Matchroom Boxing: Prizefighter Lightweights Draw Announced

© Lawrence Lustig

The draw has been made for the latest thrilling event in Barry Hearn’s Prizefighter Series.

Eight British lightweights will be vying for the £25,000 jackpot next Tuesda, March 24, at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow in the first Prizefighter tournament to be staged in Scotland.

The draw was performed with the help of the Royal Marines in Glasgow earlier today. Eight marines, each armed with a numbered ball, abseiled from the landmark Finnieston Crane in the city and raced towards their intended target.

The marine who reached Sky Sports commentator and former World Lightweight Champion Jim Watt first handed over their numbered ball and that would be fighter one. Then the marine who reached Dick McTaggart, Scotland’s only Olympic Games Gold Medallist, did likewise and that would be fighter two.

Ryan Brawley is the favourite but the odds for all eight competitors are the tightest they have been for any of the Prizefighter competitions so far.

Brawley will be involved in the first bout of the night when he meets Ben Murphy before Scottish Champion Charlie King faces Sunderland prospect Paul Holborn.

Gary McArthur, one of four undefeated fighters in the competition, meets the most experienced man in the competition – Steve Saville, before Stuart Green takes on Stephen Burke in the last quarter-final.

This will be the sixth Prizefighter after two thrilling heavyweight tournaments and other exciting competitions at welterweight, middleweight and light-heavyweight.

A victory in Prizefighter can change a boxer’s career. Martin Rogan was a part-time taxi driver struggling for fights before he won the first Prizefighter Heavyweight event and now, less than a year later, is the Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion.

Tickets cost £30 (unreserved) and £50 (reserved, ringside) and are available by calling 0141 810 5700 or 0844 395 4000 (24-hours).

There are four Scottish and four English fighters among the eight men in the competition but each quarter-final contest pits a Scot against an Englishman.

The full list is: Ryan Brawley (Irvine), Stephen Burke (Liverpool), Stuart Green (Glenrothes), Paul Holborn (Sunderland), Charlie King (Motherwell), Gary McArthur (Clydebank), Ben Murphy (Hove, Sussex) and Steve Saville (Wolverhampton).

As usual, two reserves – Gary Reid and Damien Owen – will be on standby if a victorious fighter is unable to compete in the next round due to a cut or injury.

The draw

1. Quarter-final 1 – Ben Murphy v Ryan Brawley
2. Quarter-final 2 – Charlie King v Paul Holborn
3. Quarter-final 3 – Gary McArthur v Steve Saville
4. Quarter-final 4 – Stuart Green v Stephen Burke
5. Semi-final 1 – Winner of quarter-final 1 v winner of quarter-final 2
6. Semi-final 2 – Winner of quarter-final 3 v winner of quarter-final 4
7. Final – Winner of semi-final 1 v winner of semi-final 2

The Prizefighter Series: Lightweights
Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland
Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Contenders

Name: Ryan Brawley.
Age: 23.
Home town: Irvine, Scotland.
Professional record: W9 (1 by KO), L0, D0. Total 9.
Achievement: Undefeated.

Name: Stephen Burke.
Age: 29.
Home town: Liverpool.
Professional record: W8 (2 by KO), L0, D0. Total 8.
Achievement: Undefeated.

Name: Stuart Green.
Age: 24.
Home town: Glenrothes, Scotland.
Professional record: W11 (0 by KO), L9, D0. Total 20.
Achievement: Fought for the Scottish title twice and Celtic title once.

Name: Paul Holborn.
Age: 24.
Home town: Sunderland.
Professional record: W9 (0 by KO), L1, D1. Total 11.
Achievement: International Masters Champion.

Name: Charlie King.
Age: 26.
Home town: Motherwell, Scotland.
Professional record: W14 (0 by KO), L0, D0. Total 14.
Achievement: Scottish Champion.

Name: Gary McArthur.
Age: 26.
Home town: Clydebank, Scotland.
Professional record: W11 (1 by KO), L0, D0. Total 14.
Achievement: British Masters Champion.

Name: Ben Murphy.
Age: 28.
Home town: Hove, Sussex.
Professional record: W6 (3 by KO), L1, D0. Total 7.
Achievement: Never been stopped.

Name: Steve Saville.
Age: 32.
Home town: Walsall.
Professional record: W19 (8 by KO), L4, D0. Total 23.
Achievement: Midlands Area Champion.

Reserves

Name: Gary Reid.
Age: 36.
Home town: Stoke.
Professional record: W13 (8 by KO), L22, D1. Total 36.
Achievement: Fought for Commonwealth and English light-welterweight titles.

Name: Damian Owen.
Age: 23.
Home town: Swansea.
Professional record: W9 (4 by KO), L2, D0. Total 11.
Achievement: Welsh Champion.

© Lawrence Lustig