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Steve Wood / VIP Promotions hosted a great night of boxing last night at DeVere Whites Hotel, Reebok Stadium, Bolton.

Billed as ‘Road to Glory’ - the headlining bout in particular was a fight ‘not to be missed’. Jack Arnfield of Blackpool faced Gary Boulden of Shepperton for the vacant British Masters Light-Middleweight Title.

Jack Arnfield (Blackpool) v Gary Boulden (Shepperton)
10 x 3 British Masters Light-Middleweight Title

Popular Arnfield had loads of support for this – his fifteenth pro contest, but this will surely be remembered as his most notable.

A steady first round as both men settled in, then Arnfield with his long-reaching jabs seemed to have the edge for a couple of rounds until Boulden looked to gain momentum towards the mid rounds and started to look more confident. The fight developed in to an all-action war between these two tough men and we (at ringside) found ourselves clapping at the ends of each round in recognition of the non-stop action. More...

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It was a great night of boxing Friday night, at Bowlers Exhibition Centre, Manchester, when (Dave) Coldwell Promotions hosted a fight-night which headlined an all-action battle for the BBBofC English Light-Welterweight Title.

Curtis Woodhouse of Driffield was defending his belt for the first time since winning it in September last year but despite a great performance in which he inflicted a bloody face to his opponent – Shayne Singleton of Colne was the victor by a split decision.

Both men landed with head and body-shots but Woodhouse spent the twelve rounds practically chasing his opponent around the ring (!)Popular Singleton – spurred on by his loyal army of fans – sustained cuts and swellings to both eyes and an injured nose and his face was awash with blood at the final bell. Woodhouse was deducted a point for hitting on a break in the tenth round.

The judges scored it 96-94; 96-95; 94-96.

Singleton improves to 14 wins (3 by KO) no losses Woodhouse drops to 17 wins (11 by KO) 5 losses (1 by KO) More...

Super-Middleweight Prospect – Craig Willshee - is looking forward to his first professional outing this year and took time out from training to talk to Saddoboxing.com

The twenty-four year old from Swadlincote started boxing at his local amateur boxing club with older brother Dean when he was just twelve years old. But only now, twelve years later and under new trainer Paul Webb, has Craig got the motivation and ‘drive’ to finally enter the professional ranks.

“I had 15 amateur fights in total with Burton ABC. I boxed in Jersey for the midlands squad at the age of 16 and boxed twice in the ABA's, the first time at 15 when I won the junior Staffordshire golden belt but lost in the midlands final. More...

In Sheffield on Friday night, Jez Wilson won the vacant British Masters Gold Middleweight Title by first round TKO. Wilson of Sheffield defeated Taz Jones of Abercynon, Wales in one and a half minutes. The ‘Fire on Ice’ fight-night promoted by Glyn Rhodes featured seven undercard bouts.

At Burton-on-Trent, Steven Pearce of Stourbridge won the vacant Midlands Area Welterweight Title. Pearce scored a fifth round TKO over Luke Gallear of Derby.

The PJ Rowson Fight-night featured three undercard fights from local boxers.

At the Wythenshawe Forum, Manchester, local man Jimmy Kilrain Kelly junior scored a first round KO over Simone Lucas of Nottingham. More...

Matthew Hatton suffered defeat at the hands of Chris Van Heerden in South Africa on Saturday night. Van Heerden retained his IBO Welterweight Title by Unanimous Points Decision 118-110, 117-112, 116-112.

‘Magic’ got off to a confident start against the Champion and Referee Howard Foster warned Van Heerden for use of the elbow mid-way through the opener. Van Heerden finds success with the right in rounds one and two and seems to start taking control at the end of the second frame.

Van Heerden sustains a cut to the right eye in round three. Both men seem to be punching back-of-head and Van Heerden is warned for it in the fourth.

Van Heerdens eye is bleeding in the fifth and the Champion dabs at it. Hatton warned again for holding at the end of the round.

A good first half of round six for Van Heerden despite the cut . But Hatton lands a swinging right which lands smack on the face of the Champion and a gasp goes up from the crowd. Van Heerden takes a few shots but with thirty seconds to go of the sixth – lands a great left hook.

