Tag Archives: Shyam Batra

FIGHT REPORT – HILLYARD SECURES WBU CROWN, OZGUL BROTHERS, KHAN AND COUNIHAN IMPRESS IN STYLE

ShyamBatraGeorgeHillyardMarianneMarston6858
From Left to Right: Shyam Batra, George Hillyard and Marianne Marston.

 

Report and Photo: Gianluca (Rio) Di Caro

 

On Friday night boxing fans from around the country made their annual pilgrimage to the York Hall in London for the first event, the Shaym Batra promoted, WBU Championship headed, LEGENDS & PROSPECTS, in the Capital in 2015.

There may have only been five fights, following the loss of both Australian Pierre Karam, who failed to obtain a visa in time to compete for the WBU International Heavyweight title, and the UK’s very own Steven Bendall, whose opponent fell through at the last minute, but the fans, including those that travelled all the way down from Birmingham, to support Antonio Counihan, and Bradford, to support Tasif Khan, must have felt it was well worth it, as it was a truly memorable night of boxing.

Heading up the show was Nazeing, Essex’s George ‘Hit Hard’ Hillyard against a late replacement in the Czech Republic’s Michal Vosyka.

From the off it was Vosyka taking control of the proceedings, the Czech fighter stylishly dominated the early part of the opening round, working off his mighty left hand jab to keep Hillyard at a safe distance.

Hillyard, was more than content to bide his time as Vosyka moved around the ring flicking his jab at Hillyard as soon as he made any move to close the distance.

Don’t get me wrong Hillyard did land some shots early on, but it wasn’t until around the second minute mark that the Essex lad managed to make any real impact but when he did it was with one of his trademark right hand exocets, a fantastic shot that virtually stooped the Czech in his tracks.

In a flash Hillyard let rip at the disoriented Vosyka with a sensational double handed assault to send him down to the canvas.

Vosyka boxed beautifully in the opening minute or so of the second stanza, albeit a little more cautiously, his constant strong jabs and double handed flurries left Hillyard no option but to play the waiting game once more, looking for an opening so that he could let a big right hand go.

More of the same in the third, but as in the first Vosyka made the fatal error of giving Hillyard the opportunity to capitalize on an opening, Hillyard’s no slouch, he was in there like a flash, letting rip first with a big right and then a double handed barrage to send Vosyka to the canvas for the second time.

Vosyka was much, much more cautious in the fourth, he was also more open than previously, which provided Hillyard even more opportunities to punish him big time.

Hillyard backed Vosyka towards the corner before letting rip with powerful lefts and rights before letting rip with a lightning quick left to the body, Vosyka had no option but to take to one knee, in order to get his breath back.

The moment referee Mickey Vann finished count, Hillyard literally shot across the ring and let rip with a massive right hand to the head, as Vosyka reeled back, off balance and heading back to the canvas, Hillyard let rip with a massive right to the head, sending Vosyka down and out fro the count.

Referee Mickey Vann was down at the side of the prone Vosyka in a flash, as was the ringside doctor and paramedics as a hush fell over the hallowed York Hall.

A minute or so later the silence was shattered as a round of applause from the crowd rang out, as Vosyka was helped to his feet.

Once Vosyka was given the all clear by the ringside medical team, MC Steve Holdsworth made the official announcement, which was followed by the WBU International Championship belt being presented to a clearly elated Hillyard by WBU Ambassador Marianne Marston.

Chief support see the stylish, unbeaten, Hackney based Turk Siar Ozgul step down a weight to Welter as well as undertake his first six rounder, against super tough competition in the form of Czech Republic’s Vladimir Fecko.

 

Right from the off Ozgul secured control of centre ring, utilizing his seriously strong jab to great effect, Fecko though was intent on wrestling control from the young Turk, which lead to some fantastic toe to toe action.

 

Both protagonists stepped up the pace in the second stanza, Ozgul really seemed to get into a flow, allowing himself to make some decent openings to test the mettle of the Czech lad, as he let rip with solid body shots.

 

More of the same in the next couple of rounds, but by round five Ozgul, who was well ahead on referee Ken Curtis’ scorecard, really went for it, what a round, Ozgul showcased his immense skills in fine style, picking off Fecko at every opportunity, from an array of angles.

