson in his own self-assured style.
“I’m a strong southpaw who can punch,” says McNally. “I’ve got speed, I’ve got talent and I can box going forwards and backwards. I’m going to be really hard to beat. I just can’t wait to show people how good I can become. I know David (Haye), Adam (Booth) and Dave Coldwell have made the right choice.”
*** McNally’s first fight under the Hayemaker banner takes place at The O2 on November 15. Headlining HAYEMAKER 2: ‘One Hayemaker vs. Two Gunz’ will be the heavyweight collision between David ‘The Hayemaker’ Haye and Monte ‘Two Gunz’ Barrett. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact the Box Office on 08448560202 or visit http://www.hayemaker.com/ for details.
KIMORI GOES TO 11-0 WITH DISAPPOINTING VICTORY!
James Kimori added another victory to his ledger on Saturday (September 27) at Jivanjee Gardens in Nairobi, Kenya, but it was not as satisfying as he had hoped. Opponent Joseph Odhiambo was cut from an uppercut from Kimori already in the first round, and the referee decided he couldn’t continue.
At first the fight was declared a technical draw, which of course was a clear mistake since the injury was caused from a punch, but it was changed to a technical knockout victory immediately after the bout, moving Kimori to 11-0 (7). Obviously the way the TKO victory came, didn’t exactly excite Kimori and his team, and manager Henrik Risum had hoped for a longer fight to get his boxer ready for bigger challenges in the future:
“Since all the accomplished welterweights in Kenya with good records didn’t want to fight James, we chose Joseph Odhiambo because he is, despite a poor record, a durable guy who has boxed as high as super middleweight, and we hoped he would be able to take James the full six rounds. So naturally I am very disappointed in what happened, but we will move on and try to get James in the ring again as soon as possible”, said Risum.
