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MEAGER V THAXTON BOXING COUNTDOWN…
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Lee MeagerRecord: 20 Wins 1 Loss 1 Draw |
Jon ThaxtonRecord: 30 Wins 7 Losses |
Common Opponent: Chill John
Meager Won TKO Round 5 – Thaxton Won TKO round 2
Meager-Thaxton Promotion: Hennessy Sports
Tickets: Ticket Masters
Venue: Goresbrook Leisure Centre
TV: Sky Sports One
Meager-Thaxton
Hennessy Sports promoted Lee Meager will feature in a Heavyweight showdown for his British Lightweight Title when he meets Jon Thaxton at the Goresbrook Leisure Centre on December 8th live on Sky Sports 1.
After claiming a championship, many fighters are rewarded with an easy first defence, but Lee Meager has always been prepared to do things the hard way if need be.
He jumps straight in against his mandatory contender after winning the title in May with a sensational stoppage of the previously undefeated Dave Stewart, in what has been nominated as one of the fights of the year.
Meager – Thaxton will be Hennessy Sports second grudge match in as many weeks.
It follows hot on the heels of Carl’s Froch’s mandatory defence of his British super middleweight title against Tony Dodson at the Nottingham Arena on November 24th.
Froch and Dodson have widely been regarded as the biggest rivals in British Boxing over the last 18 months, but this pair are starting to run them close.
“I’m going to put Thaxton into retirement,” said Meager, from Salford, but now based in London under Hennessy Sports team trainer Robert McCracken.
“He’s got no respect for me with some of the stuff he’s been talking, but they have picked on the wrong fella. He’s going to be outclassed.
“This fight is not going to be as hard for me as everyone thinks. Some people have never given me a chance, they haven’t got a clue, but what I showed against Dave Stewart when I won the title was just the tip of the iceberg.
“There are still a million more things I can do to improve. Every level I step up, the better fighter I will become. People will start realising what I am all about now.”
Meager – an all-action box fighter who makes every fight exciting – has every right to feel that he is underrated.
In 22 fights he has never shirked a challenge and bitten down on his gum shield to overcome the likes of Martin Watson and Charlie Shepherd to earn his opportunities.
The only defeat he has suffered wasn’t a defeat. In November 2004 he dominated English champion Danny Hunt over the distance, only to be on the wrong side of a decision that amazed everybody at ringside, even though he was boxing out of the away corner.
Backed by Hennessy Sports, he rebuilt in typical Meager fashion to become British champion. Having reached this position, he feels that he is now on the verge of receiving the recognition he deserves.
“I have always been the quiet one,” admits the 28-year-old. “I have gone about things in my own way, so it’s not surprising that I haven’t been given the respect I should have been for being a British champion, unbeaten in 22 fights.
“But now I’m topping the bill on Sky I have the chance to show everyone what I can do. There’s a lot more to come from me. I think I am the best lightweight in Europe. I am a different class to Graham Earl and I don’t rate Yuri Romanov or Juan Melero like others seem to.
“Me versus Thaxton is about me proving again that I am the best in Britain. I am looking at this fight as an opportunity to show people what I can do.
I know he is an experienced Championship fighter, but I am very, very confident. I have always wanted to fight him.
“I know what I am capable of and I know what he is capable of. I’m going to do a job on him.”
Hennessy Sports’ “Heavyweight Showdown for the British Lightweight Title’ takes place at the Goresbrook Leisure Centre on December 8th. Tickets, priced £35 and £75, are available now through Ticketmaster on 0870 060 1795. For more information please visit www.HennessySports.com.
Lee Meager on Jon Thaxton
Lee Meager – who defends his British Lightweight Title against mandatory contender Jon Thaxton at the Goresbrook Leisure Centre in Dagenham on December 8th live on Sky Sports – has got that winning feeling.
In addition to his own Championship achievements, the 28-year-old is surrounded by success as a member of Hennessy Sports – arguably the #1 promotional outfit in the country.
He trains alongside fellow domestic champions Carl Froch (super middleweight) and Lenny Daws (light welterweight) under trainer Robert McCracken at the Hennessy Sports training facility in London, as well as upcoming British Title challenger Howard Eastman (middleweight) and John O’Donnell – arguably the country’s best prospect.
Other squad members include WBC light welterweight champion Junior Witter, WBC Youth Lightweight champion John Murray and Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist and now Southern Area middleweight king Darren Barker.
“There’s a great buzz within the team at the moment,” said Meager. “I see it in the gym every day. Everyone is up because of the success we’ve been having.
“The squad we have is outstanding. I am getting the best sparring in the country. It’s good to train alongside hungry, winning fighters because it makes for a winning mentality.
“It’s like when Carl knocked out Tony Dodson on Friday night. Seeing that – seeing the credit he got – lifts you to do it as well. You think: I want a bit of that.”
