Newark's British and Commonwealth super-bantamweight champion Esham Pickering contests the vacant European title at the weight (vacated by Frenchman Mahyar Monshipour after he won the WBA title) with Italy's Vincenzo Gigliotti in the unlikely setting of Pennington's Nightclub in Bradford this Friday (January 16).
Gigliotti, like Pickering, came up short in a challenge for the 'world' title when outpointed over 12 tough rounds by Salim Medjkoune for the WBA title in his last fight in April 2003 in France.
Pickering was drilled in one by WBO bantamweight champion Mauricio Martinez back in 2000, but got his career back on track by concentrating on legitimate, traditional titles.
He continues in that worthy vein tonight.
And, deservedly, this is something of a win-win fight for him. He has the chance to win the European title on home soil, earn some good money and move on to the world scene if he wins.
If he loses, he'll probably defend his British and Commonwealth titles in a real trade fight with Hartlepool's unbeaten Michael Hunter. Both Brits want the fight.
Esham, nicknamed "Brown Sugar", has been sparrring with WBA international featherweight champ Spend Abazi in Denmark in preparation for this fight, though a tune-up on the Ottke-Reid undercard in Germany in December was cancelled when he came down with a chest infection.
Gigliotti, a 31-year-old from Verretto in Italy, is a stocky, aggressive fighter who challenged Mexico's WBU super-bantamweight champion Carlos Contreras in Italy in December 2000. The fight was action-packed, with both fighters going toe-to-toe throughout. One judge (presumably the Italian) went 114-113 for Gigliotti, but was overruled by scores of 115-112 and 117-110 for Contreras, who had won his title from the previously unbeaten but badly weight-weakened Carlos Navarro.
The local man bounced back to win the WBA international title a year later, though he looked extremely fortunate to retain that crown in his first defence against French fighter Frederic Bonifai, who lost in five rounds to Michael Brodie and was also stopped by former British featherweight champion Roy Rutherford in this country.
British judge Terry O'Connor scored it 116-113 to Bonifai, but the other two judges favoured Gigliotti.
He lost the belt in his next defence to the unremarkable Frenchman Turcay Kaya on a unanimous decision in Italy, but won the Italian title by knocking out Francesco D'Arcangelo with a vicious body shot in round nine and erased the controversey surrounding that first Bonifai win by outscoring him in a rematch in late 2002. Those two wins secured him a shot at the talented Salim Medjkoune for the WBA crown last year in France. The gutsy Italian pressed the action, but southpaw Medjkoune countered smoothly and stood his ground in the final two rounds to rock the challenger and seal a unanimous decision victory by scores of 117-112, 115-113 and 116-111. Gigliotti finished cut over both eyes. He hasn't fought since that challenge last April.
Pickering, 24-3 [8], on the other hand, is on a run of quick, impresssive wins and looked particularly sharp in stopping Ghanaian dangerman Alfred Tetteh in the seventh round in defence of his Commonwealth title in October. Tetteh was no mug, and the champion survived a difficult first couple of rounds before his better technique took over. "I took a little while to get going," he admitted afterwards. "but when I settled down, I felt I got stronger as the fight wore on." Pickering, sitting down on his punches more nowadays, nailed Tetteh in the seventh with a beautifully-timed right uppercut which sent him crashing to the canvas. Tetteh struggled up at eight, but referee Mark Green waved the contest off, much to Tetteh's anger.
Pickering had won the vacant Commonwealth title with an imposing fifth round stoppage of Kenya's Duncan Karanja last February. He seems to be punching harder than ever at super-bantam after struggling to find his natural weight in a career that dates back to 1996. He was outpointed by Jonjo Irwin for the British featherweight title in 1998, suffered that quick knockout at the hands of Mauricio Martinez for the WBO bantamweight title in 2000 (when he looked dead at the weight) - and was robbed in Spain against Alejandro Monzon in a super-featherweight 12-rounder in 2002.
But they remain his only defeats, and the Karanja destruction raised hopes that the 27-year-old who boxes out of Brendan Ingle's illustrious Sheffield stable had found his ideal weight and was ready to live up to his undoubted potential. Sure enough, he added the vacant British super-bantamweight title last July with an equally sharp and powerful performance against hometowner Brian Carr on the Medina-Harrison undercard in Glasgow, flooring the experienced Scot with a big right in the fourth and opening up to force a stoppage moments later. Then came the Tetteh destruction. He's right on top of his game.
"I realised I had to be more vicious and venomous and I've really got the hunger now," he says. "Now I just need people to take me seriously. I've got the ability and it's all beginning to come together."
But Gigliotti, 23-4 (14), looks a rugged fighter. Italian boxing is going through a particularly bad patch at the moment, so he may not be as good as Italians we've seen here in the past (and 10 years ago, Esham would almost certainly have been forced to travel over there for a crack), but there's no guarantee of that.
Vincenzo has a high stoppage ratio, is a particularly good body puncher, and has proven he can fight flat out for 12 rounds. Pickering has stopped his last three and will have height and reach over the short, compact Italian, whose aggression could prove the perfect foil for Pickering's flashy Wincobank boxing skills (Pickering now lives in Sheffield, so will have plenty of support in Bradford). The home man's sharp counters should pile up the points and could even badly cut the visitor. He should make it a hat trick of legitimate titles with a wide points win.
Also on the bill, Canada's Commonwealth bantamweight champion, Steve Molitor, takes on Peacock Gym fighter John Mackay over eight.
This one would have made the perfect Commonwealth defence, what with Mackay being Ugandan and useful, but both needed more time to shift those extra pounds after Christmas. Promoter of the show Jess Harding wanted it as a championship fight, but says it is still a great match.
It is. Molitor won the Commonwealth title with a scintillating 12-round points victory over Nicky Booth early in September 2002 - and has beaten several other good men in his 16-fight career to date (all wins).
In Mackay, though, he meets a real hard man - willing to fight anyone up to super-feather and who has achieved some notable results.
Look no further than his points win over Dazzo Williams - now British featherweight champ - and last-round mauling of future British bantam title challenger, Jamie Yelland.
Mackay, real surname Mukaya, is 22 and has won his last three over the quality likes of Brian Carr, Henry Castle and Chris Hooper to move to 7-3 (3) and No. 4 in the British rankings at super-bantam.
The African has clearly proved himself, but hasn't boxed since upsetting Carr in Scotland in March 2003.
Being such a dangerman, he finds it tough to get work.
Molitor, 23, a pro since May 2000, is all silky movement, defensive mastery and slick punching without being much of a banger (six wins inside). He throws a lot of shots off the back foot and one can see Mackay having to eat up plenty as he tries to pin him down.
The Ugandan has been making a habit of scoring upsets, but we cant see it this time. Molitor, who's a little taller at 5ft 7in, wins comfortably on points.