HATTON PROMOTIONS latest overseas star Zhanat Zhakiyanov is closing in on the European bantamweight title. ‘The Kazakh Kid’ is the number one contender for the EBU belt and expects to become mandatory challenger after the vacant title fight between Bristol’s Lee Haskins and Stephane Jamoye. Zhakiyanov, 24, scored his 18th win in 19 fights at the weekend knocking out useful Timur Shailezov in three rounds..
It was his 11th inside the distance win, and the last punch was delivered with such force that it broke two of hapless Shailezov’s ribs!
Zhakiyanov’s team want Ricky Hatton to train him and hopes to give British fans a glimpse of his punching power in September.
Hatton Promotions European agent Philippe Fondu is part of the team overseeing the red hot prospect’s career, and believe British fans will love his style.
Fondu purred: “In the ring this kid is an animal.
“The Kazak school of boxing has always been a very good one, and they have now some good champions like Beibut Shumenov and Gennady Golovkin.
“Zhakiyanov is a great body puncher and a skilled boxer.
“I want him to come to Manchester, like another of my European fighters Sergey Rabchenko, and be trained by Ricky for the European title challenge.
“I wouldn’t ask Ricky to prepare a kid if I didn’t believe he’s an outstanding talent.”
Matt Hainy meets Kreshnik Qato for the vacant English middleweight title
SENI: Sat 2nd and Sun 3rd June 2012 at London’s ExCeL
Fight fans eager to check out some pugilism over the Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend should head down to SENI, the greatest combat sports show on the planet, where they can watch Matt Hainy take on Kreshnik Qato for the vacant English Middleweight title on Saturday 2nd June over 10 rounds. The showdown takes place at the ExCeL centre, which is the official Olympic venue for all the boxing events.
Qato, whose nickname is ‘The Eagle’ is based in Wembley and originally hails from Albania. He will be keen to clinch the St Georges belt and delight his huge fanbase, especially as Albania hasn’t qualified for the Euro’s this year. The former WBF Middleweight World Champion is managed by Spencer Fearon whose boxing promotion company Hard Knocks will be hosting the professional boxing at SENI.
Fearon said: “The whole Hard Knocks team are really looking forward to the show, it’s great to be able to collaborate with one of the biggest and definitely the greatest combat sports show there is and it’s especially an honour to work with Joe Long. We’ll be brining some of the famous Hard Knocks energy that my fighters and I always bring – which was proven recently when my fighter Darren Hamilton took the British Light Welterweight title after stepping in to fight Ashley Theopane with only five days notice! Hard Knocks for life!”
Hainy recently clinched the biggest fight of his career; beating Luke Robinson for the International Masters title. The 30 year old martial arts instructor from Derby has been sparring with Ryan Rhodes who takes on Sergey Rabchenko for a European title fight later in the month.
Hainy said: “My training was excellent for the Robinson fight and it’s been even better this time. My work rate will be better in this fight and I’m punching harder.”
There is also the highly anticipated comeback of former IBO Light Middleweight title holder, 40 year old Richard ‘the secret’ Williams who takes William Joppy who has held the WBA Middleweight title on three occasions!
Also on the card is Larry Ekundayo, the most exciting talent in British boxing at the moment who will be fighting in what is only his second professional contest. There’s action as 2010 Prizefighter winner Patrick Mendy takes on Geroge Jupp in a Super Middleweight bout. Plus fights from Danny Davis, Alredo Meli and Frankie Monkhouse!
There is also a London ABA event! All of this action takes place within Boxfair, the UK’s only consumer boxing expo that takes place within the SENI show.
SENI offers more boxing for your buck that any other combat sports show on the planet! Punters seeking toe-to-toe action can normally expect to pay anything upwards of £45 for a ticket to a professional boxing match; however visitors purchasing a SENI ticket for only £20 will have access to all parts of the show including the explosive Hard Knocks boxing promotion within Boxfair.
If you needed any more incentive to come along then remember that the SENI 2008 event was the first time David Haye got into Wladimir Klitschko’s face and they had the first of many face-offs. Both David Haye and Derek Chisora normally attend SENI, so could we have another face-off on our hands?
Plus fans can meet many of their past boxing heroes including former Commonwealth, British and World Featherweight champion Colin McMillan who will launch the updated version of his autobiography, Fight the Power at the show.
Herol ‘Bomber’ Graham the former British, Commonwealth and European Middleweight champion boxer will host a skipping exhibition at SENI and talk about his upcoming world record skipping attempt.
Plus there will be appearances from twice World Heavyweight Champion Tim Witherspoon, boxing promoter Frank Maloney and Jane Couch MBE who was the very ever officially licensed British female boxer.