Lerrone Richards won a 12-round split decision over Lennox Clarke in a super middleweight in Birmingham, England.

Richards won by scores of 117-112 and 116-113. Clark won a card 115-113.

Richards is 13-0. Clarke is 19-1-1.

Hamzah Sheeraz stopped Ryan Kelly in round six of their scheduled 10-round super welterweight bout.

Sheeraz dropped Kelly three times in round six, and the bout was stopped at 2:58.

Sheeraz is 10-0 with six knockouts. Kelly is 14-3.

John Riel Casimero won the WBO Bantamweight title with a 3rd round stoppage over Zolani Tete.

Casimero dropped Tete with a short right to the head. Tete was was badly hurt and dropped again from a hard flurry in the corner. Casimero jumped all over Tete and the bout was stopped at 2:14.

Casimero of the Philippines is 29-4 with 20 knockouts. Tete of South Africa is 28-4.

In a battle of undefeated super lightweights, Sam Maxwell stopped Connor Parker in round seven of a scheduled 10-round bout.

Maxwell dominated the action, and in round seven landed a hard flurry of punches on he ropes, and the fight was stopped at 2:45.

Maxwell is 13-0 with 11 knockouts. Parker is 12-1.

Anthony Cacace won a 12-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Sam Bowen in a super featherweight bout.

Cacace won by scores of 115-113 twice and 115-112 for Bowen,

Cacace is 18-1. Bowen is 15-1.

Nathan Heaney stopped Nelson Altamarro in round five of a scheduled six-round middleweight bout.

In round one, Heaney dropped Altamarino with a body shot.

In round five, Heaney continued to dominate and the bout was stopped at 2:02.

Heaney is 9-0 with three knockouts. Altamirano is 10-34-3

SAM BOWEN HAS been accused of looking beyond his next opponent by the man himself, Anthony Cacace.

British champion Bowen makes his mandatory and second defence of his Lonsdale belt as part of a title-laden show at Arena, Birmingham on Saturday night against the highly-rated Belfast operator Cacace, who previously challenged for the honour in July 2017 against Martin J Ward.

The narrow defeat on the cards saw Cacace consigned to the shelf with few willing to risk their records against the tricky southpaw and he has been limited to two relatively low key fights in the 28 months since.

For his part, Bowen too has endured a period of absence due to a back injury, during which time his English rivals Archie Sharp and Zelfa Barrett have propelled themselves to the forefront with impressive title wins.

Now back in the thick of media activity promoting his Cacace defence, Bowen was naturally forced to field numerous questions over the progress and prospects of his potential challengers, who all hail from the same promotional camp.

Cacace insists only one name should be in the thoughts of the 27-year-old known as ‘Bullet’.

“Sam Bowen is overlooking me,” said the 30-year-old with a record of 17-1. “All I hear is him talking about Zelfa Barrett and Archie Sharp and that’s going to be his undoing.”

The man known as the ‘The Apache’ went on to throw shade at the impressive unbeaten record of Bowen, which stands at 15-0, claiming his own ledger contains a name carrying greater kudos than anyone shot down by The Bullet.

“My knockout win over Ronnie Clark is more impressive than anything on Sam Bowen’s record,” continued Cacace, who also brought into question Bowen’s ability to comfortably make the weight. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s a good fighter but I think they are overhyping him a bit.

“I think he may have weight issues and he’s not been as active as he once was. I think he’s stepping up in this one and I’m going to test him on every level!”

Sam Bowen v Anthony Cacace for the British super featherweight championship features on a stacked night of title action at Arena, Birmingham on November 30. WBO world bantamweight champion Zolani Tete defends his title against mandatory challenger John Riel Casimero and British and Commonwealth welterweight champion Chris Jenkins makes a defence against Liam Taylor. Lerrone Richards also takes on Lennox Clarke for the Commonwealth and vacant British super middleweight belt.

Sam Maxwell defends his WBO European super lightweight title against the also unbeaten Connor Parker from Derbyshire, while Hamzah Sheeraz will fight for his first major title at super welterweight.

Thrilling prospects Dennis McCann, Shabaz Masoud, Eithan James and George Davey also feature on the bill, along with talents from the local region in Nathan Heaney and River Wilson-Bent.

Tickets are available now from £40 via Ticketmaster and TheTicketFactory

Ticket Prices:
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SAM BOWEN INSISTS he is now back firing on all cylinders after being marked absent through injury and has recently removed the toil of manual labour from his daily routine.

The British super featherweight champion famously combined his boxing career with tough shifts at the Caterpillar plant in Leicester, which he now accepts left him drained and vulnerable to illness and injury.

