British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion Tyson Fury will return to the ring on September 17 at the iconic venue of the King's Hall in Belfast, fresh from his electrifying victory over Dereck Chisora at Wembley Arena last month.
Fury's opponent will be named next week in Belfast at a press conference at the King's Hall on Wednesday (24 August) when Hennessy Sports will also have the undercard in attendance for this Channel 5 screened show.
It had been hoped that Fury would face former Commonwealth heavyweight champion Martin Rogan in a British, Commonwealth and Irish title fight but a new opponent must be found after the Belfast man refused to fight Fury.
Fury commented: "I'm very disappointed in Martin because he was at my fight with Chisora in London and said right after that he wanted the fight. He was made a massive offer, he was getting the chance to fight in Belfast, he said he was going to beat me senseless and yet he walked away.
"In my opinion that is just the mentality of a bully boy. He talked the talk but he couldn't walk the walk which must be embarrassing for him in Belfast. I know he lost twice to Sam Sexton in Belfast and maybe he didn't want to get beaten up again in Belfast.
"But the Irish fans will know when they see me box in Belfast that they're looking at the best Irish heavyweight around and I'm not going to walk away from any challenge. I'm going all the way to the World heavyweight title."
Promoter Mick Hennessy commented: "The fight fans in Belfast can expect a great night's boxing on September 17. Tyson Fury is the new star of Irish and World boxing and he's very proud of his Irish roots so that's why he wants to box in Belfast.
"We all know the history surrounding the King's Hall so it's a privilege for Tyson to fight there. We'll officially finalize everything next week."
Theresa Morrissey, Financial and Commercial Director at the King’s Hall said, “The Complex is delighted to welcome Hennessy Sports to the venue for the first time. The King’s Hall is the home of high profile boxing matches in Northern Ireland and we look forward to lots of entertainment on the night.”
To add spice to this already great event, former WBC Light Welterweight Champion Junior "The Hitter" Witter will be in action against Northern Ireland's former Irish champion Stephen Haughian over 10 rounds.
Joining these fighters at the King's Hall will be a host of talented boxers including Kid Galahad, Phill Fury, Ryan Greene, Willie Thomspson, Tommy Tolan, Phil Townsley and Kevin O'Hara.
Undercard to date:
12 x 3 min rounds - Tyson Fury (Galway / Nutts Corner) vs. TBA
10 x 3 min rounds - Junior Witter (Sheffield) vs. Stephen Haughian (Lurgan)
8 x 3 min rounds - Ryan Greene (Lurgan) vs. Willie Thompson (Ballyclare)
6 x 3 min rounds - Kid Galahad (Sheffield) vs. TBA
6 x 3 min rounds - Phill Fury (Lancaster) vs. TBA
6 x 3 min rounds - Tommy Tolan (Belfast) vs. Philip Townsley
6 x 3 min rounds - Kevin O'Hara (Belfast) vs. TBA
The Official Press Conference will be held at the Kings Hall from 12pm on Wednesday 24th August.
If you would like to attend the press conference please RSVP to [email protected].
Official Press Conference
Wednesday 24th August
11.30pm for 12pm start
The Octagon Suite,
King's Hall Complex,
Balmoral,
Belfast,
BT9 6GW.
Tickets will be on sale next week priced at £28.00, £50 and £100 from the Ticketmaster box office on 0844 277 4455 (24 hour). Tickets are also available in person from the Ticketmaster outlets, and online from http://www.ticketmaster.ie.
