25.01.07 – Gary “Hot Stuff” Woolcombe 22-0 (7) steps up tonight as the chief support to the hugely anticipated bantamweight rematch between the outstanding British Champion Martin “Too Much” Power and the deadly Commonwealth Champion Tshifhiwa “The Atomic Spider” Munyai at the Goresbrook LC in Dagenham, London..
Woolcombe takes a bold step forward and a significant step up in class to face the talented Andrew ‘Smiley’ Facey 18-4-1 (5) to decide the English Light Middleweight title at Dagenham’s Goresbrook Leisure Centre on Friday night.
“Facey is very awkward,” said Woolcombe. “I just have to stick it on him and give him no time, really. He goes against the ropes and leans back, which makes him even taller. Facey doesn’t seem to have the best of chins and usually when a fighter has that problem, he tries to hide the chin but Facey leaves it in the air in all of his fights that I’ve seen”.
Woolcombe, 24, has been with Alan Smith, the highly respected trainer, since his early teens and Smith must receive huge credit for recognising the Lewisham born fighter’s budding talent so far ahead of his contemporaries.
Not many people paid much attention to the youthful Woolcombe until he started knocking his opponents out. Matt Scriven was the first to give way to Woolcombe’s fury and holds the dubious distinction of being the first of five fighters the South East Londoner knocked out in his six bouts between April 2005 and January 2006.
Woolcombe, trains at the famous Frank Maloney’s Fitness Academy in Deptford, South East London, and is on a mission to bring the glory days back to this renowned boxing area. Memories of Jimmy Revie 38-9-2 (23) the formidable Stockwell Lightweight, and Mark Rowe 38-8-1 (28) the outstanding Camberwell Middleweight, are rekindled as Woolcombe continues his meteoric rise.
Should “Hot Stuff” get past Facey, he’s got bigger plans ahead for the rest of 2007. “I’m looking forward to winning this fight and then facing the winner of Thomas McDonagh and Martin Conception for the British title,” he said. “I feel very well, probably the fittest I’ve felt for a fight in my career so far.”
Frank Maloney Promotions presents “Payback or Playback?”, the Tshifhiwa Munyai vs. Martin Power Commonwealth Bantamweight Championship rematch at Goresbrook LC in Dagenham, England on January 26, 2007. Undefeated Gary Woolcombe challenges English Light Middleweight Champion Andrew Facey and Brian Magee faces Andrew Lowe in a Final Eliminator for the British Light Heavyweight title. Tickets are available by logging onto www.frankmaloney.com or by calling the Box Office at 0871 226 1508. Sky Sports broadcasts live on SS1 starting at 22:00.