Bell vs. Haskins Bill Features Rock Solid Lineup

Promoter Frank Maloney returns to Robin Park Centre in Wigan, England tonight, Friday, November 7, with an evening of competitive fights, featuring the best young talent fighting out of the UK today.

British super flyweight champion Andy Bell, 11-3 (3), faces his toughest test to date in the form of ex-Commonwealth flyweight titlist Lee Haskins, 17-2 (9), who has never lost while fighting below the bantamweight division. Bell has won seven straight, including the intense firefight against Chris Edwards eight months ago to win the British belt, but has yet to meet an opponent as crafty and experienced as Haskins, who must win at Robin Park if he is to realize ambitions to compete at European level.

Featherweight Akaash Bhatia, 12-0 (3), participates in his first title bout, a scheduled ten rounder against former English super bantam kingpin Marc Callaghan, 19-14-1 (4), for the vacant British southern area crown. After having faced super feather and lightweight opponents so far in his career, Bhatia gets a rare opportunity to box in his natural weight class but can’t afford to let Callaghan, who has faced top men from super bantam to featherweight, gain confidence and become a factor in the contest.

Welter Mark Thompson, 17-1 (10), continues the busy schedule that has seen him fight six times in 2006 and on five occasions in 2007 by taking part in his fifth bout of this year when he meets hard-nosed Scotsman Craig Dickson, 15-5-1 (8), who challenged countryman Kevin Anderson for the Commonwealth title in 2006. Thompson has stopped four of his last six opponents and will be looking to make a statement in what could be his last action of 2008.

Sharp-boxing light middle Thomas McDonagh, 32-1-3 (6), takes on battle hardened veteran Michael Monaghan, 17-23 (2), who has fought as a super middle, light heavy and even cruiserweight over the last two years and could pose problems to the career 154 pounder from Manchester. McDonagh holds wins over Bradley Pryce, Eugenio Monteiro, Marcus Portman, Marcus Concepcion and Jason Rushton but must avoid engagements and box Monaghan if he is to keep on track for a British title shot.

English super bantam champ Mark Moran, 10-0-1 (3), is coming off a thrilling stoppage of Danny Wallace but gets rewarded with a dangerous non-title assignment in the form of lightweight Youssef Al Hamidi, 4-11-1 (1). At 135 pounds or below, Hamidi has gone 4-6 and his five decision losses have been by a total margin of seven points to such quality operators as Michael Hunter, John Simpson, Ricky Burns, Akaash Bhatia and Lee Cook. 26 year old southpaw Moran has never boxed above 128 pounds and will be tested by Syrian national Hamidi.

Light heavyweight Tony Quigley, 11-1 (4), brings a four bout winning streak to his contest with teak-tough opponent Nathan King, 12-11 (1), and cannot afford to make a misstep against the Welshman, Joe Calzaghe’s main sparring partner, who has never been stopped in a professional fight.

Middleweight Martin Murray, 9-0 (3), lightweight Scott Quigg, 9-0 (5), light welter Karl Place, 1-0 (1), and super flyweight Paul Edwards, 1-0 (0), all see action while cruiserweight John Lewis Dickinson and light welter Peter Jones both make their professional debut.

Frank Maloney Promotions presents “The Explosive Thin Men”, featuring Andy Bell vs. Lee Haskins for the Super Flyweight Championship of Britain, supported by full undercard, at Robin Park Centre in Wigan, England on Friday, November 7, 2008.

Tickets are priced at £70 and £30 and are available by logging onto www.frankmaloney.com or by calling the Box Office at 0871 226 1508.

Sky Sports will televise the action live on SS1 starting at 9:30pm.