 

Fecko, who was well aware to win he needed a knockout, came out hard and fast for the final round, Ozgul firmly stood his ground and what followed could only be described as a toe to toe battle royale ensued for virtually the whole round, much to the delight of the ~York Hall faithful.

 

After six sensational rounds of boxing referee Ken Curtis’ scorecard read a shut out 60-54 points victory for the younger Ozgul brother – although have to say Fecko made this fight what it was, yes Ozgul out-boxed him to secure each round but Fecko deserves praise for his performance also.

 

Prior to the third bout of the event MC Steve Holdsworth introduced a special guest to MC the bout, none other that sixties super star singer and actor Jess Conrad OBE, who then announced that it would be Siar Ozgul’s older sibling, Onder, that would be next in action, against Czech Republic’s Karel Horejsek, in a four round Light Heavyweight contest.

 

Without doubt the fight of the night, younger sibling’s Siar fight was first class, but Onder’s was to another level altogether.

 

It was an out and out war, it was all action from start to finish, with neither protagonist being willing to concede any ground whatsoever.

 

For the full twelve minutes of ring time, these two just went hammer and tongs at each other and for large amount of the time they seemed tied to each other as they fought it out at close quarters.

 

Praise has to be lavished on both Ozgul and Horejsek for such a magnificent display of the pugilistic arts, unfortunately there has to be a winner and a loser and it came as no surprise to anyone that Referee Ken Curtis scored each round in favour of Ozgul, as virtually every punch he threw not only landed but were by far the most meaningful, however as I said you can’t take anything away from the Czech lad as he made this fight what it was, he really came with one intention, to win, just this time he was against one of the toughest Light Heavyweights around, well the Turkish fans don’t call Onder ‘Little’ Mike (a comparison in style with ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson) for nothing.

 

The second fight of the night see the return of Bradford’s Tasif Khan to the ring, following a two year sabbatical from the sport, where he faced Richard Voros, a highly experienced boxer and kick-boxer from Hungary, in a four round Super Bantamweight contest.

 

Voros sprung from his corner as soon as the opening bell rang and went straight on the attack, forcing Khan to cover up, however it didn’t take the Khan too long to turn things around, with a good strong jab, before letting rip with a scintillating double handed flurry, which forced the Hungarian to cover up.

 

With the bit between his teeth Khan took full advantage by letting rip with super fast combinations at will.

 

The power and accuracy of Khan’s shots paid dividends almost immediately and on around the thirty second mark Voros was unceremoniously sent to the canvas for the first time with a massive right.

 

Khan really started to get into a rhythm, so much so picking off Voros with powerful shots to body and head with impunity, albeit for only a short while as on just before the minute mark he let rip with another cracking right to send Voros to the canvas for a second time.

 

Voros made it to his feet, only to be subjected to another huge barrage of punches, which forced Voros to cover up in a vain hope of making it to the end of the round, no chance, Khan just kept up the barrage until referee Ken Curtis had seen enough and stepped in to save the Hungarian from any further damage on the sixty fifth second mark.

 

The opening bout of the night featured one of, if not, the top British young Lightweight prospects, Birmingham’s Antonio Counihan, in a six rounder, against Hungary’s David Kis.

 

Counihan, who came into the fight with an unbeaten in four pro outings record, put in another World class performance, yes this kid is that good, out-boxing Kis, a twenty-five fight veteran, with ease from start to the early finish.

 

Counihan controlled the bout from the start, in doing so showcased the skills that not only earned him a place on the England amateur squad but also the accolade of becoming the England team captain.

 

Rounds one and two were more like an exhibition by Counihan, seemingly picking off his more experienced opponent at ease, his punches were clinical and powerful to the extreme, so much so that Kis made a visit to the canvas in both the first and second round.

 

By midway through the third Counihan stepped up the pace a little, in doing so put Kis way outside his comfort zone that the Hungarian had no option but to just cover up and hope that he could make it to the end of the round, unfortunately for him unsuccessfully, as on the two minute and fifteen second mark Counihan landed a peach of a right hand to send Kis to the deck for the third and final time.

 

The Brummie youngster has really taken to the pro game in style, Kis is no walkover, by a longshot yet Counihan made it look far too easy and his record now stands at five bouts, five wins, four by stoppage finish.

