In less than two weeks time, Ricky ‘Hitman’ Hatton faces Juan Lazcano at the City of Manchester Stadium in a Frank Maloney promoted Fight night in association with Punch Promotions and Golden Boy.
Is the Hispanic going to cause Panic?
At his training quarters in Houston, TX, Lazcano told Sky Sports presenters last week that he sees the fight with Hatton as “Two Gladiators…looking forward to a battle”. More…
On May 24, at City of Manchester Stadium, British fight fans will be treated to a boxing feast. Leading the top of the card will be Britain’s favorite son and most popular sportsman this decade, Ricky Hatton.
In addition, a great deal of interest will be focused on the first appearance in Britain of IBF light welterweight champion Paul Malignaggi who defends his title against hardened former beltholder Lovemore Ndou. More…
Apart from the European Super Bantamweight title main event between Rendall Munroe and Salem Bouaita - there was also an exciting undercard at Harvey Hadden Leisure Centre in Nottingham, England on Friday night.
Top of the support bill saw Ian ʽthe Dappaʼ Napa face experienced banger - Colin Moffett - in a bid to win the Lonsdale Belt outright.
Cockney Lad Napa, looked cool as he entered the ring wearing sunglasses while tough Belfast boxer Moffett had former Commonwealth Light Welter Champion Eamonn McGee and trainer John Breen at his side. More…
It was a lively crowd that attended the Harvey Hadden Leisure Centre in Nottingham, England last night. A ‘sea’ of fluorescent green work-jackets awaited the arrival of “Boxing Bin-Man” Rendall Munroe in a Frank Maloney promoted ‘One Night Only’ fight-night.
This was to be ‘TwoTone’ Munroe’s first defence of his European Super Bantamweight title against Frenchman Salem Bouaita.
Bouaita - having gone the distance against Spanish boxer Kiko Martinez, the man Munroe beat for the European crown - was going to be no ‘walkover’ for Munroe.
The opening round saw a very ‘open’ Bouaita throwing long-reaching shots and ‘wild’ punches. Munroe kept concentrated and although he also takes some shots from the Frenchman - he looks the sharper, more polished of the two. More…
Yesterday, at Vermilion Cinnabar - the stylish, new, Thai influenced restaurant and bar in Manchester, England, Frank Maloney hosted a press conference to update media on the forthcoming fightnight which headlines Ricky Hatton and Juan Lazcano.
Despite other important press conferences held on the same day - it was a full-house at Manchester’s trendy new venue.
In attendance were, Frank Maloney, Ricky Hatton, Ricky and Matthew’s father/manager Ray Hatton, Hatton trainer Billy Graham, welterweights Matthew Hatton and Craig Watson as well as super bantams Danny Wallace and Mark Moran.
Frank Maloney in association with Punch Promotions and Golden Boy presents ‘Homecoming’ - a fightnight staged at the City of Manchester Stadium on Saturday, May 24. More…
If prizes were handed out for being humble and keeping your feet on the ground, then Leicester ’s European Super Bantamweight Champion Rendall “Two Tone” Munroe would have a trophy cabinet larger than Manchester United’s.
Just eight weeks ago, the stylish southpaw outlclassed Kiko Martinez to take the hard hitting Spaniard’s prized EBU strap and he hasn’t allowed the success to go to his head. Every morning, come rain or shine, Munroe gets out of bed and goes to his day job as a bin man and the only treat he’s allowed himself since his career best victory is the purchase of a second hand motorbike.
“I’m a humble type of person,” he told the BBC recently. “I keep myself to myself, and don’t go around thinking I’m anything special.
“A lot of people say the binman is a down and out person’s job, but I think more people are realising now that any job that you do can be just as respectable as the top job.”
This Friday evening, Munroe, 14-1 (6), returns to the scene of his title winning tilt when he takes on the tough Frenchman Salem Bouaita at the Harvey Hadden Leisure Centre in Nottingham, England.
