UK Boxing: Fury Wants McDermott; Khan Public Work-Out; Nathan Cleverly

Heavyweight sensation Tyson Fury is hot on the trail of English Champion “Big Bad” John McDermott after the British Boxing Board of Control ordered that the bout must take place before the end of November. Purse bids for the bout have been ordered for July 8th and Fury says he can’t wait to get his hands on McDermott. The 6 foot 9 inch Manchester heavyweight has won all 6 of his pro fights since turning pro last December and maintained a 100% KO ratio on the process. His next outing comes at the York Hall, Bethnal Green on July 18th when he appears on the undercard of the Danny McIntosh – Nathan Cleverly British Light Heavyweight title fight..

The Hennessy Sports event is live on ITV4 and Fury hopes a win at the York Hall will secure a crack at McDermott’s English title. “I’ve been looking for John McDermott for a while now,” revealed Fury.

“He’s been offered the fight before but turned it down but now that the fights been ordered by the Board he surely can’t chicken out again. They call him ‘Big, Bad, John’ and that certainly sums him up. He’s a big lump and he’s not very good but he has that English title and he’s pushed Danny Williams close on a couple of occasions lately for the British title. I think it’s a natural eliminator for the British title so hopefully the Board will make it for a final eliminator as well as the English title.”

Meanwhile Fury has laughed off claims from Derek “Del Boy” Chisora that he “wouldn’t get out bed” for the kind of money he was being offered to fight Fury. The Finchley boxer is currently serving a suspension from the sport for biting opponent Paul Butlin in his last outing and Fury says he’s not being missed.

“It’s not the first time his big mouth has got him into trouble,” said Fury. “My advice to Derek would be to stay in bed because he’ll be a lot safer there. I don’t think he’d fight me for all the money in the world. He was at my last fight with Scott Belshaw and he got to see me up close and personal and you could tell he doesn’t fancy it. I’m told that he couldn’t take Belshaw’s body punches in sparring so how would he cope with mine?”

A clash of unbeaten fighters tops the bill at the York Hall on July 18th with Danny McIntosh and Nathan Cleverly squaring off for the British Light Heavyweight title. The undercard features former British and European Champion Jon Thaxton alongside Fury and Ireland’s European Union Lightweight Champion Andy Murray.

Hot prospects Steve O’Meara, Dwayne Lewis, Lee Purdy, Del Rogers and Bobby Ward also feature on an action packed night of championship boxing. Tickets (£35 Unreserved and £70 Ringside) are available from the Ticketline box office on 0844 888 4402 or via www.ticketline.co.uk.

Amir Khan Public Work-Out

Boxing star Amir Khan is set to thrill shoppers at the Triangle Shopping Centre in Manchester on Sunday 5th July when he performs a free-to-watch public work-out. The young star from Bolton will give fans a special sneak preview of how preparations are going for his big world title challenge at the M.E.N Arena on Saturday 18th July. Khan faces the biggest test of his career when he takes on reigning WBA World Light-Welterweight Champion Andreas Kotelnik who has never been stopped in 36 fights. Watch Khan as he goes through a power-packed training session with his trainer Freddie Roach and see the makings of a world champion!

Amir will be supported at the work-out by rising Manchester prospects Denton Vassell and new sensation Frankie Gavin who both feature on the M.E.N Arena show.

When: Sunday 5th July

Where: Triangle Shopping Centre (Lower Ground Level), Exchange Square, Manchester, M4 3TR

Who: Amir Khan (World title challenger), Denton Vassell (Undefeated welterweight prospect), Frankie Gavin (World Amateur Champion and unbeaten prospect)

Times:
11am-12noon – Denton Vassell

12noon-1pm – Frankie Gavin

1pm-2pm – Amir Khan

Cleverly aiming to become the new Prince of Wales

Nathan Cleverly is confident that he can fill the void in Welsh boxing left by the retirement of Joe Calzaghe. Cleverly, the reigning Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Champ will look to add the British title to his resume when he clashes with Danny McIntosh in London next month.

The two unbeaten fighters will put their perfect records on the line at the York Hall, Bethnal Green in the main event on July 18th with the Hennessy Sports promotion live on ITV4.

Cleverly is confident that he can follow in Calzaghe’s footsteps by winning a British title en route to World honours. “There’s a lot of people talking about me lifting that mantle off Joe Calzaghe and becoming the next big thing from Wales,” said Cleverly. “That’s a pressure I’m happy to take on and I’m thriving under it. I think it will bring out the best in me and I just have to make sure I do the work and keep on winning which I will do.”

The 22-year-old from Cefn Forest says he has studied McIntosh and knows what to expect on July 18th. “I respect what he’s done, he’s an undefeated guy so he obviously doesn’t know how to lose yet. That’s what makes this fight interesting, we’re both undefeated so somebody’s record is going to be damaged.”

Cleverly though is adamant that it will be McIntosh’s unbeaten record coming to an end and not his. “I’m very confident,” revealed Cleverly. “He’s a respectable boxer but I think I’m in a different league to him to be honest. No way am I phased by Danny McIntosh, I’ve sparred bigger and better guys than him and I think it’s a matter of going into the York Hall on July 18th and doing what I do best, remaining unbeaten and bringing the British title away.

Cleverly splits his time between the boxing gym and the lecture theatre as a Mathematics undergraduate at Cardiff University but he says that the build up to the McIntosh fight has been a maths free zone.

“For this fight with McIntosh University won’t be on my mind because of the summer break so I’m going in fresh and 100% focused on this fight. I’ve got one more year to go, that’s my final year and then I graduate.

“It’s not easy, especially around exam time if I have a big fight coming up. In my last fight in particular against Billy Boyle I had exams before the fight, then I had the fight itself and I had two more exams straight after the fight so it was a tricky time but I think I showed in my performance that nothing really phases me. I just had to go into the ring, act professionally and box to the best of my ability.”

Cleverly is currently enjoying a three fight KO streak that has seen him win all his Commonwealth title defences inside the distance and he’s confident of extending that run against McIntosh. “Every fight seems to be getting better for me in terms of knocking people out and if I can take McIntosh out then that will be the icing on the cake for me.”

An action packed undercard at the York Hall features former British and European Lightweight Champ Jon Thaxton, unbeaten Heavyweight sensation Tyson Fury, Ireland’s European Union Lightweight Champion, Andy Murray and contests featuring hot prospects Steve O’Meara, Dwayne Lewis, Lee Purdy, Del Rogers and Bobby Ward.

Tickets priced at £35 (Unreserved) and £70 (Ringside) are available from the Ticketline box office on 0844 888 4402 or via www.ticketline.co.uk.