Prizefighter - the middleweights

[fatman]

Wayne Elcock v Jamie Moore
John Duddy v Steve Bendall
Darren Barker v Howard Eastman
Paul Smith v Matthew Macklin

...who do you fancy?

[whicker]

Is that for real? I new they were doing a middleweights prizefighter, but hadn't seen the boxers.

[Autobarn]

No it's not for real.

This looks real:

http://www.boxrec.com/schedule.php?coun ... &SUBMIT=Go

Saturday 22 November 2008
York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, United Kingdom
commission: British Boxing Board of Control
promoter: Barry Hearn : Matchroom Boxing
matchmaker: Neil Bowers
3x3 middleweight Paul Samuels 18 (11) - 3 (3) - 2
SC ?

bout subject to commission approval / change

3x3 middleweight Cello Renda 15 (9) - 6 (4) - 1
SC ?

bout subject to commission approval / change

3x3 middleweight Martin Murray 9 (3) - 0 (0) - 0
SC ?

bout subject to commission approval / change

3x3 middleweight Steve Ede 9 (4) - 1 (1) - 0
SC ?

bout subject to commission approval / change

3x3 middleweight Danny Butler 13 (3) - 0 (0) - 0
SC ?

bout subject to commission approval / change

3x3 middleweight Joe Rea 6 (4) - 0 (0) - 1
SC ?

bout subject to commission approval / change

3x3 middleweight George Katsimpas 6 (5) - 2 (1) - 0
SC ?

bout subject to commission approval / change

3x3 middleweight Craig Denton 7 (2) - 0 (0) - 0
SC ?

bout subject to commission approval / change

[steve689]

One of the guys from Breen's gym told me the other night that there's a young Irish prospect down for the Middleweight tournament. Can't remember the name though...maybe Joe something

[Asterix]

http://www.boxrec.com/show_display.php?show_id=564313

[steve689]

"Sugar" Joe Rea must of been the one he was on about

[fatman]

the real line up is a pile of s hite in my opinion. and it's undercard to PPV

[Autobarn]

Martin Murray looks quite good. He'll probably be the fave. Has a lot to gain if he wins. British, Commonwealth title shot - he'll be in the mix with Barker & Elcock hopefully & make the domestic scene more exciting.

[fatman]

Renda for the short fight format will be decent to watch.

[Wales]

Martin Murray looks a solid prospect. ber ontersting to see what ahppens if he gets tagged by someone like that greek fella... whats his name... anyway, Murray looks a cracking fighter and this could be the acid test for him.

[Poncey]

Hopefully Steve will be able to avenge his Renda loss. Might be worth a trip up to Stanton country.

[thaibox uk]

Watch out for George Kapsimtas This will suit him down to
the groundand hese already stopped Renda.

[steve689]

Where abouts is this being held sorry?

[WildWaylon]

Wayne Elcock v Jamie Moore
John Duddy v Steve Bendall
Darren Barker v Howard Eastman
Paul Smith v Matthew Macklin

...who do you fancy?

Wrong time of the year for April fools.

[WildWaylon]

Is that for real? I new they were doing a middleweights prizefighter, but hadn't seen the boxers.

Its a bigger wind up than a clockwork orange FFS.

[Wax On]

Jamie Moore should actually enter. Would be easy money as all the other fighters would be guaranteed to injure themselves in some way on the way to the ring.

Murray should win this.

[whiteboy]

are there gonna be any other uk fights as part of the box office?

[Autobarn]

Wayne Elcock v Jamie Moore
John Duddy v Steve Bendall
Darren Barker v Howard Eastman
Paul Smith v Matthew Macklin

...who do you fancy?

as if, most of them have something to lose by going in a free for all like PF. Elcock's British champ, Moore is EBU mandatory, Barker is Commonwealth champ etc etc. A Prize Fighter champ would not be at their level, but would be somewhere in the mix.

[DavidPayne]

are there gonna be any other uk fights as part of the box office?

What 21 rounds of Area title level match ups isn't your bag? Top prize £25k with 8 stories to patch in as fillers?

They could pay a British title fight alone and only get a round.

Prizefighter is a Sky Box-Office dream....

[Asterix]

Martin Murray looks quite good. He'll probably be the fave. Has a lot to gain if he wins. British, Commonwealth title shot - he'll be in the mix with Barker & Elcock hopefully & make the domestic scene more exciting.

Yep, Martin Murray is the favourite. Good call, Autobarn.

http://www.oddschecker.com/other-sports ... izefighter

[bennie]

Craig Denton
Scaffolder Denton raised a few eyebrows earlier this year when he stopped Midland rock Ernie Smith in just two rounds - a man he had previously outscored - and the rangy Hartlepool box-fighter looks a promising, improving entrant at 7-0 (2). Realistically, two wins over Smith and a cuts stoppage of Barnsley southpaw Rob Burton last time out leave Craig untested, and he's fought only once outside the North East as a pro, but Denton, trained by ex-pro Neil Fannan, is a solid, dedicated, unbeaten 27-year-old - he has to be respected.
Craig's younger brother Mark also boxes pro, shades of Hartlepool's most famous boxing brothers, George and John Feeney, who held British titles at the same time.


Paul Samuels
Samuels is the rusty old man of the event at 35 and his best days are presumably behind him, although the Welshman can still whack and he comes off a first-round stoppage of Sale's Mark Nilsen in July. From gritty Newport, home of former heavyweight 'nobbler' Dick Richardson, Paul was nobbled himself by Barnet's unbeaten Darren Barker in the first round in 2006 and has largely idled since, Nilsen win apart.
Still, the lean-looking Samuels actually dropped Barker, now Commonwealth middleweight champion, before Barker took matters into his own hands. Samuels, 18-3-2 (11), just might have one or two surprises in store for his rivals.