A back injury initially delayed the mandatory defence of his Lonsdale belt against Anthony Cacace that will now go ahead at Arena, Birmingham on November 30 on a show featuring five other major title collisions.

Being gainfully unemployed has rejuvenated the unbeaten 27-year-old who reports a clean bill of health after being on the missing list since his successful defence against Jordan McCorry in March.

“I’m fine now, finally, and ready for it now,” said the 15-0 Ibstock man. “It was sciatica, which I had years ago and then I injured myself again so my back was bad and my sciatica horrendous. I couldn’t even train.

“I was off sick from work because I couldn’t do that either, but I am back to normal now and back at it, although I am not working now.

“The injury done it for me because I thought if I am getting injured and can’t train then I’ve got to pick one. I picked boxing and I have finally done it now so hopefully training should go well for this one.

“I only left a couple of weeks ago because I had to get better first before making the decision,” he added, also explaining that hanging up his tool kit and making such a big lifestyle change will enable him to devote so much more of his energy reserves into preparing for fights.

“It should make a big difference and hopefully I should feel a bit fresher in myself. Hopefully I also get the win otherwise I will be going back sooner than I think!

“I get more time with the little one and missus, but I am training full-time so I am still pretty busy.

“The way things were going I was just tired, getting injured a lot and being ill. It was because my body was being pushed through it and it was time to make a decision.

“I can get a job any time, but hopefully things go well for me in the boxing and I needed to put my 100 per cent into something.”

Sam Bowen v Anthony Cacace for the British super featherweight championship features on a stacked night of title action at Arena, Birmingham on November 30. WBO world bantamweight champion Zolani Tete defends his title against mandatory challenger John Riel Casimero and British and Commonwealth welterweight champion Chris Jenkins makes a defence against Liam Taylor. Lerrone Richards also takes on Lennox Clarke for the Commonwealth and vacant British super middleweight belt.

Sam Maxwell defends his WBO European super lightweight title against the also unbeaten Connor Parker from Derbyshire, while Hamzah Sheeraz will fight for his first major title at super welterweight.

Thrilling prospects Dennis McCann, Shabaz Masoud, Eithan James and George Davey also feature on the bill, along with talents from the local region in Nathan Heaney and River Wilson-Bent.

Tickets are available now from £40 via TheTicketFactory and Ticketmaster

Ticket Prices:
£250 – Inner Ring Hospitality
£150 – Floor
£100 – Floor
£75 – Floor
£50 – Lower Tier
£40 – Upper Tier

ARCHIE SHARP BELIEVES a fight with the British super featherweight champion, Sam Bowen, is an inevitable encounter that is there to be made.

The WBO European champion Sharp, who de-throned Lyon Woodstock to claim his title back in October, makes a return to the ring on April 27 at the SSE Arena, Wembley, where he will box an eight-rounder to shake off the ring rust after recovering from injury.

His immediate goals, should he emerge unscathed at Wembley, are to defend his title while seeking to expand his belt collection by taking on other champions.
This means Bowen – who also holds the WBO Intercontinental title – fits the bill nicely and Sharp agrees it is a natural match-up.

“Exactly that and the Bowen fight is going to happen,” insisted the Welling-based 23-year-old. “We’re both unbeaten, we’re both with Frank (promoter, Warren) and we’re both top prospects.

“So that fight is going to happen. When it is going to happen I am not too sure, but it will go ahead in the future. I saw an interview where they were talking about Scott Quigg, so they are chucking names about trying to go for something bigger.

“I’ve got names I would like to look at as well like Lee Selby and Sam Bowen is amongst those names too, so we will see what happens.”

Sharp knows full well that stepping in with Bowen would represent a step up from his 14 previous opponents, but his confidence and self-belief has been infused by the recording of such an accomplished victory over Woodstock on away turf in Leicester.

“Great fighter, I am a great fighter too, so it will make a great fight. One hundred per cent it is a clash of styles, he is a very strong fighter and I am a very classy fighter. At the end of the day I feel like it would be the Woodstock fight all over again.

“I know he is stronger than Woodstock, but I am getting stronger every day.”

Also present on the super featherweight landscape is Zelfa Barrett – soon to return after injury – and Woodstock, who registered a comeback win in March.
Both are bidding to make a return to title contention but, in the opinion of Sharp, they are currently lagging behind with the also-rans and would need to bring something to the table before he would consider them a viable opponent.

“Yes, I don’t even particularly want to mention their names. I know Lyon is out there trying to get a rematch, but they are both beaten fighters so why don’t they box each other and do what they’ve got to do.

