Angel McKenzie Finally Gets Jennifer Retzke Title Shot

Over the past few years, former Big Brother star Angel ‘The Entertainer’ McKenzie has had a couple of title shots, unfortunately all were abroad and on very short notice, but now this is about to change.

The Brixton based pugilist is in the last stages of her preparations to challenge Germany’s Jennifer Retzke for the GBC Light Welterweight crown on the Dave Murphy Acourtier Events Promoted “Night Of Champions”, At York Hall in Bethnal Green, London on Friday the 4th October.

As previously stated, Angel is not new to challenging for titles, the first being in February 2011, when she faced Lucia Morelli for the vacant WIBF Lightweight title, in Germany. Just five months later Angel travelled to Spain, to challenge Mikaela Lauren for the WPBF crown.

Then in October 2012, she once again made the trek to Germany, this time to challenge Marie Riederer for the vacant WIBF Light Welterweight title.

In each case Angel went the distance, losing by points decision, something that Angel herself put down to her taking the fights at short notice, as well as possibly a little home advantage for her opponents.

However this time around things are likely to be very different, for a start Angel will have had ten weeks preparation for this fight, as well as the benefits of a new coach, Dean Knight and of course fighting for a title in her home city for the first time.

Following a sparring session with British Light Welterweight Champion Darren Hamilton and long time friend Super Bantamweight Marianne Marston, at the Trad TKO Gym in Canning Town, Angel spoke briefly on this golden opportunity.

“I’m very pleased to fight for a World title here in London, it’s great news. I’m very excited and I really want to win it, I really want to bring the title to the United Kingdom. I love boxing, I’ve traveled all around the world, I really like fighting in England and think that we deserve a title here.

We just had the Olympics here and people here are still waiting for some big sporting event victory and I’m sure I’m going to give it to them. I’m training really, really hard, I have a very good new coach, Dean Knight, he has me in very good shape.

I like discovering myself, I’m discovering new power, everyday I learn something new, I’m still learning. I’ve been boxing all my life, yet still everyday I learn something new, I really like it.

To prepare I’ve been sparring with a lot of girls at Miguel’s Gym and Knight’s Gym, today I’m at the Trad TKO and have been sparring Darren (British Light Welterweight Champion Darren Hamilton) and Marianne (Super Bantamweight Marianne Marston).

This is the biggest fight of my life, so I have been getting a lot of very good sparring, I have to keep sharp and keep practicing. I was supposed to fight Jennifer two years ago, but it was cancelled because the British Boxing Board of Control wouldn’t give permission for me to fight her.

Then I was supposed to fight her a year or so ago but it didn’t go through, again because of the British Boxing Board of Control.

I think this will be the toughest fight for Jennifer so far, I looked at her record and she hasn’t fought any of the girls I fought, I’ve fought the top girls like Myriam Lamare, Anne Sophie Mathis, Jessica Balogun, Delfine Persoon, Lucia Morelli, Mikaela Lauren, all the top girls, so I’m very proud of my record and deserve a shot at the title.

This really is my chance, it’s a challenge but gives me the chance to show everything I did before, by fighting all the top girls, will pay off. To my fans, I love you all, come and watch me on October 4th.”

Jennifer Retzke versus Angel McKenzie World title clash co-headlines the Dave Murphy Acourtier Events promoted ‘Night Of Champions” event, at York Hall in Bethnal Green, London on Friday, 4th October 2013

Tickets, priced £35 (Standard Seated) and £60 (Ringside) are available by calling Steve’s coach Barry Smith on 07407 499714 or on-line at www.acourtier.com – or in person from the Trad TKO Boxing Gym in Canning town – www.tkoboxinggym.com – For further information call – 07960 850645, 07809 499896 or 07557 641597