 

These were great performances, not just from the home fighters, praise must go to all the opponents too, more so to the likes of Karel Horejsek and Vladimir Fecko, who really did bring their A game, but each of the opponents came and did their best, just Counihan, Khan, the Ozgul brothers and Hillyard were just plain sensational on the night.

 

If this is the standard of events we can expect in 2015, I for one can’t wait for the next – bring it on!

 

Praise For Counihan Ahead Of Jan 30th London Showdown With Kis

 

Solihull’s Antonio Counihan has a date with destiny this coming Friday, when he faces Hungary’s David Kis, on the Shyam Batra promoted LEGENDS & PROSPECTS event at York Hall in Bethnal Green, London on the 30th January.

A good solid win this Friday is sure to set 23 year old Antonio firmly on course for a shot at either a domestic or International title later this year, even though this will be only his fifth professional bout.

Antonio’s excellent amateur pedigree is already well documented, former England captain, oodles of domestic and international accolades overflowing in his trophy cabinet etc, but it’s his impressive performances since turning pro, in October 2013, that make this youngster stand out head and shoulders above his peers in the Lightweight division.

Four outings, four victories is not that unusual for any upcoming prospect, but it’s not just these wins that makes him such a standout, it’s the way he totally outclassed and dominated each and every one of his opponents from start to finish, so much so that three of his opponents failed to go the distance, with just the one, Marcin Ficner, managing to hang on to hear the final bell, albeit losing by a shut out 40-36 points margin.

With these four excellent wins under his belt, it comes as no surprise that Antonio has been making a serious impression on a number of luminaries of the sport, including one of the most respected manager/coaches in the business, Champion TKO’s Johnny Eames, who clearly believes that young Antonio is already a genuine Championship contender, as he made clear when he spoke earlier.

“What can I say about Antonio Counihan, this kid is really special.

Like I said previously Antionio is the jewel in the crown, unfortunately he doesn’t box on a British Board of Control license, that’s one of those things, that’s the British Boxing Board of Control’s loss, not anybody else’s.

He’ll definitely, definitely will end up a Champion of some sort, that’s no doubt, we’re talking about this coming season, not the next seasons or whatever.

Top class international amateur, unbeaten in four as a pro and has looked better and better each fight.

A lot of praise goes to his father Paul and trainer Jon Pegg, who bring him fully prepared each time, he has a great following, his fans are fantastic, they come down from Birmingham each time he fights in London, which ain’t cheap and they are very, very vociferous with their support.

Looking forward to seeing him fight on the 30th, always excellent value for the money, this time will be no different, he’s a class act.”

Following the praise lavished upon him, by the esteemed Mr. Eames’, Antonio seemed a little taken aback when he spoke.

“I don’t know what to say, thank you, I can’t thank Johnny enough for what he has done for my career already, as well as what he has planned for me in the future, I’m lost for words, what can I say, thanks Johnny.”

Antonio then steered the conversation to the upcoming showdown with David Kis at York Hall on Friday as well as touched on the possibility of a title fight in Birmingham later this year.

“Yeah, off to London again this Friday, I can’t wait.

Everything’s been going really well, training’s been very good and all the fans have been buying tickets again, yeah looking forward to it, can’t wait to get in there again.

I know David’s (Kis) record, he has a half/half record, but I’ve never seen him box or anything, so don’t really know too much about him, I do my thing so don’t really need to know much about him.

Hopefully I’ll get a title fight soon, I don’t know the timing of it but yeah I’m ready when my team says I am, I did a six rounder last time out and have a six rounder this time too, so yeah definitely ready for a title fight when the team says I’m ready.

I’d love to fight for the title in Birmingham, I haven’t fought here for a while now, even my last amateur fights were internationals, for England and Great Britain, in fact I can’t remember the last time I fought in Birmingham.

I’d sell a lot of tickets if it was here, I sell a lot of tickets for London but would sell a lot more, I always get people coming up to me saying to let them know when I next fight in Birmingham, so if I fought here I would sell some big numbers, it would be a massive difference.”

Antonio Counihan versus David Kis will feature on the Shyam Batra promoted ‘LEGENDS & PROSPECTS event, headlined by George Hillyard versus Michal Vosyka WBU International Middleweight title clash, that takes place at York Hall in Bethnal Green, London, on Friday, 30th January 2015.

