Boxing info: Lawton to take Bull by the horns

Scott Lawton had hoped to travel to Doncaster on June 9th to challenge Stefy Bull for the English Lightweight Title. Lawton, who beat Baz Carey comprehensively on points to defend his Midlands Area Title last Saturday, was nominated in April by the Midlands Area Council of The British Boxing Board of Control as a challenger for the vacant English Title. It was originally thought that he would have to face the heavy-handed southpaw Jon Thaxton for the English belt but

Click for larger image © Karl Stubbs Impact Boxing

instead he will now face Bull in a final eliminator for the title and possibly the WBF Lightweight Inter-Continental Title.

The British Boxing Board of Control announced today that John Thaxton and Leo O’Reilly would contest the vacant title before the end of September this year and that Scott Lawton would have to face Stefy Bull in a final eliminator. The victor of the Lawton/Bull contest is therefore guaranteed a shot at the English title against the winner of the Thaxton/O’Reilly match. Coincidentally Gary Reid, Lawton’s stable mate and sparring partner, is due to box Leo O’Reilly over 6 rounds at York Hall, Bethnal Green later this month.

Bull who holds the Central Area Lightweight Title also faced Baz Carey in March this year when he achieved a 10 round points win to retain the WBF Inter-Continental Title. With a professional career that stretches back to June 1995 Bull, ranked 12th in the UK lightweight division by Boxing News, has recorded 23 wins (5 KO), 1 draw and only 3 losses. Lawton with 17 wins, 1 draw and only 2 losses is ranked one place higher at 11.

Bull offers a totally different challenge than Carey did to Lawton; at 5’10” Bull is taller than Carey and the same height as Lawton, neither will therefore have a height nor reach advantage. Bull is also a southpaw which presents its own set of problems for Lawton. You can bet that Scott Lawton will spend much of the next month sparring as many southpaws as he can.

On hearing the announcement Scott Lawton said:

“I am a little disappointed that I won’t be contesting the English Title against Stefy particularly since we both hold the equivalent area titles but I am pleased to be in the race. If I am going to bring major titles back to Stoke I need to test myself against the top fighters in my division and Stefy Bull is one of those.”

“I am still in condition after my title defence against Baz Carey and have been back in the gym since Tuesday, I will be well prepared for the bout. I won’t underestimate Bull, he’s a classy fighter and he will as hungry as I am for success. We are ranked next to each other so it should be a closely contested fight but I am confident that I will have enough ammunition to beat him.”

Another member of Team Impact is keeping himself busy. Only twelve days after achieving a debut victory at Stoke’s Kings Hall Ian Clyde will make the short journey to Walsall Town Hall to face Rob Hunt, the only registered professional boxer in Stoke-on-Trent who is not part of the Impact Boxing stable. Hunt will be making his debut against Impact’s Crewe light-welterweight on the May 18th PJ Promotions show.