Meager’s had a bit of that. He was a slow starter after turning professional in 2000 with limited amateur experience, but has come into his own over the last three years.
Standout wins over former British and Commonwealth champion Charlie Shepherd, Michael Muya and then English king Danny Hunt, (although he somehow didn’t get the nod), saw him hailed as the most improved fighter in the gym between 2003 and 2004.
He has since progressed even further. In May this year he won the British title by stopping the previously undefeated Dave Stewart in the sixth round of what has been nominated as one of the contests of the year.
Although most new title holders get a voluntary for their first defence, Meager is looking to build on his achievements by going straight in against his mandatory contender Jon Thaxton.
The Norwich fighter comes with a big name. He is proven at Championship level and has taken Ricky Hatton the distance a weight division up. The straight talking Meager, however, is not one to be unsettled by reputation.
“Whatever he has done in the past means nothing – it’s all about a week Friday now,” Meager added. “I’m a fighter on the way up. I’m the champion and I’m bang in form.
“I know a lot of people see this as a 50-50 fight. I know there are people who think I am the underdog, but that’s because they have been taken in by the talk around Thaxton.
“Even though I am a British champion, people still don’t realise what I am capable of. I’m planning to shock them next week. Things are going right for me at the moment. I’m in the shape of my life and I’m on a run with the rest of my team. Thaxton’s not going to end that.”
Meager Thaxton Result
By Jane Warburton
Last night at the Goresbrook Leisure Centre, in Dagenham, England Jon Thaxton challenged reigning champion Lee Meager for the British Lightweight Title on a Hennessy Sports promotion.
From Salford, Lee “Macho Man” Meager was making the first defense of his title and was escorted in to the ring by his trainer, former Commonwealth Middleweight titlist Robert McCracken. Current British and Commonwealth Super Middle Champion Carl Froch is in Meager’s corner, returning the favor when Lee was in Froch’s corner just two weeks ago.
Jon “Jono” Thaxton, a seasoned southpaw from Norwich, enters the ring with his trainer Brendan Ingle, who is joined by WBC Light Welter Champion Junior Witter in Thaxton’s corner. It’s apparent right away that Thaxton looks much bigger than Meager.
There’s a stern stare from Thaxton as he faces Meager for referee Ian John Lewis’s instructions before the fight.
Once the action begins, it’s a steady first round but Thaxton looks to be controlling the fight from the start. The second frame sees Thaxton try to start the round early by throwing a shot behind the referee.Ian John Lewis was not impressed and tells him off. Seconds later, Thaxton launches a barrage of punches with Meager having to cover up. Last minute of the round and Meager has some blood around his right brow. It’s a good round for Thaxton who lands solid punches.
During the first half minute of the third, Meager again is rocked by a right hand followed by a left from Thaxton. The challenger looks confident and is the busier of the two fighters.
In the fourth round, Meager`seems to settle down and is busier, landing some right hands and left jabs, although he does get caught in the last few seconds of the round with another good punch from Thaxton.
Round five sees an uppercut from Thaxton that rocks Meager’s head back and the champion is marked under the left eye as well now. By the sixth, Thaxton is cut under and above the right eye from a punch. With 40 seconds to go, Thaxton launches a big right which makes Meager stumble off balance but still he doesn’t go down. It’s a bad gaping cut for Jon Thaxton and Dominic Ingle goes to work in his corner.
In the seventh, Meager lands a low blow and apologises, but Thaxton doesn’t seem
phased and carries on. Carl Froch is on his feet ringside in the ninth, shouting to Lee Meager. Meager throws punches wildly while Thaxton keeps up the pace, bouncing around the canvas. Meager’s gumshield flies out after a shot from Thaxton and the referee gives him chance to retrieve it.
During round 10, Meager’s head rocks back a number of times as Thaxton lands
punch after punch. In the first 20 seconds of round 12, Meager is knocked down from a barrage of shots. He falls back on his backside but jumps back up straight away but
he“s looking tired. The remainder of the round sees Jon Thaxton keeping up the workrate, sensing the desperation from Meager.
Jon Thaxton, 31-7 (16), defeats Lee Meager, 20-2-1 (7), by unanimous decision and becomes the new British Lightweight Champion. After two failed attempts to win a British title (at light welter) Thaxton was emotional as he talked afterwards and said he was proud of himself. He also spoke of Meager’s solid chin.
Undefeated lightweight sensation John Murray won his six round fight against Billy Smith by a score of 59-56. Afterwards, Murray said that he was looking forward to a busier year in 2007.
Lee Meager Vs Jonathan Thaxton Boxing Undercard
correct at time of printing
John Murray vs TBA
Darren Barker vs TBA
Kreshnick Qato v Simeon Cover
Steven Spartacus vs TBA
John O’Donnell Vs TBA
Matthew Thirlwall vs TBA
Lee Purdey vs TBA
Thaxton Meager Boxing News
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