Sanctioning for this event will be provided courtesy of the Malta Boxing Commission (MBC) –www.maltaboxingcommission.com

Tickets, priced £30 (Standard Seated), £40 (Gallery) and £65 (Ringside) – are available direct from Paul Counihan – tel: 07976 735729 – from any of the boxers taking part in the event, on-line at www.tkoboxoffice.com or call the box office on 07960 850645

 

The Incredible Fighting Turks – Ozgul Brothers Return To York Hall On Jan 30th

On Friday 30th January boxing fans in London will once again be making their way to the famous York Hall in Bethnal Green, London for the first pro boxing event in the Capital of the New Year – the Shyam Batra promoted ‘Legends and Prospects’, headlined by the Hillyard-Vosyka for the WBU International Middleweight Championship.

 

A large majority that will be making their regular pilgrimage to the shrine of the pugilistic arts in the Capital, will be doing so to support two Hackney based, Turkish born youngsters, Siar and Onder Ozgul.

 

Over the past year or so the brothers have been building quite a reputation for themselves, as two of the most exciting, all action fighters in the Capital, their fan base has been growing at an incredible rate, so much so that as soon as it is announced they will be boxing on an event, their ticket allocation is usually sold out in a matter of days.

 

So just what makes these two lads so special and such a draw for fight fans you may ask, well for a start the older of the two, Onder, was dubbed ‘Little’ Mike by the Turkish fight fans back in his homeland, as he has is likened, fight style, to a certain ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson.

 

He was a regular member of the Turkish team that competed on the ‘World Series Of Boxing’ circuit, as well as racked up a numerous national and international accolades as an amateur.

 

Younger sibling, Siar, who also has a trophy cabinet crammed to the gills with the trophies and medals from his amateur career, is a little more refined in his boxing style, but still as with Onder presents an incredible forceful style of boxing that his opponents find very hard to cope with.

 

With five top class wins already under his belt, young Siar is the first to be stepping up to six rounders, as his team begin focusing on preparing him for the rigors of Championship boxing in the near future.

 

Following a normal day at the office, at the recently rebranded Champions TKO Gym in Hackney, Onder, Siar and their well known coach, former Commonwealth Lightweight Champion Mo Hussein, took a little time to talk about their upcoming fights as well as what the future may hold for the young stars.

 

Onder was the first to speak, “I’m comfortable with my training, I’m feeling really good and I’m determined to give a very good performance.

 

I don’t know about my opponent, I know he will come to fight and that is good for the fans, I’m ready for him and that’s good for the fans.

 

I’m ready to move forward, I came to England to fight for titles, I want to fight for titles that’s why I box, in the past things have happened that stopped me progressing but now I’m ready.

 

I’m not looking to be just an area champion, I want to be British, European and more than anything to be the World Champion.

 

When I am training that’s in my mind, train like a champion, I have big targets, I will be Champion.

 

The fans call me ‘Little Mike’ and I will not let them down, just like Mike Tyson I will be the Champion of the World, it doesn’t matter who they put in front of me I will win, boxing is my life.”

 

The highly affable Siar then spoke, “I have no problems moving up to six rounds, I was ready for six rounds before.

 

Now the opportunity has come up I’m very comfortable to do six rounds, even when I boxed at Light Middleweight, now I’m Welterweight I’m more ready than ever.

 

My aims are the same as Onder, I want to be World Champion, I will fight the best I can and earn the right to fight for titles.

 

God willing I will get the chance to fight for a title this year, English or International, I don’t care I just want to fight for a title as soon as Mo (Hussein) says I’m ready.

 

I’m ready for whoever they put in front of me to fight, I’m ready, no problem.

 

I’m happy with everything Mo is doing in training, I’m really, really happy, he’s a top trainer.”

 

Finally a smiling Mo Hussein spoke briefly about his young charges. “My thoughts on the two boys is I think they are both excellent prospects, I think the sky’s the limit and they are going to go all the way to the top.

 

They’ve already proved themselves, they train hard, they fight hard and live the life, there’s nothing to stop them.

 

The transition to the new Champions TKO Gym has been easy for them, it’s a nice gym and it’s local to them, it’s a bit more traveling for me but as long as the fighters are happy, I’m happy.”

Onder Ozgul versus Karel Horejsek and Siar Ozgul versus Vladimir Fecko will feature on the Shyam Batra promoted ‘LEGENDS & PROSPECTS event, headlined by George Hillyard versus Michal Vosyka WBU International Middleweight title clash, that takes place at York Hall in Bethnal Green, London, on Friday, 30th January 2015.

