Martin Rogan has revealed the reason why it has taken him a while to reach the top – his mum banned him from boxing when he was a youngster! Despite his late entry into the sport and just 12 professional fights, Rogan has captured the Commonwealth heavyweight title and has become a household name in Ireland after wins over Audley Harrison and Matt Skelton. He will defend his belt against Sam Sexton at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast, on May 15, with Sky Sports televising live. But Rogan – who was an outstanding hurler until he turned to boxing – didn’t throw a punch until his 20s after following the wishes of his mum..
“I was desperate to go the gym when I was a kid, but my mum didn’t want me boxing and believe me I listened to her!” said Rogan.
“Like a lot of mums she didn’t want to see her son getting hurt.
“So I got into hurling instead and did well, but I was always attracted to boxing because of the one-on-one nature of the sport.
“My mum is very proud of my success, but she gets up to high do when I fight, and she says a little prayer for me and my opponent.
“She can’t watch my fights from ringside – in fact, she can hardly bring herself to watch full stop.
“I think the only fight she’s seen was when I beat Harrison, and even then she was watching the TV from behind the sofa with her hands covering her face – and my family telling her what was happening.
“But she loves the fact I’m doing well and she’s now my number one fan.”
Rogan-Sexton tops an action packed Odyssey card which will also feature the 2008 Olympians, James DeGale, Billy Joe Saunders and Frankie Gavin.
Michael Jennings returns to action in an eight rounder following his brave WBO world title challenge against Miguel Cotto, while local stars Scott Belshaw, Kevin O’Hara, Ciaran Healy and Luke Wilton also feature.
Tickets are priced at £150 (Ringside), £100 (Floor), £60 (Floor), £40 (Tier) and £30 (Tier) are available from: Odyssey Arena Box Office
02890 739 074
www.odysseyarena.com
Booth vs Haskins
Jason Booth is one of the most decorated lighter weight fighters over the last decade on the British boxing scene, and “2 Smooth” has his eye on yet another belt to add to his impressive collection. The 31 year old Commonwealth bantam champion will drop down to super flyweight and challenge reigning British titlist Lee Haskins at the Indoor Sports Centre in Leigh, England on Friday, April 17 in the chief support bout to the Matthew Marsh vs. Mark Moran British super bantam title main event.
The slick Nottingham man has built his career upon a cagey and captivating style and Booth’s participation in a total of 14 IBO, European, Commonwealth and British title fights gives him the kind of massive advantage in experience that any opponent would be hard pressed to overcome.
But Booth, 35-5 (12), could be walking into a minefield on April 17.
British champion Haskins,18-2 (9), has a six year edge in youth and the Bristol southpaw’s unconventional, rapid fire from all angles style could play havoc with Booth’s more traditional orientation.
Haskins also brings the momentum of having handily defeated two of the top small men in the UK, Andy Bell and Jaime McDonnell, in front of hostile partisan audiences over his last two outings.
The pairing could steal the show in Leigh as there aren’t two more determined fighters with more to lose to be found anywhere and an absolute bonfire of a British title fight can be expected once the bell rings.
Frank Maloney Promotions presents the Super Bantamweight Championship of Britain between Mark Moran and Matthew Marsh along with full undercard support at the Indoor Sports Centre in Leigh, England on Friday, April 17, 2009.
Tickets, priced at £70 for Ringside and £35 General Admission, are available by logging onto www.frankmaloney.com or by calling the Box Office at 0871 226 1508.
Sky Sports will televise the action live on SS1 at 10PM.
Tyson Fury vs Matthew Ellis This Saturday
Heavyweight sensation Tyson Fury will look to make it 5 straight wins this Saturday when he takes on “Magic” Matthew Ellis at the York Hall, Bethnal Green in London. The 6 foot 8 and a half inch 20-year-old has despatched his first four professional opponents inside the distance but with just 6 defeats in 27 pro fights of his own Ellis represents an excellent test for Fury. The contest takes place on the undercard of the eagerly anticipated Commonwealth Welterweight title clash between John O’Donnell and Craig Watson on a Hennessy Sports event which will be live on ITV4.
Fury’s promoter Mick Hennessy said, “I believe Ellis represents another decent test for Tyson at this stage in his career. I’ve matched him aggressively so far but Tyson has answered all the questions asked of him to date.”
“If you look at the combined record of his first 5 opponents they had a total of 82 wins between them. That kind of statistic shows how much confidence I have in Tyson to match him with guys like that so early in his career.”
Fury’s fifth pro outing is part of an exciting undercard at the York Hall that also features an English Light Welterweight title showdown between Lenny Daws and Peter McDonagh while hot prospect Bradley Evans and Irish Welterweight champ, Stephen Haughian are also in action. Tickets are available from the Ticketline box office on 0844 888 4402 or via www.ticketline.co.uk.