Welcome to 2009's first installment of the British and European RBR, delivered by myself Superheavyrhun at Saddoboxing.com.
As a British member of the forum, I'm confident this year will have the best line-up for quite some time in terms of fights beamed straight into British living rooms, and straight onto the web via the RBR.
And whatever Cutmemick says, here comes the first installment, with an up-and-comer against a former champion, with all the makings of a real battle.
First up we have champion Paul Truscott, a 12-0 (1KO) prospect going into the toughest fight of his career. The 22-year-old from Middlesbrough will have the backing of a home town crowd, going into by far the biggest test he will have faced so far, as Scotsman Simpson comes to try and maintain his British-level reputation. Truscott's activity slowed in 2008, as he fought only three times, the second of which was to claim the Commonwealth title in a good points win over Osumanu Akaba, boxing fairly well and showing enough to claim the win over the inconsistent Ghanaian.
Challenger John Simpson (18-6, 6KOs) is the more experienced fighter of this pair, and has been in competitive matchups since his first challenge against Dazzo Williams for a British title in 2004. The boy has plenty of heart, and has more poke than his record suggests. Stoppage wins over Ryan Barrett and in a rematch over Andy Morris in '07 showed him at the peak of his powers, and this experience should stand him in good stead against the hotshot Truscott. The Scot has been down before, but will no doubt go in confident against the hometown youngster.
The undercard is still sketchy from boxrec, just 24-hours beforehand, but as usual, the best will be delivered via the rbr.
Peace folks, and best wishes for a good 2009.
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