IN A CRUISERWEIGHT CRACKER, the undefeated Ellis Zorro will fight for the vacant WBO European title against former British champion Hosea Burton at York Hall on Friday May 12, live on BT Sport from 7:30pm.

Tickets for the Zorro vs Burton at York Hall on Friday, 12 May are on sale now available from ticketmaster.co.uk.

Also, at light heavyweight, Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna returns to London to defend the WBC International title he won in January when he takes on Willy Hutchinson, who is bidding for a maiden title at the weight

Light heavyweight Karol Itauma (9-1, 7 KOs) will look to get back to winning ways in eight-round action following his Wembley defeat to Maderna, with Southampton snapper Ryan Garner (12-0, 6) returning to the ring over six rounds, along with formidable Polish cruiserweight Michal Soczynski (5-0, 2) and welterweight prospects Sean Noakes (4-0, 2) and George Davey (6-0-1, 1).

“I think Ellis Zorro going up against Hosea Burton is a terrific fight and one that can catapult Ellis right into the thick of the cruiserweight mix if he is successful,” said promoter Frank Warren. “It is a real 50-50 because Hosea is a rejuvenated force now he has stepped up from light heavyweight.

“I am also looking forward to seeing Willy Hutchinson come of age at light heavyweight  and make good on his obvious potential against a quality opponent who we know all about. The same goes for Ryan Garner, who is back in the ring after missing out for much of last year through no fault of his own. Ryan remains a top quality operator and just needs to crack on now and get in some big fights.”

Boxxer cruiserweight tournament winner Zorro (15-0, 6) returned to traditional action with a hard-fought points triumph over Dec Spelman in September of last year and now bids for a maiden professional title belt.

Burton (28-3, 12) jumped up to cruiserweight after being defeated by Dan Azeez in a British title challenge in November 2021. The 34-year-old became British champion in 2016 via a stoppage of Miles Shinkwin and previously challenged for the WBO European title.

Hutchinson (15-1, 11) has clocked up two impressive stoppage victories since returning to light heavyweight after making an unsuccessful tilt at the British and Commonwealth super middleweight titles against Lennox Clarke in 2021.

The experienced Maderna (29-10, 19) stopped Itauma via a big right at Wembley Arena to win the vacant WBC International belt, with the Argentinean having previously come up against the likes of Artur Beterbiev, Jose Uzcategui and Fedor Chudinov.

Tickets for the York Hall cracker on Friday, 12 May are on sale now available from ticketmaster.co.uk.

TORONTO (December 7, 2018) — Former British light heavyweight champion Hosea Burton has never been one to duck a fight. In fact, he’s looking for a fight.

Burton has made his intentions known, calling out undefeated Anthony Yarde, man to man, to his face. The two recently encountered one another during Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder fight week in Los Angeles, California, where Burton was on-hand to support his cousin, Fury.

“Let’s make the fight happen,” Burton told Yarde. “We’re both excited about it. They say I’m not up to you, but let’s get it going man.”

Burton has gone undefeated for two years, since suffering his lone career defeat at the hands of Frank Buglioni, a fight in which he was winning prior to a final round stoppage. Buglioni has recently retired from the sport, leaving Burton to set his sights on Yarde, rather than avenging his defeat first.

Yarde recently scored a knockout victory over Walter Sequeira, October 20 in Brentwood, improving his record to 17-0 with 16 knockouts.

Burton, however, hasn’t been impressed.

“If he’s six foot, I must be six foot nine, because he’s a lot shorter than that,” Burton said of Yarde’s stature. “I would be his first live opponent. Let’s get it on.”

Yarde’s world ranking would play well into Burton’s plans in 2019, which include fighting for a world title after recapturing his domestic gold.

“This would be one of the biggest domestic light heavyweight fights in UK history. Everyone is already placing Yarde amongst the world’s best, but the fact is, he has to get past Hosea,” noted Adam Harris of Athlete Development and Management. “We believe Hosea is the one who’s ready to go after a world title. Let’s have it out and find out who’s right.”

Burton also plans on showcasing his skills in Canada in the new year, following in the footsteps of his cousin Tyson, the lineal heavyweight champion of the world. Both Tyson and his cousin, Hughie Fury, fought in Canada early in their pro careers, and have held training camps in the Great White North as well.

“Some of the best in the world have been coming to Canada to accelerate their careers,” Harris noted, “including Billy Joe Saunders before his most recent fights and, of course, Tyson in the past. We have a special relationship with the country, and the fight scene in Toronto is booming in a way we’ve never seen before. We have no doubt Hosea will be appreciated and find plenty of competition north of the border.”