It was announced earlier today that Malta Boxing Commission (MBC) and the Professional Boxing Association (PBA) have inked a deal, that will not only mean that the hugely popular British Masters Championship, but also the as well as the all new European Masters Championship, that is being created specifically for the MBC, can now be campaigned for on MBC sanctioned events in the United Kingdom for the first time.
For the past sixteen years or so, both the British and International Masters Championships have only been available on British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) sanctioned events in the UK, however with the MBC’s rapid growth in the United Kingdom, projected to be sanctioning in excess of forty events in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in 2015, it became clear to PBA Chairman Mr Bruce Baker that there was potential for further growth for the Championships if they were also available on MBC sanctioned events.
Over the past sixteen years or so there have been close to six hundred Masters title fights that have taken place in the UK, many of the Masters Champions have then gone on to campaign for major accolades on the domestic, international and even the World stage.
The most famous of these Masters Champions is no less than former two division WBO World Champion Ricky Burns, who after winning the International Masters Super Featherweight title against Romania’s Gheorghe Ghiompirica in May 2008, was catapulted onto the International stage, where in his very next bout the Scotsman successfully challenged American based Ghanaian Osumanu Akaba for the vacant Commonwealth title.
Burn’s successfully defended the Commonwealth crown three times before moving onto the World scene, where he then successfully challenged then WBO World Super Featherweight Champion Roman Martinez from Puerto Rico.
Once more Burn’s successfully defended his WBO World Super Featherweight crown three times before moving up a division and beating Australia’s Michael Katsidis for the interim WBO World Lightweight title in November 2011.
On his very next fight Burn’s secured the full WBO World Lightweight title, beating Namibia’s Paulus Moses at the Braehead Arena in Glasgow in March 2012.
Burn’s successfully defended his second World title four times before succumbing to the skills of Omaha, USA’s Terence Crawford in March 2014.
With such an illustrious Championship career blossoming from Burns’ first tilt at a title, there can be no doubt of the importance of the Masters titles on the domestic scene, something that now can also benefit the boxers, both British and those from overseas that box on the UK events sanctioned by the MBC.
The inaugural Masters Championship, that will take place on an MBC sanctioned event in the UK, sees Czech Republic’s Nikolas Botos challenge Bradford’s Tasif Khan for the International Masters Bantamweight title on the Mark Lyons and Billy James-Elliott promoted event which takes place at York Hall in London on Saturday May 2nd.
Nullam XXXV, precij (Latin sessio) et £ LXV (Nazgul) praesto sint directa ab aliquo de pugilibus qui intersunt, on-line at www.tkoboxoffice.com or call the TKO ticket line on 07960 850645
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