“Once they start winning belts they can get in the mix with us.”

Daniel Dubois v Richard Lartey tops the bill at the SSE Arena, Wembley on April 27 on a card that also includes the Commonwealth super middleweight title fight between Lerrone Richards and Tommy Langford, as well as the Southern Area super middleweight title clash between Zak Chelli and Jimmy Smith. WBO European super flyweight champion Sunny Edwards and WBO European super featherweight champion Archie Sharp also feature.

Rangy Super Welterweight talent Hamzah Sheeraz will be back out after his impressive win over Rod Douglas Jnr. Hard hitting middleweight and Peacock gym product Denzel Bentley (9-0) and Belfast amateur middleweight star Caoimhin Agyarko will also return to action. There are Queensberry debuts for unbeaten welterweight Chris Kongo (10-0) and Sheffield middleweight Shakiel Thompson (2-0) – with Thompson being tipped by sparring partner Billy Joe Saunders as a star for the future. Ilford Super Middleweight Umar Sadiq (4-1) also returns as he looks to rebuild after his first career loss. Tunde Ajayi trained lightweight Bilal Ali (1-0) will have his second professional fight after making a successful start to his pro career, with Hoddesdon super lightweight Alfie Price set for his fifth.

Tickets will be priced as £40, £50, £75, £100 and £150 and are now ON SALE to purchase via Eventim, Ticketmaster, the SSE Arena website and AXS.com.

Sam Bowen battered and bloodied Jordan McCorry en-route to a 9th round stoppage in their scheduled 12-round junior lightweight bout at The Leicester Arena in Leicester, England.

The time of the stoppage was 33 seconds of the 9th frame.

Bowen, 129 lbs is now 15-0 with 11 knockouts. McCorry, 129 lbs is now 17-5-1.

Nathan Gorman remained undefeated with a 10-round decision over former world title challenger Kevin Johnson in a heavyweight bout.

Gorman won by a referee’s score of 100-90, and is now 16-0. Johnson is 34-13-1.

Sam Maxwell scored a stunning 10th round stoppage over Sabri Sediri in the final round of their super lightweight bout.

In round one, Sediri floored Maxwell with a left hook. In round two, Sediri dropped Maxwell with a perfect right to the chin. In round three, Sediri began to bleed from his nose.

With his left eye nearly shut, Maxwell somehow landed a huge right hand to the side of the jaw that sent Sediri to the canvas. Sediri got to his feet, but was unsteady, and the bout was stopped at 2:46.

Maxwell was ahead on two of the three official scorecards.

Maxwell, 139 lbs of Liverpool is 11-0 with nine knockouts. Sediri, 139 lbs of France is 10-1-1.

In a battle of undefeated Leicester based super welterweights, CJ Challenger won a 10-round decision over Ky;e Haywood.

Challenger, 153 lbs won by a 97-95 score and is now 10-0. Haywood, 152 lbs is 8-1.

(March 21, 2019) — Two of Great Britain’s most promising young prospects will be showcased live in the United States on Saturday afternoon.

In the main event from Morningside Arena in Leicester, England, Sam Bowen will make the first defense of his British super featherweight title against Jordan McCorry. And, in the co-feature, heavyweight hopeful Nathan Gorman will fight former world title challenger Kevin “Kingpin” Johnson in a 12-rounder.

Bowen-McCrory and Gorman-Johnson will headline a live and exclusive stream beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT on ESPN+, the new multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN.

Bowen (14-0, 10 KOs) is coming off a banner 2018 in which he knocked out Maxi Hughes in eight rounds to win the vacant British super featherweight title and knocked out Horacio Alfredo Cabral in four to pick up the WBO Intercontinental belt. His first British title defense comes against McCorry (17-4-1, 4 KOs), who is looking to rebound from a competitive decision loss to Patrick Kinigamazi.

Gorman (15-0, 11 KOs) is one of Britain’s top heavyweights, a 22-year-old boxer-puncher who is making his 2019 debut after a successful 4-0 campaign in 2018. In his last bout, Dec. 22 in Manchester, England, he dominated former world title challenger Razvan Cojanu over 12 rounds to score a near-shutout decision. Johnson (34-12-1, 18 KOs) is a 16-year-pro who has fought many of this generation’s leading heavyweights, including Vitali Klitschko, Kubrat Pulev, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury. He has only been knocked out twice as a pro.

In other action:

Sam Maxwell (10-0, 8 KOs) will square off against Sabri Sediri (10-0-1, 5 KOs) in a 10-rounder for the vacant WBO European 140-pound title.