George Katsimpas
Katsimpas, a long-time kickboxer, has the strength, aggression and fitness to win a few fans and possibly one or two fights. He went in with the talented and much more experienced Anthony Small in an audacious crack at the Southern Area light-middleweight title earlier this year and gave it a good go before he was halted in the eighth round. The 28-year-old from cosy Somerset, with only eight starts as a pro boxer (six wins), will have learned from it. He can bang and holds a quick win over fellow Prizefighter Cello Renda.
This tournament, and middleweight, offer similar opportunities.


Cello Renda
Renda was stopped in six rounds by Liverpool's Paul Smith in a crack at the English middleweight title earlier this year but, still only 23, he can come again and is undeniably hard-hitting. The Peterborough man blitzed fellow entrant Steve Ede in two rounds to lift the British masters middleweight belt last year, although George Katsimpas handed him a two-round defeat in return. You know, Renda has taken out nine of his 15 victims and starts fast. This format may suit him. True, he is vulnerable to a big shot himself. His appearance on Prizefighter is unlikely to be dull.


Steve Ede
Ede has lost only one of his 10 fights - quickly to Peterborough puncher and fellow Prizefighter Cello Renda last year. Ede, 32, came back with a comprehensive points win over Watford's tough Sherman "Tank" Alleyne in Portsmouth a few months ago and holds a fine 10-round decision over Wolverhampton strongman Conroy McIntosh for the British masters middleweight title, before he dropped the belt to Renda in two rounds, but Renda can do that to anyone at this level. Ede can whack a bit himself and will certainly get stuck into whoever he draws. The strong, rugged Gosport brawler may feel he has something to prove.


Danny Butler
Bristol man Butler is the youngest participant at 21 and growing fast. He went from light-middleweight title to super-middleweight almost overnight but middleweight shouldn't be a problem. Promoted by Jane Couch, Butler brings a record of 13-0 (3), the British masters super-middleweight belt, good support and no fear. He does look like a fine prospect: busy, fit, sharp-hitting, fundamentally sound... While Prizefighter does represent a step-up in opposition for him, Danny could be one of those proverbial dark horses.


Joe Rea
"Sugar" Rea is unbeaten in eight fights (one draw) since turning pro in 2004 in the States where he was trained by "Irish" Micky Ward. Nice resume. Rea made his way back earlier this year but his American grounding holds him in good stead, given the gyms, the competition - everything - over there, and he looks a useful puncher. In truth Rea hasn't fought anyone yet and his one win here came against Welsh journeyman Jamie Ambler in Birmingham in April. The tall 25-year-old from Ballymena in Northern Ireland will also be quite tight at the weight.
Nonetheless, Rea is an interesting addition.


Martin Murray
Unbeaten Murray, "The Power" from St Helens, is hitting hard and stands out as one of the event favourites, although the brief history of Prizefighter tells us such a thing can be a curse. The talented, 26-year-old former ABA champion turned pro last year and reeled off seven wins in nine months, then suffered a hand injury and took a Sabbatical of three months. Since returning in September, Murray has blasted his two opponents and poses a danger to everyone here.
Trained by Oliver Harrison.

[bennie]

Disappointingly, Katsimpas is out, as is Craig Denton (both injured).


Danny Thornton
Leeds man Thornton is nothing if not capable but has the unfortunate habit of losing the big ones. He wins a bunch of fights, earns himself a 'name' opponent and concedes to messrs Scott Dann, Paul Smith, Brian Magee, Steve Roberts... He's been around as a pro since 1997 and will look at his fellow Prizefighters and have absolutely nothing to fear. No big 'names'. Thornton, 30, comes in late but was one of those fighters on 'standby'.
Lack of power might hinder him.



Max Maxwell
"Mad" Max was outscored in a 10-rounder last time out in September but proved competitive and definitely has potential. The 29-year-old Brummie has won seven of his nine fights and carries a dig, destroying Walsall's Matty Hough in three rounds to win the Midlands Area middleweight title but losing it to Hough's stablemate Rob Kenney in that last fight (97-95). Perhaps he went in overconfident. Mentored by by Richie Woodhall, he spars regularly with domestic middleweight star Matt Macklin and has absolutely nothing to lose.

[Podmore_Birmingham]

Max Maxwell
"Mad" Max was outscored in a 10-rounder last time out in September but proved competitive and definitely has potential. The 29-year-old Brummie has won seven of his nine fights and carries a dig, destroying Walsall's Matty Hough in three rounds to win the Midlands Area middleweight title but losing it to Hough's stablemate Rob Kenney in that last fight (97-95). Perhaps he went in overconfident. Mentored by by Richie Woodhall, he spars regularly with domestic middleweight star Matt Macklin and has absolutely nothing to lose.

I've been told by a handful of people that Max was unlucky to lose his belt to Kenney. I was also told that he had Kenney badly hurt on four or five occasions, but held back so not to blow himself out. I would favour him to beat Kenney by stoppage if they were to have a rematch.

I've seen all but one of Maxwell's fights - his loss to Kenney - and think he has a real chance of pulling this off. He has a dig on him, certainly.

Max has also sparred with Renda, and did so for the Hough fight.

[jonp]

Max is looking forward to this and was getting ready for a rematch with Rob that fell thru so will be in shape.