Matchroom Boxing: Prizefighter Winners Contending For Major Titles

ByBoxing Press

Prizefighter winners Gavin Rees and Willie Casey both face major title fights on Saturday 6 November.

Welshman Rees takes on unbeaten Liverpool fighter John Watson for the vacant British lightweight title at the Newport Leisure Centre, while Irishman Casey meets fellow countryman Paul Hyland in the first ever all-Irish battle for a European belt as they fight for the super bantamweight title at the University Arena in Limerick – Hyland replacing Spaniard Kiko Martinez who has vacated the belt after having to withdraw from facing Casey through injury.

Rees claimed the Prizefighter light-welterweights crown in December 2009, beating Colin Lynes in the final at York Hall, Bethnal Green and was the first world champion to take part in the tournament, having lost the WBA light-welterweight belt he earned with victory over Souleymane M’baye in July 2007 with a twelfth round knock-out defeat at the hands of Andriy Kotelnik the following March.

“Big Bang” Casey was a revelation when he won the Prizefighter super-bantamweights title in May at York Hall in Bethnal Green, stopping Mark Moran in their quarter-final before the Limerick southpaw edged a breathless semi-final with Josh Wale through a split-decision and went on to score a unanimous decision in the final against Scottish reserve Paul McElhinney.

Casey was unbeaten in five fights ahead of the night at York Hall, and since winning Prizefighter he’s taken that tally into double figures, knocking out Faycal Messaoudene in Cork at the end of June and then moving to Dublin in August where he outpointed Emiliano Salvini.

Title shots will be high on the agenda in the next outing for Prizefighter, as a high quality line-up of super-featherweights take over York Hall on November 20. Unbeaten British champion Gary Sykes is joined by popular WBU featherweight champ “The Mongolian Warrior” Choi Tseveenpurev, former England Commonwealth Games captain and Coronation Street actor Steve Bell, Prizefighter Lightweights semi-finalist Gary McArthur, recent British and European lightweight title challenger Gary Buckland and British and Commonwealth title challenger Scott Lawton.

Revenge is also on the menu for some as old rivalries are renewed. Sykes’ successfully defended his title against Kevin O’Hara in May and O’Hara has also fallen to Choi. The Mongolian Warrior knocked out Derry Mathews to take his featherweight title so the Liverpudlian has a score to settle there – with Stoke fighter Lawton also holding a victory over the former champ.

Tickets for Prizefighter Super-Featherweights are available now at £35 (unreserved), £60 (ringside) and £100 (VIP) – call Matchroom Sport on 01277 359900.