In a 10-round battle featuring a pair of unbeaten super welterweights, CJ Challenger (9-0, 2 KOs) will fight Kyle Haywood (8-0, 1 KO).

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SAM BOWEN came face-to-face with big fight rival Jordan McCorry ahead of his British super-featherweight title defence against the Scot at Leicester’s Morningside Arena on Saturday, live on BT Sport.

On the same bill, unbeaten heavyweight hope Nathan Gorman meets durable former world title challenger Kevin Johnson.

Liverpool’s Sam Maxwell fights unbeaten Frenchman Sabri Sediri for the vacant WBO European super-lightweight championship.

Leicester rivals CJ Challenger and Kyle Haywood square off for the vacant Midlands area super-welterweight title.

Lyon Woodstock plans on returning to winning ways on the bill against Spaniard Sergio Gonzalez. after his first career loss, against Archie Sharp. He is eyeing up the winner of Bowen v McCorry.

**MEDIA ARE WELCOME TO DOWNLOAD THE FOLLOWING VIDEOS FROM TODAY’S PRESS CONFERENCE**

Sam Bowen and Lyon Woodstock clash
Sam Bowen v Jordan McCorry face off
CJ Challenger v Kyle Haywood face off

Here are a selection of quotes from today’s press conference.

SAM BOWEN: “I’m very excited to be defending my title in Leicester. It is literally on my door step and I have a vast amount of support coming. I have a lot respect for Jordan. He has taken a fight when others wouldn’t. He is fit and can use a few different styles. I have to get the win and will do what it takes. I want a Lonsdale belt for keeps, but it depends on how long it takes to get it. I am happy to fight Woodstock whenever he is ready. It is an easy earner and it will finish his career.”

JORDAN McCORRY: “I bring more than aggression now Craig Dixon is training me. He has installed something different and I don’t go forward like I used to. It would be dynamite to win and I am doing it in the lion’s den. I don’t know if Sam is hype. He hasn’t fought anyone that good, but he does seem an avoided fighter. I’m a Celtic fan and I haven’t got a problem with Sam wearing a Leicester City shirt, but I have with Brendan Rodgers. He is snake.”

NATHAN GORMAN: “Kevin knows his way around the ring and I will just have to do my best even though it is four days’ notice. I was preparing to fight someone totally different. Kevin has only been stopped by Anthony Joshua and on a cut by Petar Milas. My friend Daniel, Vitali Klitschko, Tyson Fury and Kubrat Pulev couldn’t stop him. He is probably the most durable fighter on the planet.” “If it was down to me I’d fight Daniel Dubois this Saturday truly, but I reckon it will probably be end of the year. Whenever he is ready. My style beats Dubois 24/7 and if I can’t see his punches coming I’m not a gifted boxer.

SAM MAXWELL: “I have been asking for a title fight, Frank Warren and MTK have delivered. Some of my peers on Team GB are superstars and it looks like I am further back. I want to be where they are. By the end of the year I will be better known to the public. Sediri boxed at a high level as an amateur and is tricky. He will test me and people will see me at my best. I will have to work and this contest will propel me. I will be looking at Ohara Davies, Jack Catterall and the WBO champion Maurice Hooker by the end of the year. I want Ohara. I have the beating of him.”

LYON WOODSTOCK: “I would fight Sam Bowen for free. He says he will fight me whenever I want it. I want the British title whether Sam or Jordan has it. The loss to Archie wasn’t a setback. Those who makes mistakes progress further in life if they have character and that is what boxing boils down to. It wasn’t a reality check. It made me approach things in a different way.”

CJ CHALLENGER: “This is the same as every fight and there is no extra pressure because we are both local fighters. It’s an honour to be involved in a fight like this. Kyle is a good guy and no mug.”

KYLE HAYWOOD: “People in Leicester are going mad for this fight. It is a 50-50 fight and brilliant for the fans in Leicester. CJ is a good fighter, good mover, has good skills. It is up to me to close the gap and operate at my pace. It will be so exciting. There isn’t animosity, but he is standing in my way.”

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LYON WOODSTOCK insists he would jump at the chance to fight British super-featherweight champion Sam Bowen if he was given enough notice.

The bitter local rivals are both in action at Leicester’s Morningside Arena on Saturday night, when Bowen makes the first defence of his domestic title against Jordan McCorry, live on BT Sport.

Woodstock is on the comeback trail after losing his unbeaten record to fellow prospect Archie Sharp in the same ring last October.

Bowen’s team have accused Woodstock of previously turning down the chance to challenge Bowen last month.

Woodstock blames the lack of notice, and snapped: “It was two weeks’ notice, come on man.