Sanctioning for this event will be provided courtesy of the Malta Boxing Commission (MBC) –www.maltaboxingcommission.com

Tickets, priced £30 (Standard Seated), £40 (Gallery) and £65 (Ringside) – are available direct from Tasif – tel: 07756 311857 – from any of the boxers taking part in the event, on-line at www.tkoboxoffice.com or call the box office on 07960 850645

 

Shyam Batra Presents LEGENDS & PROSPECTS

30th January 2015 @ York Hall, London

London – Wednesday, 21st January 2015

Khan Returns To The Fray On Jan 30th – Faces Voros at York Hall In London

 

On Friday 30th January 2015, Bradford’s Tasif Khan makes his most welcome return to the fray, following a two year sabbatical from the sport, when he faces Hungarian Richard Voros on the Shyam Batra promoted Legends & Prospects event at York Hall in London.

 

First time around Tasif, who turned professional in 2005, proved not only to be an exciting prospect but also highly popular with the fans, so much so that after just his sixth fight young Khan became a regular on events, at the Reebok Stadium in Bradford and at the M. E.N. Arena in Manchester, promoted by Ricky Hatton, including the Amir Khan versus Paul McCloskey WBA World Championship bout in April 2011.

 

For his return bout Tasif is set to face the Hungarian #4 ranked Richard Voros, a tough globe trotting fighter, who is more than comfortable competing in his opponents own backyards, including those in the UK, such as current IBF Inter-Continental Super Flyweight Champion Khalid Yafai, who he fought back in 2012.

 

Speaking from his Bradford home Tasif spoke briefly about his impending return to the ring on the 30th January.

 

“I’m really looking forward to the fight, I’ve been itching to be back in, it’s been way too long I’ve been out of the ring.

 

Mentally I feel good, physically I feel good and I’m more motivated and more hungry than ever.

 

I don’t know too much about Richard Voros, other than he’s an experienced fighter, I know he’s had quite a few fights and has fought all over in a number of countries.

 

I don’t doubt he’s going to bring his A-Game, so am I and I’m hoping to put on a really good display for my comeback fight.

 

This fight means so much to me, almost as much as when I fought at the M.E.N. on the undercard of Amir Khan-Paul McCloskey.

 

That was a great experience, I’ll never forget that night as long as I live, it was a great experience and great people.

 

I get on really well with Amir Khan and his family, they are great people, they really made it a great experience for me, all of it even during the build up to the fight.

 

I put in a really good performance on the night, it went really well and was a great experience and puts me in a good position for fights in the future, hopefully get to fight on more big events like that in the future.

 

At the time I didn’t really take it all in because of the moment of the fight and everything like that.

 

This should be a really good night and will be the first time I have fought at York Hall, really looking forward to that, as well as watching George Hillyard when he fights for the WBU International title.

 

I would like to say thank you to all my fans for traveling down to London, I know it’s a fair trek so really appreciate everyone for their support, whether they make it or not.

 

My family and friends have been great, by my side from day one, even with the absence I’ve had I’ve still had great support from everyone and want to say that I am dedicating this fight to my fans because they have been great and stood by me.

 

Also a big thank you to my sponsors Kingsland Business Recovery and Vyomax Nutrition, they have been great from day one, even through my absence and the injuries that have kept me out of the ring.

 

Finally I’d like to say thank you to Rio (Malta Boxing Commission VP Gianluca Di Caro) and Johnny (Champions TKO head honcho Johnny Eames) for their support and the work they have been putting in behind the scenes, it’s much appreciated, cheers.”

Tasif Khan versus Richard Voros will feature on the Shyam Batra promoted ‘LEGENDS & PROSPECTS event, headlined by George Hillyard versus Michal Vosyka WBU International Middleweight title clash, that takes place at York Hall in Bethnal Green, London, on Friday, 30th January 2015.

Sanctioning for this event will be provided courtesy of the Malta Boxing Commission (MBC) –www.maltaboxingcommission.com

Tickets, priced £30 (Standard Seated), £40 (Gallery) and £65 (Ringside) – are available direct from Tasif – tel: 07756 311857 – from any of the boxers taking part in the event, on-line at www.tkoboxoffice.com or call the box office on 07960 850645