A messier round seven but Van Heerden lands a head-shot right in the closing seconds which Hatton clearly felt but looked to stand strong as if to say ‘I’m fine, that was nothing’! More...

Bernard ‘The Executioner’ Hopkins faces Tavoris ‘Thunder’ Cloud next Saturday, 9th March, for the IBF Light Heavyweight Championship at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York.

During a media conference call this week – Hopkins was asked about Welshman Nathan Cleverly, who defends his WBO Light-Heavyweight title against Robin Krasniqi on March 16th at Wembley, UK.

Cleverly is said to have stated that if Hopkins beats Cloud – there could be a unification fight in the pipeline. Hopkins agreed with him and said he was glad that Cleverly was thinking along the same lines.

“I'm very aware of him (Cleverly), but right now it's Tavoris Cloud, 'Thunder', and that's what's on my mind right now and that is my focus,” said Hopkins.

“I’m all about unifying the championship, and that's what it's all about. I've done it in the Middleweight Division. I tried to do it when I had the title in the Light Heavyweight Division, twice, I had the title in the Light Heavyweight Division, and this would be the third time come March 9th.

“Anybody that fights in the Light Heavyweight Division makes more money with me, fighting a Hall of Famer, fighting a guy that did it all, and if you can get past Bernard Hopkins that's a notch on anybody's belt in the Light Heavyweight Division."
Quotes taken from media conference call transcript via Swanson Communications.

The Hopkins v Cloud IBF Light-Heavyweight Championship at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in association with Don King Productions.

The Cleverly v Krasniqi – WBO Light-Heavyweight Title takes place at Wembley Arena, London, on Saturday 16 March and is promoted by Frank Warren.

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Boxing returned to the Wythenshawe Forum, Manchester last night, when Steve Wood of VIP Promotions hosted a fight-night of local Boxers.

Jimmy Kilrain Kelly jnr (Wythenshawe) v Simone Lucas (Nottingham)
6 x 3 Light-Middleweight Contest

The head-lining bout was short and sweet! Kelly junior looked serious as he waited in the ring to face a seemingly relaxed Lucas. But at the end of the frame a head-shot saw Lucas fall back heavily. Visibly dazed – the Nottingham man tried but could not get up for the count and the contest was waved off by Referee John Latham. Lucas was helped to his stool and did well to recover quickly. He stood at Kelly’s side for the decision.

Kelly wins by knockout in 2 minutes 28 secs of round one and improves to 6 wins (4 by KO) no losses

While Lucas drops to 4 wins (1 by KO)16 losses (5 by KO) and 3 draws. More...

On Friday, at the Magna Centre, Rotherham, Local Boxer Navid Mansouri outpointed Max Maxwell of Birmingham over eight rounds in their Light Middleweight Contest. The David Coldwell promoted fight-night also featured five undercard bouts all going to points.

On Saturday, Liverpool’s David Price suffered a shock defeat at the hands of American Tony Thompson. Heavyweight Thompson won by second round knockdown.

On the same Bill, local man Kevin Satchell successfully defended his British and Commonwealth Flyweight Titles by unanimous points decision over Luke Wilton of Belfast. More...

At Doncaster Dome, Tyrone Nurse of Huddersfield won the vacant BBBofC Central Area Light Welterweight Title by second round TKO. The fight was stopped when opponent Joe Elfidh of Kent suffered an injured shoulder. The Stefy Bull promoted Show featured eight undercard bouts.

In Tyne and Wear, Jon Lewis Dickinson of Cumbria won the British Cruiserweight Title by Unanimous Points Decision over local man David Dolan.

On Saturday, in Atlantic City, USA, Gavin Rees of Newbridge, Wales, was retired by his corner in the fifth round. Adrien Broner of Cincinnati retains his WBC Lightweight Title in impressive form. The Golden Boy Promotions and R & R Promotions fight-night featured six undercard fights. More...

It’s been a snowy week in the UK but the cold weather didn’t put off the hundreds of boxing fans who ventured out to watch some great boxing this weekend.

At Walsall on Friday night, Frank Warren and Errol Johnson hosted a fightnight which featured three Title contests.