“What smart person that rates themselves in any kind of way is going to take a 12 round British title fight at such short notice?

“I am not selling myself short. I know my worth, what I have come here to do and what I am about.

“Had I been given enough time, I would have taken the fight 100 per-cent.”

Frank Warren promotes both boxers and seems certain to match the feuding fighters who live just 13 miles apart against each other in the coming months.

Woodstock added: “I was clinging on to hopes for this show and said; ‘Get me the Bowen fight, get me the Bowen fight. I will fight him, take the belts and it will be one of the greatest comeback ever.’

“It didn’t materialise and it is what it is, but the British title is my goal whether he has got the belt or it is vacant.

“By the end of 2019 in my head, I will be the British champion. Give me notice and I will fight Bowen.”

Woodstock is back in action at the Morningside Arena in Leicester on Saturday night in support of the British super featherweight title clash between the champion Sam Bowen and Scot Jordan McCorry. CJ Challenger and Kyle Haywood fight for the vacant Midlands Area super welterweight title takes place on the same bill. Among the other stars in action include Tommy Fury, Nathan Gorman and Sam Maxwell.

Tickets are available from £40 are on sale NOW via Eventbrite

SAM BOWEN IS relishing a second shot at top billing in his home county when boxing returns to the Morningside Arena in Leicester on March 23, but just don’t expect him to show it until the fight has been called to a halt.

British super featherweight champion Bowen, who signed up with Frank Warren and promptly won the WBO Intercontinental title in October against Horacio Alfredo Cabral in October, is looking forward to bolstering his ever-increasing credentials on BT Sport, but won’t allow himself to get carried away with occasion.

The 26-year-old makes a first defence of his Lonsdale belt against the Scottish champion Jordan McCorry.

“I sort of block out how big the event is for me and literally just concentrate on the fight,” said Bowen, who was originally set to defend his title against Ronnie Clark before the Dundee man withdrew due to injury. “It could be in front of a million people or ten people and I treat it the same because if you treat it differently it can affect your mental state and you could get overwhelmed.

“That is the last thing I want to do and then mess up and get caught with a silly shot.

“I took it all in more once I had won against Cabral and you could see from my reaction that I was buzzing. Once it was done I could take it all in and that is when I thought ‘this is mega’ and when I had the interview after it made me realise what a step up it was from when I won the British, which was not on a TV and not in a big venue like that.

“So that is when I really took note of it all, where before I just treat every fight the same. That is how I deal with it and it is how I feel I get the results I need to progress.”

The Argentinean Cabral proved a tough nut to crack for the 14-0 Ibstock man known as ‘Bullet’. The more Bowen fired to the head, the more his opponent seemed to enjoy it.

“Yeah he was a fruitcake! I tried not to get drawn into his game because when I missed with one shot he looked where my hand went, to take the mick sort of thing.

“I needed to keep to my gameplan and not let him disrupt me. You’ve seen good fighters get hit at any level and get knocked out, so I had to concentrate on the fight. After the first round I toned it down a bit because I was a bit rushed and I enjoyed it myself too much.

“I said to Carl (trainer, Greaves) in the corner that if he wanted to do this for ten rounds then it would be a nice enjoyable win for me. I know my fitness is bob-on and I was winning the rounds comfortably.”

The game-changer came in the fourth round in an unorthodox fashion when Bowen mixed up his attack and propelled himself into winging left hook to the body. It was game over.

“I sort of throw it without even realising. You don’t plan every shot and it happened so fast and then he was rolling around on the floor.

“It was a good shot and I do land well with a left hook to the body. I’m happy it worked for me then.”

The Leicester contingent is a growing band of boxers who are all determined to make the Morningside Arena a regular fixture on the fight calendar.

As well as Bowen, Lyon Woodstock is bidding to get back on track after a first career defeat to Archie Sharp last time out, while local lads CJ Challenger and Kyle Haywood meet with the vacant Midlands Area super welterweight title at stake.

“If there was only one fighter in Leicester it wouldn’t be so exciting, so it is good to have a few of us to make it happen,” reasoned Bowen.

“My last one in October and this one in March will be two big shows in Leicester and it is great for our families and friends that we are able to box here and not have to travel to other places.

“A mate of mine has been sorting the tickets out at work and they are going mad for it because it is in Leicester – a lot more so this time than last because they saw it on TV and want to come now.”

