British duo to clash in “War of the Roses” at Motorpoint Arena Sheffield
Kell Brook and Matthew Hatton will meet in the “War of the Roses” at the Motorpoint Arena Sheffield on March 17 – live on Sky Sports.
The top two ranked Welterweights in Britain will clash in a classic Yorkshire versus Lancashire derby to lay to rest any debate on who is the best Welterweight in the land.
The bigger picture for the fight though is the chance to fight for a World title later in 2012, and Brook, who is ranked in the top ten of all the governing bodies, is delighted to be facing Hatton in this hometown blockbuster.
“This is a fight I’ve wanted for a long time and to get it at the Sheffield Arena means the world to me,” said Brook, 25. “When I first sat down with Eddie, he told me that his vision was a sell-out night at Sheffield Arena and now we’re here. It is a competitive division and we’re both trying to achieve the same goal, so I know that by putting him out of the equation, it gives me a clearer run at the title. I want people to stand up and take notice of me and these are the kind of nights that makes that happen.
“We’ve been looking at fights here and in the US but this is the one that gives me the buzz. I know I’m comfortably the best Welterweight in Britain and I’m going to put in a devastating performance on March 17 to show the World just that.”
The fight represents an impressive landmark for Hatton, who will fight for the 50th time as a pro when he faces Brook. The Manchester man has held the European and Commonwealth Welterweight titles and put in a brave performance against Saul Alvarez in Anaheim last March when they tussled for the vacant WBC Light Middleweight title.
The 30 year-old returned to Welterweight action in August, winning the vacant IBF International title in Blackpool against Andrei Abramenka and with almost twice the number of fights under his belt, Hatton believes his experience of big fight nights will give him the edge in Sheffield.
“This is a massive night and a massive fight but it’s nothing new to me,” said Hatton. “It’s my 50th contest and I’m very proud of that, so I want it to be a landmark and Kell is in the way of that, I don’t want my 50th fight to be a loss. I’ve boxed class opposition in big arenas all over the world so experience will play a part in this fight. Fighting Kell in Sheffield isn’t something that’s going to keep me awake and it’s only an hour down the road so I’ll have good support there on the night.
“It has irritated me a little bit that people regard Kell as the number one in Britain – I’ve been European champion and was undefeated at that level, it’s like being told you are not even the best at School even though you are the best in Europe!
“So finally one of us is going to be able to say that they are number one – people tell me that he is number one and I’m sure he gets people telling him that I am number one, so on March 17 we’ll find out for sure.”
Brook’s promoter Eddie Hearn added: “This fight has taken it’s time to arrive but I couldn’t be happier that we have finally got it on. I’ve wanted this fight since we signed Kell, and I remember Ray Hatton telling me early last year to let this fight grow and he was right. It’s perfect timing for both fighters and a massive night for British boxing. I want to bring the glory days back to British boxing and you need fights and events that will capture the public’s imagination – this is just the start of what we want to do in 2012 and we’re going to get Sheffield jumping on March 17.”
Hearn also revealed that British Middleweight star Darren Barker is likely to make his first appearance since fighting Sergio Martinez in October as the chief support on the night, and that Lee Purdy will face Adnan Amar for the English Welterweight title. Other names for the show will be confirmed in the next week.
Tickets for Kell Brook vs. Matthew Hatton plus full championship undercard go on sale at 2pm on Wednesday 11 January.
Tickets priced £30 (tiered), £40 (tiered), £60 (tiered/floor) and £100 (ringside) are available from the Motorpoint Arena Sheffield Box Office on 0114 256 5656 or online at www.motorpointarenasheffield.co.uk
Inner ringside VIP packages priced £150 are exclusively available from Matchroom Sport on 01277 359900 or at www.matchroomboxing.com
Eddie Chambers and Philly Fighters Welcome NBC Sports Network
During a recent media event at Joe Hand Gym Boxing Gym in Philadelphia, fighters, promoters and network officials agreed that getting back to boxing basics in the City of Brotherly Love was just what the doctor ordered.
Gary Quinn, Senior Director, Program Planning and Acquisitions, NBC Sports Group, explained how Philadelphia ties in to the NBC Sports Network Fight Night game plan, “What we think puts us in a unique position to make this series succeed is now that we have the NBC Sports Group formulated, we’ve got 4 media platforms: we’ve got the NBC broadcast network; we’ve got the 24/7 NBC Sports Network; we have the 12 regional sports networks; and our digital platforms. It’s no coincidence that we are here in Philadelphia where we have one of the strongest RSN’s (Regional Sports Network) with CSN (Comcast SportsNet) Philly.”
Quinn added, “So you can say, ‘okay you’ve got the promotional platform, but you’ve got to have the product to make it work.’ We think we do. We’ve come up with a model that resembled what we did back in the day when The Fight Doctor (Ferdie Pacheco) said, ‘The key is putting crossroads fights on. You don’t have to worry about titles; you don’t have to worry about records. You want to match styles that will put on a good show.’ We feel Kathy (Duva) and Russell (Peltz) have done a great job on this card from top to bottom. That’s going to be the theme, to put on wars that have our viewers wanting more and more.”
Kathy Duva, CEO Main Events, explained the location for the debut show, “Philadelphia has a powerful boxing history and many avid boxing fans, we want to use that to make our show successful. Five of the eight bouts on this amazing card feature fighters that are from Philly. We want people in the audience that are from Philadelphia, so that everyone in the arena has a rooting interest, so we know they are going to make a lot of noise. This is why we chose Philly fighters like Gabriel Rosado and Ray Robinson to be on the undercard, they make terrific fights and have a big following. This will make for a great night in the arena and on TV.”
