BARNSLEY, UK (June 25, 2024) – Ireland’s undefeated Stephen McKenna will face Joe Laws for the WBC International Silver Super Welterweight Title as part of an action-packed night of boxing on Saturday, August 3rd at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley, presented by BOXXER live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland and Peacock in the USA.

This mouth-watering contest is the first in a series of exciting undercard announcements to be revealed for a stacked stadium show at Oakwell, home of Barnsley F.C, topped by the British and Commonwealth Super Middleweight Title fight between defending champion Zak Chelli and local star Callum Simpson. 

McKenna returns having dispatched Yorkshire’s Darren Tetley inside six-rounds last time out at York Hall in September 2023 to continue his unbeaten run, while the ‘Benwell Bomber’ Laws is back in action following an upset win over Michael Hennessy Jr at the same venue a month later.

Fans can expect a fiery build up with McKenna and Laws having already exchanged a series of barbs online and Laws pulling no punches in his assessment of his opponent.

Stephen McKenna said: “These are the type of matchups that excite me, especially in an open-air stadium in the middle of summer. I’ve been getting world class sparring out here in the States, and I’m feeling bigger, stronger and hitting harder than ever. And I can’t wait to show this come August 3rd.

“Joe Laws is game. He’s full of energy and won’t shy away from a scrap. He’s good at running his mouth and on the night he’ll try to put up a fight, but that just raises the ante for me to do more damage. Credit to him for taking this, because when those fists start flying it won’t look too pretty for him.

“Fans can expect nothing less than pure carnage. Our styles guarantee a high-action, high-volume fight at a ferocious pace. But whether I blast him out early or drown him late on, it’ll end with my hands raised.”

Joe Laws said: “McKenna is about as well liked in boxing as Boris Johnson was during lockdown. I don’t need a reason to punch someone, but he’s got one of those faces. I’m going to spark him and bring the belt back to Benwell. And the new!”

BOXXER Founder & CEO Ben Shalom said: “Fight fans can look forward to a night of non-stop action at Oakwell on Saturday, August 3rd. McKenna vs Laws is an excellent addition to the card. Neither man will want to take a backwards step so expect fireworks when these two step into the ring.”

Battle Lines: Chelli vs Simpson will kick-off the 2024/25 season for Barnsley F.C. with local star Callum Simpson challenging Londoner Zak Chelli for his British and Commonwealth Titles at Oakwell Stadium on Saturday, August 3rd, one week before the new season begins.

Tickets are sold out. Limited hospitality packages are still available via BOXXER.com and Barnsley Football club, enquiries via: [email protected]

This event is presented in association with official partners bet365, HELL Energy and That Prize Guy.

Isaac Chamberlain won a 12-round unanimous decision over Miakel Lawal in a cruiserweight bout at York Hall in London, England.

Chamberlain, 199, lbs of Brixton, ENG won by scores of 118-110 twice and 117-111 and is now 16-2. Lawal, 198 lbs of Sheperd’s Bush, ENG is 17-1.

Sam Gilley won a 12-round unanimous decision over Louis Greene in a super welterweight fight.

In round five, Gilley dropped Greene with a left to the body.

Gilley, 154 lbs of Walthamstow, ENG won by scores of 118-110, 117-110 and 116-111 and is now 17-1. Greene, 152 lbs of Strood, ENG is 16-4.

Joe Laws won an eight-round decision over Michael Hennessy Jr. in a super middleweight fight.

Laws, 165 lbs of Benwell, ENG won by a score of 77-75 and is now 14-2. Hennessy, 164 lbs of Sevenoaks, ENG is 11-2-1.

Kariss Artingstall remained undefeated with a stoppage after round two of her featherweight bout with Vanessa Bradford.

In round one, Artingstall dropped Bradford with a straight left hand. In round two, it was another straight left that put Bradford on the deck.

