By Terence Dooley
Sheffield’s Dave Coldwell could be forgiven a wry smile or two over the past week. The head of Coldwell Promotions will no doubt have read Internet forum debates about BoxNation, Sky TV, Premier Sports and the future of British boxing as he juggled, jiggled and finalised a fine Saturday night of action at Rotherham’s Magna Centre.
Coldwell’s show was set to be topped by Curtis Woodhouse versus former European lightweight champion Jason Cook only for the contest to be scrapped after ‘The Power’ failed a pre-fight scan. Undeterred, Dave secured the services of Gary McArthur and in doing so pits Woodhouse, 15-3 (10), against a tricky southpaw opponent.
Woodhouse’s eleventh hour match up is all the more remarkable given the show’s lack of TV coverage. Sure, Sky TV are sending their Ringside cameras for a piece ahead of next Thursday’s show but this will not bring money to the Coldwell coffers.
Ironically the show takes place at the end of a month that has seen Sky’s boxing coverage decimated by cancellations to Hatton Promotion and Frank Maloney shows, with both organisations struggling to cope with the loss of main event fighters and the subscription network’s refusal to air bills that are not topped by a title, any title.
Coldwell has had to contend with similar issues, the line up has chopped and changed since he announced it. However, British boxing’s little big man simply rolled up his sleeves and kept the plates spinning despite numerous obstacles; with Sky’s disastrous November perhaps showing the error of insisting that their shows must feature a legitimate, or in some cases Inter-Wotsit, title to make them viable.
It does beg the question of why Coldwell’s promotions are not considered worthy of a TV deal by Sky, Premier Sports, who inked a deal with Spencer Fearon’s Hard Knock Promotions only for a late withdrawal to leave them with a farcical main event between Choi Tseveenpurev and Janis Puksins topping their maiden show, BoxNation or Eurosport, who are televising an excellent Mickey Helliet show later tonight.
If Coldwell can keep a decent card together without TV money or support whilst his rivals flounder and miss dates then surely it is time to bring the former flyweight into the TV fold, after all he is more than punching his weight.
As for the show itself, Woodhouse has his first outing since losing a narrow decision to Frankie Gavin at the Echo Arena back in July. The Driffield man banished the ‘former footballer turned boxer’ tag by out-jabbing Gavin early in the fight before Frankie’s quality came through. The 31-year-old is a bona fide fighter and has another chance to chip away a few of his rough edges, the fact that he could lose in the process another testament to his fighting desire.
McArthur’s only defeats came during Prizefighter tournaments, at lightweight and super-featherweight respectively, the ‘Clydebank Blitz’ is 16-2-2 (2) and a southpaw, prompting Woodhouse to admit that he hates dealing with portsiders but did not hesitate for a moment when offered the bout. It may not as sizzle as much as Woodhouse-Cook but the late notice replacement has met with nods of approval within the trade.
Moving on, most boxers happily admit that they prefer to box on televised shows, the money tends to be better and I have yet to meet a fighter who does not enjoy being on TV. Ryan Rhodes, however, has shown a lot of humility by taking a chief support slot on the bill as he seeks to bounce back from a world title reverse to WBC 154lb boss Saul Alvarez.
In a sport in which the big name participants ask for frequent in-ring activity but tend to shy away from non-TV shows, Rhodes, 45-5 (31), has made a bold statement, he is used to lights, cameras and plenty of title action yet has taken a non-title run out in order to shed some rust ahead of 2012.
Siarhei Khomitski is in the other corner. Recognise the name? The Belarusian put paid to Jamie Moore’s hopes of a career up at 160lb when stopping the Salfordian in April 2010. Coldwell knows that ‘The Ghost’ will relish the idea of haunting another top British boxer and has revealed that the 37-year-old looked in fine fettle when working out at his gym earlier this week.
If Rhodes has a post-Alvarez hangover he could slip up in this one, leaving Dave 0-2 and feeling the pinch of his desire to please the paying punters. Ryan, though, is a consummate professional; he knows that Khomitski, 23-8-2 (9), will fancy his chances. Indeed, Rhodes became firm friends with Moore after their October 2009 thriller, the ‘Spice Boy’ can provide ‘Mooresy’ with an early Christmas present by beating the man who upset the former British, Commonwealth and EBU titlist.
The quality does not stop with the main events; David Barnes is set to fight for the first time since December 2009 after inking a deal with Coldwell earlier this year. The former two-weight British title holder sharing the bill with debutants Kash Ali, James Oliphant and Louis Rutherford as well as Jerome ‘Wipeout’ Wilson, 5-1 (2).
The show is also boosted by its location. Entering the Magna Center is like stepping into the underground lair of a master criminal, it oozes atmosphere and retains noise. My last visit there, also for a Coldwell promotion, ranks amongst the most atmospheric nights of boxing I have covered during my time in the sport.
The show itself is a testament to Coldwell’s belief in quality control, an outlook that is not always shared by those with TV backing, and proof that Coldwell has the passion and drive necessary to make this kind of event work.
Still, there are drawbacks to this enthusiasm, after one or two attempts to pin down one of boxing’s busiest men earlier this week, I admitted defeat and opted instead to listen to an interview from 2008. Coldwell’s final comments from that conversation reverberate through his latest promotion.
“I enjoy putting a good fight on and reading the Internet write-ups and seeing people say, ‘It was a great show and they put great fights on’ and all that,” his thoughts at the time. “When I hear that it was a good fight or an entertaining show I feel happy. I always hang about for a bit after one of the shows because I want to hear the feedback from the fans. I like to see what they think.
“I get a kick because the show has worked and we have sent the fans home happy. If a fan pays money to watch a show only to go home thinking it was a pile of shit then you have not done your job as a promoter.”
Coldwell is likely to be wearing a big smile once the dust settles on Saturday’s festivities. Then it is on to the next one for one of British boxing’s small hall kings.
Full line up:
Curtis Woodhouse Vs Gary McArthur 10x3
Ryan Vs Siarhei Khomitski 8x3
David Barnes Vs Isaac Quartey 6x3
Jerome Wilson Vs Geoffrey Munika 6x3
Lee Stewart Vs Johnny Greaves 4x3
Kash Ali Vs James Oliphant 4x3
Najah Ali Vs Chris Riley 4x3
Louis Rutherford Vs Ryan Clark 4x3