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Two of Sheffield’s brightest hopes endured their first taste of defeat on the undercard of Jamie McDonnell’s point’s win over Nick Otieno at the Hillsborough Leisure Centre, Sheffield over the weekend. Nicki Smedley and Liam Cameron dropped decisions to Nigel Wright and Erick Ochieng respectively in fights that presented both prospects with plenty of food for thought.
Time builds, destroys and rebuilds boxing careers, throwing up challenges, setbacks and let downs en route to success. Adam Booth, trainer and manager of David Haye and George Groves, has endured criticism, the occasional knock back and the fury of one or two boxing figures yet he is currently riding high on a wave of victory.
Birmingham’s Frankie Gavin makes the maiden defence of his newly won WBO Inter-Continental belt welterweight against Sheffield’s Curtis Woodhouse on Frank Warren’s world title bill at the ECHO Arena, Liverpool on July 16th. A Gavin-Woodhouse fight seemed to be on the cards late last year only for Peter McDonagh to upset the applecart by handing Curtis a point’s defeat in October.
Paul Smith (167¾lb) made his return to the ring on the undercard of Frank Warren’s O2 Arena ‘This Is It’ bill on Saturday night with a single stanza KO win over Hungary’s Jozef Matolcsi (162½lb). ‘Smigga’ had been out of action since losing his British super-middleweight belt to James DeGale in December, he relocated to Joe Gallagher’s gym after the ninth round stoppage loss and looked a rejuvenated fighter during the brief KO win over ‘Shatter Machine’.
London’s Nicky Cook will face Scotland’s Ricky Burns for Ricky’s WBO super-featherweight title at Liverpool’s ECHO Arena on July 16th. ‘Cookie’, 30-2 (16), made his return to the ring at the O2 Arena, London on Saturday night, scoring a six round point’s win over Youssef Al Hamidi to set up the showdown with Burns.
Kell Brook’s father and representative, Terry Thompson, has come out fighting in light of claims made by Brook’s former promoter Frank Warren. Warren told me that Special K’s move to Matchroom came after Frank Warren Promotions had decided not to work with the Sheffield contender anymore.
“How many times do I have to beat this man – does he want best out of five?” joked George Groves after his narrow, tetchily contested majority decision win over bitter London rival James DeGale on Frank Warren’s big PPV show at the O2 Arena, London on Saturday night.
Saturday's main event between WBO light heavweight champion Nathan Cleverly, and challenger Tony Bellew, took another turn this evening after BBC's 5 Live radio show revealed that Bellew would not be able to get down to the light heavyweight limit of 175-pounds in a safe manner. The discussion will now turn to a change of opponent for Cleverly or a catch-weight contest between the two bitter rivals. The fight headlines a packed card at the O2 Arena in London. Bellew stepped in after Juergen Braehmer withdrew at the late hour on Tuesday.
News of Juergen Braehmer's decision not to travel to London for his WBO light-heavyweight title defence against Nathan Cleverly due to a eye injury has sparked an anxious wait for British boxing fans hoping to see Tony 'Bomber' Bellew step into the German's boots at the O2 Arena on Saturday night. The British showdown is widely rumoured but has not been officially confirmed by Frank Warren.
Kell Brook fights for the first time under the Matchroom banner when he meets South Africa's Lovemore N'dou at Hillsborough leisure centre, Sheffield on June 25. Brook, 25, has not boxed in 'The Steel City' since posting a point's win over the late Ernie Smith on 15th May 2005. 'Special K' told me that his homecoming fight has lit a fire under him, news that the WBA have moved him up to number six and placed their International welterweight title on the line has further boosted Kell, birth name Ezekiel.