Birmingham’s Frankie Gavin successfully defended his British Welterweight Title – by stopping Jason Welborn of Tividale in the seventh round.

‘Quiet Man’ Martin Gethin of Walsall won the vacant British Lightweight Title over Hove’s Ben Murphy by TKO in the ninth. And Walsall’s Chris Keane won the vacant Midlands Area Cruiserweight Title by stopping Shane McPhilbin of Bulwell, Nottinghamshire, in the third round.

On Saturday night, Wolverhampton Civic Hall played host to Eddie Hearn’s ‘Betfair Prizefighter: The Welterweights III’ where Glenn Foot of Sunderland became the newest Prizefighter – defeating Steven Pearce, Chad Gaynor and Dale Evans. Foot adds three victories to his unbeaten record and banks £34,000 in prize money.

An added bonus to the Tournament was the eight round Bantamweight Contest between Birminghams Kal Yafai and Mexican Gonzalo Garcia. Garcia retired at the end of the fourth giving Yafai his seventh victory (6 by KO).

And Olympic Boxing Gold Medallist – Luke Campbell, remains in the running for this years’ ‘Dancing On Ice’ accolade. The Bantamweight from Hull has survived two rounds so far alongside professional skater – Jenna Smith.

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Sunderland’s Glenn Foot is the newest boxer to win Prizefighter after successfully defeating Welshman Dale Evans by split decision in the final of the eight-man tournament Saturday night.

Foot had stopped local man, Steven Pearce of Stourbridge, in his quarter-final and won on points against Chad Gaynor of Rotherham in the semi’s.

Aswell as lifting a new Betfair Trophy - Foot wins £32,000 plus £2,000 for stopping Pearce.

Eddie Hearn’s ‘Betfair Prizefighter the Welterweights III’ received a great turn-out (despite the weather) at Wolverhampton’s Civic Hall.

QUARTER-FINAL 1

Rob Hunt (Stafford) v Mark Thompson (Heywood)

A head-clash in round three sees Thompson sustain a cut high on the forehead but Hunt came off worse with a terrible gaping cut across the right eye-lid area which spurted blood. Referee Phil Edwards immediately took Hunt to the ringside Doctor who advised the fight is stopped. Thompson wins by stoppage round three. More...

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At the Reebok Stadium, Bolton, yesterday, Luke Blackledge of Accrington won the International Masters Super-Middleweight Title by Unanimous Points decision over Nathan King of Mountain Ash, Wales.

The Steve Wood Promoted Boxing afternoon began with a live screening of the Manchester ‘Derby’ before boxing commenced. Thankfully it didn't go in to extra time (although it looked like it might). Manchester United scored during Goal time in the closing minutes.

Luke Blackledge (Accrington) v Nathan King (Mountain Ash, Wales)
International Masters Super-Middleweight Title (10 x 3)

King hadn’t fought for more than two years and now faced Blackledge in a Title fight.

His feet seem ‘planted’ in round one with little movement but by the end of the frame he’d relaxed a bit. Blackledge felt a decent head-shot from King but the Welshman was slow in coming forward. Both men were warned to watch their heads in rounds three and four. King took a punch in the mid-torso and looked to sag slightly. He seemed to soak up a lot of shots while ‘waiting’. At the end of the seventh round he had a nick on the right eye. More...

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In Manchester on Friday night, a great night of boxing ended on a sad note when Heywod boxer – ‘Vicious’ Kieran Farrell was stretchered out of the ring after 12 hard rounds of action against Anthony ‘Million Dollar’ Crolla.

The much anticipated fight was – as expected – an all-action war. Farrell gave it everything he’d got and as soon as the fight ended – he collapsed in the ring. Worrying scenes followed as Doctors and medics tended to him. He was given oxygen and eventually taken from the ring on a stretcher to the waiting ambulance.

Farrell was kept in hospital for two nights to recover from dehydration and exhaustion but is expected to go home today (Sunday).

