20.06.06 – This coming Friday (23rd June) Sussex’s Copthorne resort and hotel, Effingham park plays host to an astonishing gathering of boxing legends. Promoter Lee Greenwood has with the help of Mercedes Benz Gatwick has assembled no less the seven currant and former world champions to the amateur boxing dinner show. Headlining will be a reuniting of two old adversaries and true boxing greats: “The Dark Destroyer” Nigel Benn and Steve Collins ,both were famed for there extraordinary battles with Brighton braggart Chris Eubank in the late eighties and early nineties..
Benn and Collins are coming to our region to try and help raise the profile of amateur boxing and the benefits it brings, people are unaware of the way the sport deals with such social issues as obesity, anti social behaviour and bullying, instilling much needed discipline in some of today’s struggling younger generation.
Benn and Collins will be mingling with the crowd signing autographs and having photo’s taken as well as holding a questions and answers session in the ring with the audience.
Also attending the evening is former IBF world champion Terry Marsh ,Terry was the fighting fireman from Basildon who won a world title and was then forced to retire with epilepsy.
Also making their first visit to the region is former undisputed world welterweight champion Lloyd Honeyghan and IBO world champion Kevin Leushing.
Hailsham’s currant WBU world champion Wayne Alexander is also attending and will help prepare the Sussex boxers on the night.
Former World Feather weight champion Barry McGuigan will be appearing alongside his son Shane who makes his second competitive appearance in the ring on the extravaganza ,having won his debut in just 17 seconds, he really is one to look out for.
The boxing itself will primarily feature a Sussex team verses South East London with boxers from Eastbourne, Hastings and Brighton all boxing for their county.
Headlining the boxing though is an intriguing international female bout between Sussex’s reigning British ABA champion Janie Brashill and Belgium’s reigning European champion Leyla Kaya.
This is a great opportunity for the Brighton Belle to gatecrash the world rating and really stake her claim as our leading national female participant.
Janie’s bout will be the first ever international female contest to be held in the Southern counties and she is keen to encourage more girls into the sport.