Artingstall, 126 lbs of Maccesfield, ENG is 5-0 with one knockout. Bradford, 125 lbs of Edmonton, CAN is 7-5-2.

Florian Marku says he will make Rylan Charlton “look stupid” when they clash over ten rounds this Saturday February 20 at The SSE Arena, Wembley, live on Sky Sports in the UK and on DAZN in the U.S. and more than 200 countries and territories.

The undefeated Welterweights have been embroiled in a war of words on social media since the original fight date of January 30 was announced back in December, and ‘The Albanian King’ (7-0-1, 5 KOs) has promised to “humiliate” Norwich’s ‘Pint Size Powerhouse’ when they lock horns in the evening’s chief-support bout. 

“I will knock Rylan Charlton out 100%,” said Marku. “He has said many bad things about me, so I just hope he comes to fight. In his other fights his approach is to come forward and be aggressive but when he is face to face with me, he will change his game plan.

“He will feel my power and my speed, then he will change his mind. I know he says he will wipe the floor with me, but I don’t know how he will recover from saying that when he loses. He will be humiliated. I am going to make him look stupid in the ring and he will see my boxing ability. He says he doesn’t rate it, but he will see.

“I am confident like nobody else, you can bring me whoever you want inside of the ring. I will never think my opponent is better than me. I am in the best shape I have ever been and will show that in this fight. Crowd or no crowd it will just be me and Rylan Charlton, we fight alone. I am no Joe Laws trust me, I am going to knock him out!”

Marku vs. Charlton is part of a big night of action, Russia’s European Welterweight Champion David Avanesyan (26-3-1, 14 KOs) makes his long-awaited Title defence against Josh Kelly (10-0-1, 6 KOs) at the top of the bill, Liverpool’s Robbie Davies Jr (20-2, 13 KOs) takes on Gabriel Valenzuela (22-2-1, 13 KO’s) for the IBF Intercontinental Super-Lightweight Title, Jordan Gill (25-1, 7 KOs) meets Mexico’s Cesar Juarez for the vacant WBA International Featherweight Title and Romford Heavyweight Johnny Fisher makes his professional debut against Matt Gordon (2-5-1).

Lewis Ritson won a dubious 12-round unanimous decision over former world champion Miguel Vazquez in a junior welterweight bout in Peterborough, England/

Vazquez landed 193 of 1001 punches. Ritson was 141 of 544.

Ritosn, 139.3 lbs of Forest Hall won by scores of 117-111, 115-113 and Vazquez won a card 116-113 to go to 21-1. Vazquez, 139.3 lbs of Mexico is 42-10.

“It just depends what you like doesn’t it,” Ritson told Matchroom afterwards. “He was tapping me and running away. I was hitting him with the cleaner jabs. It was very frustrating being out the gym a year and then facing that style.

It was probably more awkward than I thought it was going to be. The more the fight went on the more frustrated I got. It was a big eye opener. We’ve been mentioning the Prograis fight, tonight was a bit of an eye opener that we’re a million miles off that fight.

“We need a couple more fights like Vazquez, maybe not his style. That’s what you get when you step up. We had a hard job doing it. I’m improving as a fighter but I’ve got a lot more improving to do.”

Leach Decisions Ashfaq

Marc Leach won a 10-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Qais Ashfaq in a super bantamweight fight.

In round four, Leach dropped Ashfaq with a hard right off the clinch.

In round seven, Ashfaq was dropped with counter left that was followed by a left inside.

Leach, 121 lbs of Salford won by scores of 96-92, 95-92 and 95-93 and is now 15-1-1. Asfaq, 121.7 lbs is 9-1.

“I’m feeling over the moon,” Leach told Matchroom afterwards. “I’ve said before in previous interviews, the underdog tag means I’ve got nothing to lose and lots to gain. I felt good in there. Mine, Jamie’s and Nigel’s tactics worked to a T. Happy days.

