Lawrence Okolie vs. David Light | Sky Sports - 25 March 2023

[maverick23]

I’ll go head to head with Heaney-Flatley rematch on BT Sport.

Probably be more at Heaney!
Why is The Sauce on at Manchester?

Makes no sense.

Undercard is poor at this stage too with only one confirmed opponent being Rydell Booker against Clarke.

Catterall announced for it but no opponent at this stage doesn’t bode very well.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[margaret thatcher]

nice airbrushing of oko

[ashall2]

You know it’s a crap card when the opponent of the main event doesn’t even make the poster.

Should have done this at the Copper Box or Wembley Arena.

[Ruthless-RKO]

You know it’s a crap card when the opponent of the main event doesn’t even make the poster.

Should have done this at the Copper Box or Wembley Arena.

London arena’s might have been booked out

[Ruthless-RKO]

Unbeaten Central Area Super Middleweight champion Callum Simpson joins BOXXER

Simpson: “I’ve knocked out my last eight opponents and the last five haven’t gone past the second round”

BOXXER has signed undefeated Central Area Super Middleweight champion Callum Simpson (10-0, 8KO) to an exclusive long-term promotional agreement, it was announced today.

The Yorkshire powerhouse will make his debut at the upcoming BOXXER event taking place Saturday, March 25th at the AO Arena Manchester in a bout which will air live in the UK on Sky Sports.

Fighting out of Barnsley, Simpson, 26, has scored eight of his ten wins inside the distance and secured the Central Area title in October last year with a stunning second-round stoppage which started with a lightning-fast flurry and ended with a fight-finishing right uppercut.

Simpson started training in amateur boxing at the age of 10 and turned professional in 2019, training for some time alongside former world champion Josh Warrington at Dicky’s Gym in Batley, Yorkshire.

“I’m incredibly excited to join the BOXXER stable. I was blown away when I visited the Smith vs Eubank event with my manager and ever since that night I’ve thought of nothing but walking out into an arena like that. It was incredible,” said Simpson.

“I think the fans are really going to like my style. I’ve knocked out my last eight opponents and the last five haven’t gone past the second round - I like to get the job done quickly.

“I’m the current Central Area champion and I’m looking to collect more belts this year. So everyone in the super-middleweight division, I’m putting you all on notice!”

BOXXER CEO and Founder Ben Shalom said Simpson was an obvious signing for the brand. “There’s been a lot of talk in British boxing about Callum Simpson. He’s a crowd-pleasing fighter with potential to go far. He has a big fanbase in his hometown of Barnsley and we think he’ll be a huge hit with fans across the UK and beyond. We’re looking forward to seeing what he can achieve, starting on March 25 at the AO Arena in Manchester.”

Tickets for BOXXER Fight Night on Saturday, March 25 go on sale at midday on Friday, February 17 via Boxxer.com.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Press Release

A English championship bout, two Olympians and the promotional debut of an exciting super middleweight prospect have today been announced for the undercard of the BOXXER Fight Night: Manchester event taking place Saturday March 25 at the AO Arena.

Headlined by Lawrence Okolie (18-0, 14 KO’s) defending his WBO World Cruiserweight Championship against undefeated, 2014 Commonwealth Games silver medallist David Light (20-0, 12 KO’s), today’s announcements revealed a March card packed with quality from top to bottom.

English title fights have a deserved reputation for producing some of the most exciting contests in boxing and that tradition looks set to continue in the evening’s chief support bout when Michael Gomez Jr (18-1, 5 KO’s) and Levi Giles (13-0, 3 KO’s) enter the ring to contest the vacant English Super-Featherweight Championship.

Gomez Sr was a firm favorite of fight fans in his home city of Manchester thanks to his all-action, no-nonsense fighting style. His son Gomez Jr - the current Central Area Super-Featherweight title holder - is continuing the family business and will have the Manchester Arena crowd behind him for his English title tilt.

Manchester’s storied arena played host to many a Gomez Sr bout and also hosted Gomez Jr’s professional debut in 2014, making it a fitting scene for his bout against the undefeated Grimsby man Giles, who is taking the first title shot of his career in this ten-round contest.

Hard-hitting heavyweight prospect Frazer ‘Big Fraze’ Clarke (5-0, 4 KO’s) - a bronze medallist for Great Britain at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics - is another fighter who counts Manchester’s arena as his second home, with three of his five professional bouts to date having taken place there.

His sixth outing is by far his toughest test to date. Experienced American Rydell Booker (27-7-1, 14 KO’s) has shared the ring with some of the biggest names in the sport. He lost a decision to Hall of Fame heavyweight James Toney in a 2004 world heavyweight title fight and went the distance with the highly-accomplished Filip Hrgovic and Kubrat Pulev.