Ray Robinson, 12-2, 5 KO’s, will be in an 8 round welterweight fight against Doel Carasquillo, of Frederica, DE, 16-18-1, 14 KO’s. He assured the crowd that he was ready to put on a great show, “This is going to be an action-packed fight. Anybody that knows me knows I bring the fight. I’m a great boxer. I’ve trained hard enough for anything. I’ll make sure that it’s going to be a great fight on January 21st because it is on my birthday!”
Fellow Philadelphian, Gabriel Rosado, 18-5, 10 KO’s, faces Jesus Soto Karass of Los Mochis, 24-6-3, 16 KO’s, in what promises to be a 10 round junior welterweight war. Rosado ensured his fans that he was ready to give them a rousing show, “I am excited about this card. Soto Karass is a tough guy and I am excited to make a statement. I am going to show that I am a heavy hitter at 154. It’s going to be one helluva fight. Soto Karass is gonna bring it. I’m ready for everything. I have a big following and they’re all gonna come. I can’t wait.”
Kathy Duva spoke of choosing the main event for the NBCSN Fight Night debut show, “When the time comes to try to actually make the fights that everybody wants to see, you find out it’s a lot harder than you thought it might be. As we went through the list, we found consistently that in the heavyweight division there were a lot more people willing to fight each other than anywhere else. And I think that that’s a good thing.” She went on to say, “There’s a lot of talk about how the heavyweight division isn’t what it used to be. Well I’ll tell you, in recent years the only opportunity for heavyweights was to wait their turn to go to Germany and get beat up by one of the Klitschko’s. That does not make for becoming a better fighter, that does not cause anyone to learn or get better. What makes a great fighter is that they have to be in competitive fights, they have to learn as they go along.”
“We were delighted when we were able to make arrangements with Eddie Chamber’s promoter, Dan Goossen of Goossen Tutor to bring him to this show. He hasn’t fought in Philadelphia in a very long time, so this is a bit of a homecoming for him. He is one of the top heavyweights in the world and he has agreed to fight another one of the top heavyweights in the world, Sergei Liakhovich. This is exactly the kind of match we were looking for. They both have a lot at stake, they are both going to come in and do their best, and they’re both going to try to win,” Duva concluded.
Philadelphia resident, Eddie Chambers, 36-2, 18 KO’s, was in very good spirits as he discussed his upcoming battle with Sergei Liakhovich, Scottsdale, AZ, 25-4, 16 KO’s, on NBC Sports Network, “I’d really like to thank NBC for stepping up to the plate and trying to bring boxing back to what it used to be. I hate to disappoint NBC because they want competitive fights and all, but in my opinion this is not going to be a competitive fight.” He confidently boasted, “I got a lot of respect for Sergei; he’s been a world champion; a really good fighter; but I think I’m a little more advanced than he is! I think I pose a lot of threats to him. I’ve watched some his tapes, and some of the things he’s done. It doesn’t hurt that I am probably in the best shape that I’ve ever been in. I think it’s not going to be easy, but I think what I bring to the table is going to be too much for him to handle.”
To find NBC Sports Network on your TV, visit http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/ and use the NBC Sports Network Channel Finder on the right-hand side of the webpage.
WILLIAMS vs. McPHILBIN – 13th JANUARY PREVIEW
Leon ‘Solid’ Williams makes the first defence of his British cruiserweight title at York Hall tomorrow (13th January) as he faces Nottingham’s Shane McPhilbin at the scene of his title victory in October. Headlining another pulsating show from Queensberry Promotions, which will be broadcasted live and exclusively on BoxNation (Sky 456 & Virgin 546).
After dethroning Rob Norton’s lengthy yet inactive reign as British champion, Williams reignited the cruiserweight division and he has several challengers chomping at the bit for a shot at the Lonsdale belt. The first defence of his new strap was initially planned to be against current Southern Arena champion Tony Conquest before illness ruled him out. In stepped McPhilbin from Bulwell in Nottingham, bravely accepting the bout on just 3 weeks’ notice.
25-year-old McPhilbin is managed by Carl Greaves and the former super-featherweight champion has guided the Nottingham native to a 5 fight winning streak to amass a record of 7 wins (4 KO’s) and 2 losses. In June, McPhilbin captured the vacant Midlands Area cruiserweight title with a thunderous stoppage over the then undefeated Rhys Davies and his knockout wins have demonstrated his ability to bang with both hands. Having stayed active with an average of 3 fights a year since turning professional in 2009, 6ft McPhilbin has developed at a steady pace.
When Williams defeated the awkward Rob Norton to become British champion in October he demonstrated an admirable amount of concentration that reflects the quality relationship he has under the tutelage of trainer Johnny Eames at the TRAD TKO Boxing Gym in Canning Town. If the 28-year-old can maintain the same mental focus then he’ll be a difficult obstacle to shift on the domestic scene. Williams is currently enjoying a 3 fight winning streak, earning a record of 9 wins (4 KO’s) and 3 losses (1 KO), as he’s bounced back perfectly to a knockout loss against Rik Turba but the Slovakian’s right hook would hurt many men.
It’s likely Williams will be buoyed by his experience in the latter rounds, having completed 10 and 12 round fights while McPhilbin is yet to pass 6 rounds but William’s will need to utilise his slight speed advantage to fend off McPhilbin’s pressure.
The all action show at York Hall includes a stacked undercard. A heavyweight cross roads fight provides the chief support as former Commonwealth champion Sam Sexton takes on Larry Olabamiwo with neither being able to afford a loss as they set their sights on title contention. There’s also a chance for prospects to impress on the undercard, including; Bradley Skeete, Michael Maguire, George Jupp, John Dingum, Charlie Hoy and Darryll Williams.