The victory over Martinez in early March was seen as something of shock at the time. The Spanish puncher was undefeated, ranked number eight in the world by Ring Magazine, and was riding high after stopping the highly touted Irishman Bernard Dunne in 86 one sided seconds last August. More…
On the eve of his first European title defense, super bantamweight Rendall Munroe has the promise of a major world title opportunity should he be successful over his next three bouts.World Title Shot In Cards For Munroe
The “Punching Dustman” puts his European belt at risk tonight, Friday, May 2, 2008, at Harvey Hadden Leisure Center in Nottingham, England and Munroe knows that the path before him is laden with gold, not rubbish. More…
Super bantamweight Rendall Munroe returns to the ring at Harver Hadden LC in Nottingham, England on Friday, May 2, 2008, after recently shocking the boxing world by clearly outpointing Spanish strongman Kiko Martinez to capture the European title in March.
“The Punching Dustman” wants to be an active champion and pleaded with promoter Frank Maloney to arrange a title defense before the the summer and Maloney delivered the mandatory European challenger, French and European Union champion, Salem Bouaita. More…
On Friday night, in a Frank Maloney promoted fight night at the famous York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, Gary Woolcombe made his first defence of the British Middlweight Title against Ryan Rhodes.
Taller, younger, ʽHot Stuffʼ Woolcombe of Kent faced the more experienced ʽSpice Boyʼ Rhodes of Sheffield. Ironically, Rhodes won this same title - eleven years ago.
Rhodes seems to be having trouble getting a grip on the canvas as he slips two or three times in the opening minute of the first round. But despite being the ʽolderʼ guy - Rhodes looks in fantastic physical shape.
Rhodes looks sharper, quicker and more stylish than the younger Woolcombe. More…
Last night at London’s historic York Hall, Ryan Rhodes kept his unbeaten streak at light middle intact by knocking out reigning British titleholder Gary Woolcombe in nine rounds on a Frank Maloney promotion.
31 year old Rhodes regained the British title despite not having actually fought at 12 stone/154 lb since 1997!
Against Woolcombe, the long experience of the tricky Sheffield southpaw came to the fore. In the early rounds, Rhodes lay back and was content to let Woolcombe set the tone, choosing his spots carefully and hammering the British champion with educated counter shots that Woolcombe rarely saw coming.
As Woolcombe started to run out of gas midway throughout the bout, Rhodes began to go on the offensive and scored effectively with power shots that had the Londoner in some difficulty.
Woolcombe was floored in the sixth but the big hearted 25 year old beat the count and managed to box on until he was caught with a perfect right hook to the temple in the ninth round was counted out. More…
This Friday, April 18, 2008, South London’s charismatic Gary “Hot Stuff” Woolcombe, 25-1 (10), will be putting his British Light Middleweight title on the line for the first time since winning the vacant crown against Marcus Portman last December in Wigan, England.
The 25 year old has filled London’s York Hall for this hotly anticipated clash with big punching southpaw and former titlist Ryan Rhodes, 38-4 (26), on a Frank Maloney promotion and we had the good fortune to catch up with Gary as he was putting the final touches on his training camp.
SaddoBoxing: Who are you sparring against in the gym in order to prepare for Ryan Rhodes and can you say a bit about how that sparring is going?
Gary Woolcombe: “The sparring has been going really well. I don’t have a problem with southpaws. I have been sparring Sam Webb, he is an orthodox fighter, but he’s been turning southpaw for me. I reckon he’s a better southpaw than he is orthodox fighter, anyway.
“I sparred Tony Oakey a couple of times, we got let down by Craig Watson, and Tony jumped in at the last minute. I sparred Gokhan Kazaz quite a few times and had a good spar with him. I did actually spar Craig, but only once and also John Honney, he’s a lot better in the gym then he is on the night, but I had great sparring sessions with all of them.”