“I felt like I had had him in trouble. Nigel and Jamie know that I’ve got power behind me. We moved up a weight as well. I presume he didn’t know I had that power. I believe in myself and it worked. Even at my weight, Bantamweight, I’m supposed to be next in line for the British Title. Whichever one comes first, I’ll happily take.

“Hopefully after one or two more fights at this level I won’t have to work anymore. This is the life I have chosen. I work nights, six until two. It’s not ideal but I’ve got kids to feed and a family to look after. Hopefully this turns into more opportunities for me.

In a battle of undefeated super lightweights, Rylan Charlton stopped Joe Laws in round three of scheduled six-round super lightweight.

In round one, Charlton dropped Laws with a left hook to the chin. In round three, it was another left hook that sent Laws down again. Carlton finished Laws off with a combination that sent Laws down for the 10-count at 1:39.

Charlton, 144.4 lbs of Norwich is 6-0-1 with three knockouts. Laws, 146.9 lbs of Benwell is 9-1.

“It’s what I expected,” said Charlton afterwards. “I’ve been training my ass off for this. No disrespect to Joe, I think he’s a great guy, a great boxer, but he’s a ticket seller. He sells loads of tickets to get into the positions that he gets in. He’s a good fighter and he’s a very nice guy. I have been training my ass off. I can’t really sell that many tickets. I’m the fighter. I’m just pleased I got the opportunity to showcase my skills. 

“I felt like it got a little bit scrappy at some point. I was trying to stay as composed as possible. I saw the opening and I stuck it up there. That’s all she wrote. I always knew that this would be the result. I trained too hard for it not to be the result. My power was too much.

“Pint Size Powerhouse all the way! He’s got a massive following and this won’t be the end of Joe. He’ll be back. This has just rocketed my career in the right direction. Eddie get this contract, and let’s go! Get me out before Christmas.”

Thomas Patrick Ward and Thomas Essomba fought to split technical draw in a super bantamweight fight.

In round seven, Ward was cut over the left eye from a hard head clash The got was bad with the eyelid split open and the fight was called after eight.

Essomba won a card 88-85; Ward won a card 88-84 and a 3rd card was even at 86-86.

Ward, 123.3 lbs of West Rainton is 29-0-1. Essomba, 123.2 lbs is 10-6-1.

“To be honest, the fight was close, but I knew I was better than him,” Essomba said afterwards. “We had the accident, and then the judges decided the outcome, I have to respect their decision. I didn’t see the head clash. I don’t know who’s fault it was.

“I’ve had a really long and good camp since my last fight against Sunny Edwards. If I would have had two or three more weeks’ notice then I could have prepared more for Tommy. I had six days’ notice. I know if we fight again the fight will be totally different. I will give him a rematch, any time and anywhere.”

Kane Baker won a six-round decision over previously undefeated Meshech Speare in a super lightweight bout.

In round two, Baker was cut around the left eye.

Baker, 138 lbs of Birmingham won by a 5-56 score and is now 14-7. Speare, 138 lbs of Liverpool is 5-1.

“I’m floating,” said Baker afterwards. “It’s amazing. I’ve been here a few times. That winning feeling is something else. When I fought Fiaz two weeks ago my corner was quite confident in how I was doing. Tonight, they were telling me I was losing every round! I did think I’d won, but you just don’t know.

“When I heard Birmingham first, I knew then and it was amazing. He caught me twice to be fair. He caught me with two good shots. He’ll be back again, he’s a strong kid. I hope it was a good fight for the fans. It was a lot tougher this time than it was two weeks ago. The two weeks off didn’t recharge me as much as I’d have liked. It was tough but I was never going to say no to being here. I bit down on the gumshield and toughed it out.”

Ellie Scotney made a successful pro debut with a six-round decision over Bec Connolly in a super bantamweight bout.

In round three, Scotney put Connolly on the canvas from a right hand that was followed by a perfect left hook to the head.

In round five, Connolly started to bleed around the right eye.