Kieran Farrell (Heywod) v Anthony Crolla (Manchester)
Vacant BBBofC English Lightweight Title

We expected this fight to be toe-to-toe all out action from start to finish and it was! Farrell – known for being wound-up like a bottle of pop (!) charged out of his corner to face Crolla. Both men were relentless throughout, throwing punch after punch. The rowdy Manchester crowd were on their feet applauding the end of each round in appreciation for the action they were witnessing. Although the pair matched each other in numbers of shots - Crolla’s did look the cleaner punches. In the last couple of rounds Farrell looked to have tired. When the bell signalled the end of the contest, both men were lifted aloft in celebration, but as Farrell stood by the ropes we saw his legs start to buckle and he was manoeuvred back to his stool where he then collapsed. More...

It was a great atmosphere yesterday at Jon Pegg and Richie Woodhall’s Gym in Birmingham – when boxers, officials and fans came together to help raise funds for cancer sufferer Andrew Millwall.

The event organised by Jane Couch MBE was attended by boxing notables which included: Tyson Fury, Jamie Moore, Kevin Mitchell, Frankie Gavin, Terry Carruthers, Ryan Clarke, Ryan Rhodes, Dave Coldwell, Max Maxwell, Jody Meikle, Ashley Sexton, Sid Razak, Peter Buckley, Martin Gethin, Don Broadhurst, Referee Shaun Messer, Altaf Mubarik….infact too many to mention!

There was a raffle and auction and lots of photograph and autograph opportunities – it was a boxing fans paradise ! Many of the attendees were regulars of Andrew’s WWBPL (Worldwide Weekly Prediction League) who enjoyed the chance to meet up with friends they connect with via the online League.

Andrew was surprised to receive a medal which was presented by Jamie Moore on behalf of the WBC. The letter accompanying the Award was signed by Jose Sulaiman, President of the WBC, who said that the medal was ‘as a remembrance of all those people at the WBC who are with you in your corner, as our appreciation for your continuing contribution to this great sport of boxing that we all love’.

The medal is the same as the medals given to World Champions when they receive their belts and Andrew wore his with pride yesterday. He clearly looked to be enjoying himself and we hope that the event raised a lot of much needed money for his family.

The afternoon was topped off by a memorable (and unexpected) rendition of ‘Walking in Memphis’ by Tyson Fury which he dedicated to Andrew!

Andrew said that yesterday had been overwhelming, “Everything seemed to go well and there was a great turn-out by the Boxers – everyone looked to be enjoying themselves. So many fight fans got photo’s and autographs. I'm very grateful to everyone for their support. The boxers deserve a big pat on the back and huge Thanks for how great they were with the fans and Jason Lowe was brilliant as MC.”

Anyone who did not attend the fundraiser but would still like to donate – can do so via the following Paypal account : (A.Lipton) APL7779@hotmail.com

Thank you.

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At the Wolverhampton Civic Hall last night, 'ONE Promotions' (Paul PJ Rowson) hosted a fightnight which headlined a ten round Light-Middleweight Contest between Jason Welborn of Tividale and Jan Balog of the Czech Republic.

Jason Welborn (Tividale) v Jan Balog (Czech Republic)
10 x 3 Light-Middleweight Contest

Welborn must have hoped for an easier win last night when he faced Balog in the opening round. Looking like he could do with some toning up (!) the Czech man was warned by the end of the first frame for ‘slapping’ rather than punching! But this boxer turned out to be a tough cookie for the Tividale man! At times Balog looked like he might be stopped when Welborn upped the pressure but it had the opposite effect and just made Balog return with a flurry of shots. Welborn digs in a body-shot in the fifth and Balog goes down. Welborn goes after him with more body-shots but is warned for pushing away with his elbow.

Balog gets a breather after receiving a low blow in the eighth and is warned for ‘slapping’ again in the ninth. He finds himself on the canvas again in the tenth from another body-shot but he comes back fighting – pressuring Welborn on the ropes briefly.

At the end of the tenth and final round, Balog gets well-deserved applause from the Wolverhampton crowd – appreciating this mans tenacity. Meanwhile, Welborn forgets to wait for the decision as he gets out the ring only to be called back by Referee Messer!

Welborn wins on points 100-89 (his opponent down twice – rounds 5 and 10). More...