British super featherweight champion Sam Bowen defending his title against Jordan McCorry headlines at the Morningside Arena in Leicester. Also on the bill, super lightweight Sam Maxwell bids for his first title against the Spaniard Kelvin Dotel with the WBO European belt at stake, while local fighters CJ Challenger and Kyle Haywood are set to battle for the vacant Midlands Area super welterweight title. Nathan Gorman defends his WBC International Silver heavyweight title against the 26-1 Brazilian Fabio Maldonado, with Lyon Woodstock, Willie Hutchinson, Tommy Fury, Ryan Hatton and Mark Chamberlain also featuring on the card.

Tickets are available from £40 are on sale NOW via Eventbrite

SAM BOWEN WILL make a first defence of his British super featherweight title against Jordan McCorry at the Morningside Arena in Leicester on March 23, live on BT Sport.

The unbeaten Bowen, 14-0, from Ibstock in Leicestershire, was originally scheduled to defend against Ronnie Clark on a bill that also features a battle for the vacant Midlands Area super welterweight title between local lads CJ Challenger and Kyle Haywood and Sam Maxwell bidding to win the WBO European super lightweight title against the Spaniard Kelvin Dotel.

Clark withdrew from his challenge due to injury and the 26-year-old Bowen faces a new foe in the 17-4-1 Scot McCorry, who last time out made an unsuccessful bid to win the WBF world super featherweight title against Patrick Kinigamazi, losing on points in Geneva.

A former Scottish champion at lightweight, McCorry won the super featherweight belt at the second attempt against Jamie McGuire in July 2017 and recorded six straight wins prior to his WBF title challenge.

Bowen won his British title with victory over Maxi Hughes in April of last year and subsequently claimed the WBO Intercontinental belt with a fourth round stoppage of the rugged Argentinean Horacio Alfredo Cabral in October.

The 26-year-old has now compiled a record of 14-0 with ten victories coming via KO.

“I’ve only seen footage of one fight that Carl (trainer, Greaves) sent me and he looks like a good mover,” commented Bowen on his challenger. “You can’t really tell too much, but I don’t think he looked too big compared to me.

“He boxed an African (Abraham Ndauendapo) in the fight I got sent and he looked alright in it. His style is on the back foot a little bit, but I am thinking I will just be too strong from what I have seen of him.

“I am pleased to have a challenger booked in and hopefully the habit people have of pulling out stops now and the fights happen for me. It will be good to get a defence of the British title under my belt in front of the home fans in Leicester.”

McCorry, for his part, is naturally thrilled to be handed a shot at the British title and believes the opportunity represents a breakthrough for his career prospects.

“I’m buzzing, obviously I was meant to fight twice in an eliminator but they never happened, so when I was offered this fight I jumped at the chance. Everybody wants to fight for the British title and it is a great belt.

“This is my breakout fight, for sure, and if you are ever going to make a name for yourself it would be on BT Sport in the public eye in a big fight for the British title. It is a big event to be on.

“Obviously Sam is a big puncher and a good boy but, at the end of the day, you are not going to win a British title if you are rubbish. When you get into the top ten at this level everybody is going to be good.

“We know he is big for the weight and strong, so it will definitely be a good fight. We know he has got a lot of power, likes to come forward and stuff like that, so I know that at one point in the fight I will just have to bite down on the gum shield and go toe-to-toe.”

Tickets are available from £40 and are on sale NOW via Eventbrite.

Leicester boxer Lyon Woodstock (11-1) has taken a swipe at British super featherweight champion Sam Bowen (14-0) as he eyes up a future clash against his fellow Leicester native.

Both fighters will be in action in Leicester on Saturday February 23rd at the Morningside Leicester Arena with the British champion, Bowen, headlining the event when he defends the Lonsdale belt against Dundee’s Ronnie Clark.

Ronnie Clark created an upset last year when he beat undefeated prospect Zelfa Barrett against the odds and 25-year-old Woodstock believes Clark could prove to be a challenging opponent for Bowen when they meet next month.

“I think it’s going to be a tougher fight than what people are thinking to be honest.

“I don’t think Sam is going to blow Ronnie Clark away, he’s not a pushover like that, he’s a good fighter. He’s been in combat for a while now so I can’t see him just getting blown away by Sam.

“I feel like Sam will try that and when he sees it doesn’t work and Ronnie is there laughing at his face, we’ll start seeing what Sam Bowen really is about.”

Bowen introduced himself to the BT Sport cameras last time out when he stopped Argentinian Haracio Alfredo Cabral in the fourth round by a brutal body shot in October 2018 to add the WBO Intercontinental title to his belt collection.

On the same show, Woodstock lost his WBO European title to Archie Sharp in a close, entertaining contest and will have the opportunity to get back to winning ways on February 23rd.