SB: What were the key components in your British title winning effort against southpaw Marcus Portman last December? What did you find that really worked for you and how were you able to nullify his effectiveness?
GW: ” I took the fight at a week’s notice, so I never had any southpaw sparring for it, I just took things as they came. I just adapted to his style, that’s what makes a good fighter. All my career, I have been due to fight, say, a come forward fighter, and the day before the fight, they change the opponent to a runner, so I had to learn to adapt to deal with the change of opponent.” More…
Promoter Frank Maloney has once again stolen the march on his rivals by signing flyweight Najah Ali, the UK’s first professional Iraqi boxer.
Ali successfully competed in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and created a massive impression with the manner of his 21-7 victory over North Korea’s Hyok Ju Kwak. More…
With only a few days to go before popular south Londoner Gary Woolcombe’s first British light middleweight title defense against former champion Ryan “Spice Boy” Rhodes, the spiritual home of English boxing, York Hall, looks set for another thriller this Friday, April 18, 2008.
This highly anticipated light middleweight clash is the classic contrast of youth against experience. More…
British light middleweight champion Gary Woolcombe can’t wait to get in the ring with Sheffield southpaw Ryan Rhodes at York Hall on Friday, April 18.
Woolcombe, who has only one loss in a dazzling 26 bout career, is unbeaten in 14 appearances at the historic venue.
Woolcombe’s winning streak began in June 2003 when he outpointed Birmingham’s Arv Mittoo, and the 25 year old maintained his unbeaten York Hall record when he stopped Jason Rushton last September. More…
The first bill takes place on Friday, April 18 with Gary Woolcombe defending his British light middleweight title at London’s famed York Hall with chief support featuring heavyweights John McDermott and Pele Reid clashing for the vacant English crown. Also on the card will be undefeated Commonwealth light welterweight champion Ajose Olusegun and on her second fight on a contract with Frank Maloney, women’s boxing sensation Laura Saperstein. More…
Frank Maloney Promotions put on a competitive undercard to support the British Super Featherweight title fight between Andy Bell and Chirs Edwards on Friday night at the Metrodome in Barnsley, England.
Chief support came from a short lived encounter between Danny Reynolds of Leeds and Jason Rushton of Doncaster. Fighting for the Central Area Light Middleweight title - this was to be Reynoldsʼ first ten-rounder, however, it wasnʼt going to get past the first round! More…
It was a lively crowd that packed the Metrodome in Barnsley, England last night for the Frank Maloney promoted fight night billed as ‘Northern Rock !’
A full fight-card of eleven exciting contests was to be headlined by Stokes’ Chris Edwards making his first defence of the British Super Flyweight title against the younger Andy Bell of Doncaster.
Edwards won the ‘new’ belt from Jamie McDonnell in December and last night faced the taller Bell - who already held the English Super Flyweight title.
Andy ‘Ice-Man’ Bell looked ‘ice-cool’ as he made his entrance to the ring first, as the challenger. Edwards, flanked by the Impact Boxing Team and stable-mate Scott Lawton, entered the ring to the sounds of “I Predict A Riot!” More…
Today, at the Empire Casino, Leicester Square, London, Frank Maloney Promotions hosted a press conference to officially announce IBO Light Welter Champion Ricky Hatton’s next fight against tough Mexican American Juan Lazcano on May 24 at the City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England.
The top table consisted of welterweight contender Matthew Hatton, the Hatton boy’s father/manager Ray Hatton, Ricky Hatton, Frank Maloney, Richard Schaeffer and Robert Diaz, both of Golden Boy Promotions and Commonwealth Welter Champion Craig Watson.
Television cameras and members of the press were in attendance to hear the details of the impending fightnight which Ricky had insisted would be a ‘family occasion’ and screened at a Brit-friendly time between 6pm and approximately 11pm at night. This would be Ricky’s ‘thank you’ to the thousands of fans who have supported him in the UK and in the USA. More…