Scotney, 125.9 lbs of Catford won by a score of and is now 1-0. Connolly, 125.2 lbs is 3-8.

“Bec is a tough person and she came to fight,” Scotney told Matchroom afterwards. “It was brilliant to share a ring with her. She gave it her all. She’s a nice woman. I feel like I’ve got a lot to work on still. I’m 22 and boxing at the weight above, so now I’ll be going down to the weight I should be at and I’m so looking forward to getting out again.

“I rushed it a little bit. I got a bit carried away when I landed a shot. I’ve got a lot to work on. I’m buzzing to get the first one out of the way. It’s been a long time coming. I’m going to get back in the gym on Monday if Adam lets me. I love boxing.”

Joe Laws is chasing the perfect 10 having made what he believes is the perfect move in his career.
 
The irrepressible ‘Benwell Bomber’ takes on fellow unbeaten Super-Lightweight Rylan Charlton on Saturday, live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in the US, in his first bout since leaving behind his beloved Toon to base himself in Lanzarote.
 
Already onto his third coach of his career, the 26-year-old (9-0, 5KOs) drops the ‘Jack-the-lad’ persona to say he is deadly serious that this is the route he needs to take to reach the top.
 
“I’ve moved out to Lanzarote where the training is mint and the lads are spot on,” he said Laws. “I’ve really felt the benefit of it. At home I think I was too much in the comfort zone, out there I train go back to my apartment, train again then back to my apartment and so on. I needed a bit of structure and it’s working well for me. To be honest, I can’t wait to get back out there.”
 
Laws will be guided by Champions Gym’s Jonathan O’Brien for the first time in the East of England Arena. The Irishman was a good fighter himself, winning nine and drawing one of his 12 contests. He is in the corner for an acid test with the undefeated Norwich fighter Charlton (5-0-1, 2 KOs) very much a live opponent. 
 
“It’s my hardest fight to date, a big step up, but I’m feeling good and can’t wait for Saturday,” said Laws. “With this pandemic, gone are the days when you are the 70 and the opponent is the 30. This is a good 50-50 fight, but I think that will be where you see the best of me. 

“I’ve been training hard, had some cracking sparring and come Saturday I’m going to perform. I’m going to knock him out, flatten him. I’m throwing with intent to hurt. He’s training to knock me out, know what I mean? Once I get in the ring, it’s personal. Come Saturday I will show no respect whatsoever.”

Even before moving from the Tyne to the Canaries, Laws had shown signs of an increase in maturity as he moves from crowd-pleaser to contender.
 
Gone in his last fight were some of the outrageous swings and he looked so much better for that in a second-round stoppage win against Jan Prokes at the Newcastle Eagles Community Arena at the start of March.
 
“When I hear people say, ‘Laws can’t box’ I laugh my bollocks off thinking ‘yeah, yeah’,” he said. “I’ve come from a very good gym at Birtley ABC. I’ve done hundreds of rounds with Pat and Luke McCormack, Callum French, Thomas Hodgson, Cyrus Pattison and more. Sparring with them has made me a teak-tough kid, but could I do it if I couldn’t box?”

Laws vs. Charlton is part of a huge night of boxing at the East of England Arena in Peterborough, Geordie favourite Lewis Ritson (20-1, 12 KOs) takes on former long-reigning World Champion Miguel Vazquez (42-9, 16 KOs), 2016 Rio Olympian Qais Ashfaq (8-0, 3 KOs) meets Salford’s Marc Leach (14-1-1, 3 KOs) in an Eliminator for the British Super-Bantamweight Title, West Rainton’s Thomas Patrick Ward (29-0, 4 KOs) fights Thomas Essomba (10-6, 4 KOs) over ten rounds at Super-Bantamweight, Birmingham’s Kane Baker (13-7) meets Liverpool’s Meshech Speare (5-0, 3 KOs) over six rounds at Super-Lightweight and Catford’s Ellie Scotney makes her professional debut against Bec Connolly (3-7).