Victory will set the Beaumont Leys fighter back on course towards big, domestic showdowns; with Bowen and his British title certainly on his radar. A potential clash between the two would feel like a long time coming for Woodstock.

“We offered him the fight twice in the amateurs.” He recollects.

“Remember that he’s had over a hundred fights [Bowen 93-17 as an amateur] and the first time we offered him the fight I’d only had sixteen and they weren’t keen on it.

“I got rated third in the country and I only had twenty-something fights and he’s had over a hundred and he’s never even got to that, so it speaks for itself.

“I know my own levels and what I’m capable of and what I’m going to be able to do when that fight comes. It’ll be a good fight and it would be a fan favourite fight because a lot of these Leicester people are divided between Woodstock and Bowen.

“I don’t believe that Sam Bowen is a great boxer. I believe he’s tough, he’s game, he’s fit and can punch, but that’s it.”

Headlining the show at the Morningside Arena is the British super featherweight title showdown between the champion Sam Bowen from Ibstock in Leicestershire and Ronnie ‘The Shark’ Clark from Dundee. Co-headlining the show will be light heavyweight Anthony Yarde as he takes on former European champion Mehdi Amar.

Local fighters CJ Challenger and Kyle Haywood do battle for the vacant Midlands Area super welterweight title, with Lyon Woodstock, Ryan Garner, Tommy Fury, Ryan Hatton and Mark Chamberlain also featuring on the card.

Tickets priced at £40, £60, £100 & £150 are available and on sale NOW via Eventbrite.

SAM BOWEN has taunted arch local rival Lyon Woodstock telling him: “Fighting you would be going back to area level”.

British super-featherweight champion Bowen (14-0) makes the first defence of his British crown against Dundee’s Ronnie Clark (21-4-2) at Leicester’s Morningside Arena on Saturday February 23, live on BT Sport.

Woodstock (11-1) fights on the same bill in his first contest since losing his unbeaten record against Archie Sharp in October.

The all Leicestershire clash is natural for East Midlands fans, but speaking to Steve Lillis on the latest episode of ‘The Boxing Podcast’, Bowen teased Woodstock, saying: “Unless he can beat a world champion, I’m not that interested in fighting him.

“I was before because it would have been a good fight, but that is Midlands area. I’m out of that.

“A fight against Woodstock would have been a natural in the past, but he has been beaten by Archie Sharp.

“To be fair I am looking beyond these fights. To me, that would be a step down. I want to be stepping up.

“We have offered him the fight in the past. At a press conference my manager Carl Greaves asked him; ‘Do you want to fight, Bowen?’ He wasn’t really giving an answer.

“Now he has been beaten, I suppose he will want to fight me more because he hasn’t got many more options.

“He has got to build himself back again and get into the mandatory position to fight me, but by the time he has done that I want to be way, way above.”

Bowen, 26, won the British championship last April stopping Maxi Hughes in eight rounds.

On his debut for promoter Frank Warren in October he knocked out Argentinian Horacio Alfredo Cabral to four rounds to claim the WBO Inter-Continental belt.

Bowen is now ranked at number ten in the WBO rankings for Masayuki Ito’s world title and he is in a hurry to get among the 130lb division’s elite.

He added: “I don’t want stay at this level for too long. It took us such a long time to get the British title shot because of withdrawals that I don’t want to hang around.

“World champions like Miguel Berchelt, Tevin Farmer, Gervonta Davis and Masayuki Ito are pure quality and fights like that can help secure my future.

“I am in this to provide for my family. I don’t want to be boxing for smaller amounts. I have a job where I earn okay.

“The idea is to get some big fights financially. To do as well as I can and make as much money as I can.”

Bowen v Clark shares top billing along with unbeaten Anthony Yarde defending his WBO Intercontinental Light Heavyweight title against tough Frenchman Mehdi Amar. Local fighters CJ Challenger and Kyle Haywood do battle for the vacant Midlands Area super welterweight title, with Lyon Woodstock, Ryan Garner, Tommy Fury, Ryan Hatton and Mark Chamberlain also featuring on the card.

Tickets are available from £40 are on sale NOW via Eventbrite

Sam Bowen makes a highly-anticipated first defence of his British super featherweight title against Ronnie Clark at the Morningside Arena, Leicester on February 23, live on BT Sport.

Light Heavyweight sensation Anthony Yarde (17-0) will also return to action in a defence of his WBO Intercontinental light heavyweight title. The show will feature a number of the city’s finest young prospects, including a Midlands Area title challenge for 9-0 super welterweight CJ Challenger and the return of 11-1 super featherweight Lyon Woodstock.