Clarke’s fellow 2020 Olympic bronze medallist Karriss Artingstall - now 2-0 in the professional ranks - also returns to the ring in Manchester, with her opponent set to be confirmed in the coming days.

Hotly-tipped super-middleweight prospect Callum Simpson (10-0, 8 KO’s) - the reigning Central Area champion - recently signed an exclusive promotional agreement with BOXXER. Yorkshireman Simpson trained alongside former world champion Josh Warrington when he entered the professional ranks and has stopped 80% of his opponents thus far.

Other names confirmed for the March 25th card today include Welsh featherweight Rhys Edwards (13-0), who faces Liverpool’s Brian Phillips (12-3, 3 KO’s), and the return to the BOXXER ring of welterweight Samuel ‘True Sensation’ Antwi (14-2, 6 KO’s), middleweight Aaron McKenna (15-0, 8 KO’s) and former Team GB member and Tri-Nations amateur champion Harvey Lambert (1-0), with opponents for the trio to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

The confirmed card for BOXXER Fight Night: Manchester is as follows – with more to come:

12 x 3 mins WBO World Cruiserweight Championship
Lawrence Okolie vs David Light

10 x 3 mins Vacant English Super-Featherweight Contest
Michael Gomez Jr vs Levi Giles

8 x 3 mins Heavyweight Contest
Frazer Clarke vs Rydell Booker

6 x 2 mins Featherweight Contest
Karriss Artingstall vs Linzi Buczynski

6 x 3 mins Super-Middleweight Contest
Callum Simpson vs TBA

8 x 3 mins Middleweight Contest
Aaron McKenna vs TBA

6 x 3 mins Welterweight Contest
Samuel Antwi vs TBA

6/8 x 3 mins Featherweight Contest
Rhys Edwards vs Brian Phillips

4 x 3 mins Super Welterweight Contest
Harvey Lambert vs TBA

[margaret thatcher]

very meh so far

[gregregegg]

very poor. Might be time to ring Dave Allen for the long awaited lenroy thomas trillogy.... (jokes aside it would be the fight id want to see most if it were on the card....)

[maverick23]

very meh so far

Yeah. Outside of the PPV it feels like a really soft start to the year for Boxxer.

[garethhop]

Interested in the main event and nothing else.

[tony1234]

Who is remotely interested in Kariss Artingsall ?

[mickey1975]

Neither Gomez or Big Fraze will win British titles in my opinion. Fraze is being way overpaid for his ability.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Neither Gomez or Big Fraze will win British titles in my opinion. Fraze is being way overpaid for his ability.

What's he being paid?

[maverick23]

Interested in the main event and nothing else.

I’m not even that bothered in that as I just think it’ll be a comfortable win for Okolie.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Might be a decent fight.

[mickey1975]

Neither Gomez or Big Fraze will win British titles in my opinion. Fraze is being way overpaid for his ability.

What's he being paid?

Not sure.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Neither Gomez or Big Fraze will win British titles in my opinion. Fraze is being way overpaid for his ability.

What's he being paid?

Not sure.

I think he'll win the British belt..

[garethhop]

Interested in the main event and nothing else.

I’m not even that bothered in that as I just think it’ll be a comfortable win for Okolie.

I agree, but when a world champ has been out for 12 months and given that he's either a KO artist or scrappy as anything (and sometimes both), I'm intrigued. Same with the Joshua main event, it should be v straightforward given the difference in levels, but it's worth watching.

[maverick23]

Interested in the main event and nothing else.

I’m not even that bothered in that as I just think it’ll be a comfortable win for Okolie.

I agree, but when a world champ has been out for 12 months and given that he's either a KO artist or scrappy as anything (and sometimes both), I'm intrigued. Same with the Joshua main event, it should be v straightforward given the difference in levels, but it's worth watching.

Yeah - I’ll still watch as I do with pretty much all of the televised boxing. It’s just not one I’m pumped for like I have been for a few other shows this year.

[margaret thatcher]

okolie will deal with light easily, light not even with a puncher's chance. no interest for me there

[jameswilson]

Neither Gomez or Big Fraze will win British titles in my opinion. Fraze is being way overpaid for his ability.

What's he being paid?

Not sure.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Frankie Stringer returns on this card

[Ruthless-RKO]

Rumours that Jack Catterall will no longer appear on this card

[skanksta]

Who is remotely interested in Kariss Artingsall ?

Lauren Price