Elsewhere on the bill, 14-0 Cruiserweight Jack ‘One Smack’ Massey will look to climb the world rankings as he challenges for the WBO European cruiserweight title.

Bowen, 26, was originally scheduled to defend his title against Clark, 33, this weekend before the 14-0 man from Ibstock in Leicestershire was forced to withdraw after suffering a rib injury in sparring against his gym-mate David Avanesyan.

It was a setback which disrupted some strong momentum built-up by Bowen, who won the Lonsdale belt against Maxi Hughes in April before – after signing a promotional agreement with Frank Warren – adding a second belt to his collection with a hugely impressive fourth round stoppage of Horacio Alfredo Cabral for the vacant WBO Intercontinental title at the same Leicester venue in October.

Bowen will be bidding to vindicate his firm belief that he is the top man in the domestic division against the wily Scot from Dundee, who recorded a significant upsetting of the odds in his last fight in February.
In front of a packed house at York Hall, Clark lived up to his pre-fight promise and de-railed the unbeaten quest of formidable prospect Zelfa Barrett to win the vacant IBF European title.

Clark spectacularly sent Barrett to the canvas in the sixth round before proceeding to win via a majority decision at the end of 12 rounds.

Featherweight talent Ryan Garner (7-0), Scottish Light Heavyweight amateur standout Willy Hutchinson (6-0), Tamworth’s 4-0 Light Heavyweight Ryan Hatton all return to action in Leicester along with a second professional outing for Tyson Fury’s younger brother Tommy Fury at Light Heavyweight.

Tickets from £40 are on sale NOW via Eventbrite.

Daniel Dubois will return to the ring on December 15 on a night of top championship boxing at the Brentwood Centre, live on BT Sport, that also features British super featherweight champion Sam Bowen making a first defence of his title against Ronnie Clark.

The 21-year-old Dubois will be entering into his tenth professional contest against a soon to be revealed opponent and will be looking to finish the year with a bang, having already defeated D.L Jones (TKO 3), Tom Little (TKO 5) and Kevin Johnson (PTS) in 2018.

Explosive super featherweight Bowen, 14-0, gets back to domestic business after winning the WBO Intercontinental title last time out with a brutal fourth round stoppage of the tough Argentinean Horacio Alfredo Cabral.

He won the Lonsdale belt with a defeat of Maxi Hughes and now moves onto a hazardous defence against Clark, who won the IBF European title in February via a shock defeat of the previously unbeaten Zelfa Barrett at York Hall.

‘The Shark’, 21-4-2, from Dundee now gets the opportunity to prove the upset was no fluke against the leader of the current British super featherweight contenders.

Sunny Edwards is rewarded for his scintillating display last month against Ryan Farrag with a further defence of his WBO European super flyweight title on a BT Sport televised card.

The 22-year-old from Croydon will hit double figures on the night as he seeks to go 10-0 in the professional ranks.

Former British champion Bradley Skeete got back into winning ways at the same Brentwood venue in October with a savage third round stoppage of Fernando Valencia and now seeks to restore his name in the world rankings.

Also showcasing their talents in Brentwood will be exciting super featherweight Ryan Garner (7-0), super welterweight Hamza Sheeraz (5-0), former Team GB flyweight Harvey Horn (3-0), unbeaten welterweight Sanjeev Sahota (16-0), bantamweight Jake Pettitt (3-0), middleweight Caoimhin Agyarko (1-0). Portsmouth lightweight Mark Chamberlain will make his professional debut.

TICKET PRICES
£150 – Hospitality
£100 – Floor
£50 – Bleachers unreserved
Doors Open: 4pm

Jack Catterall won a 12-round unanimous decision over Ohara Davies in a junior welterweight clash.

Catterall, 139.9 lbs won by scores of 118-110 and 115-113 twice, and is now 23-0. Davies, 139.9 lbs is 18-2.

Heavyweight prospect Daniel DuBois remained undefeated by decisioning former world title challenger Kevin Johnson in a 10-round bout.

DuBois, 239 lbs won by a 100-91 score, and is 9-0. Johnson, 256 lbs is 32-11-1.

Nicola Adams won the WBO Interim Flyweight title with a 10-round unanimous decision over Isabel Millan.

Adams, 111.9 lbs won by scores of 97-93 twice and 96-94, and is now 5-0. Millan, 110.4 lbs is 22-5-1.

Sam Bowen stopped Horacio Cabral in round four of their scheduled 12-round super featherweight bout.

Bowen dropped Cabral in the 4th round, and the bout was stopped.

Bowen, 129 lbs is 14-0 with 10 knockouts. Cabral is 21-3.