Eminent MMA promoter Mark Lyons has linked up with Britain’s youngest professional boxing promoter, eighteen year old Billy James-Elliott to create a new professional boxing promotions outfit – Wise Guys Promotions.
Their first event, titled LORDS OF THE RING, will take place at the famed York Hall, In Bethnal Green, London on Saturday, 2nd May 2015, and will be headlined by the vacant MBC International Welterweight Championship battle between Siar Ozgul and Matt Scriven.
Hackney based Ozgul and Nottingham’s Scriven are old foes, having fought each other as recently as October last year.
It was an all action, closely fought small hall classic, an enthralling, intense four rounds of toe-to-toe action, so much so that when Scriven approached both the event promoters and Ozgul’s management asking if he could be considered as Ozgul’s opponent for the title fight, all parties agreed in an instant.
Who wouldn’t, these two put on a magnificent display of the pugilistic arts, not too dissimilar to the classic Mickey Ward-Arturo Gatti trilogy of fights from 2002/3.
Control of the fight switched between the two warriors throughout, both gave their all for every second of every round, much to the appreciation of those in attendance, as was clear when the bout was voted the Fight of the Night and a clear contender for the end of year Fight of the Year accolade.
On that occasion it was Ozgul that rightly emerged victorious, by a 39-37 point margin, however that score line just didn’t reflect just how close each round was or give any insight in to just how thrilling the bout was.
Main support, for the Ozgul-Scriven Championship bout, sees Bradford’s Tasif Khan return to York Hall, the scene of his sensational first round stoppage victory over Richard Voros in January.
On May 2nd Khan challenges Czech Republic’s Patrik Bartos for the International Masters Bantamweight title.
Adding an added element of intrigue to this particular match up, is that both Khan and Bartos have a recent opponent in common, Ladislav Miko, what’s more both stopped Miko early in their bouts, Bartos late in the second and Khan with a sensational one minute and fifteen second of the first round knockout.
Heading up the support card sees Chester’s WBF Intercontinental Super Bantamweight Champion Paul Economides against Doncaster’s former British Super Flyweight Champion Andy Bell.
Economides comes into the bout high in confidence, following a sensational second round stoppage victory, over former Commonwealth title challenger Isaac Quaye, just last month.
What makes this victory so special is that Economides became the first person to stop the gutsy thirty seven fight veteran, a major feat indeed considering Quaye had previously fought the likes of British and Commonwealth Champion Don Broadhurst, British, Commonwealth and European Champion Kevin Satchell and WBO European Champion Iain Butcher.
Another top class match up sees Siar Ozgul’s older sibling Onder in action against Scunthorpe’s highly entertaining Jody Miekle.
Ozgul, who is unbeaten in four pro outings, has been building quite a reputation for himself, following top class victories over the likes of Lithuania’s Dmitrij Kalinovskij, Bighton’s Iain Jackson, Lithuania’s Remigijus Ziausys and most recently over the Czech Republic’s big punching Karel Horejsek.
Siar and Onder Ozgul’s Champions TKO Gym mate Jerome Haywood is set to make his second pro outing, against Scunthorpe’s Matthew Pepper.
Haywood came through a seriously tough test on his debut, when he faced and beat the highly experienced Lithuanian bruiser Rolandas Cesna at York Hall back in October.
Another of the Champions TKO squad, British #1 and reigning MBC International Super Bantamweight Champion Marianne ‘Golden Girl’ Marston will be undertaking her final domestic bout, before starting her preparations for her World title challenge against Australia’s WIBA Champion Shannon O’Connell, which takes place later this summer.
Back in October Marston clinically beat then European #3 and World #31 ranked Marianna Gulyas, to secure the coveted MBC International Crown, by a shut out unanimous points margin.
Former BBBofC Welsh Champion Lee Churcher will be making his first visit to the famed York Hall on May 2nd, where he will face a yet to be announced opponent.
Churcher comes into the fight off the back of a run of five solid wins, since last losing to Costas Osben back in July 2011.
Sensational unbeaten Featherweight David Agadzhanyan also makes his first visit to London on May 2nd.
Agadzhanyan, who has three stoppage victories from his four bouts to date, won the battle of the undefeated in his last fight, taking Czech Republic’s Daniel Bazo’s coveted ‘O’ with a superb 39-37 point victory in Liverpool in March.
Eric Mokonzo will be looking to secure his first pro victory, following his debut loss against Darren McKenna, when he faces debut boy Andy Cona, whilst Luton’s unbeaten Manny Muhammad, who was originally due to fight Mokonzo, will now face a yet to be named opponent.
On May 2nd Finsbury Park’s Mark ‘The Flash’ Alexander returns to York Hall, the scene of his magnificent third round stoppage victory over Lithuania’s Tadas Stulginkas back in October.
Making their pro debuts on May 2nd will be Nottingham’s Garfield Mushore and Canning Town’s Kimberley Leah.
Siar Ozgul versus Matt Scriven, for the vacant MBC International Welterweight Championship, headlines the Mark Lyons & Billy James-Elliott Wise Guys Promotions LORDS OF THE RING event, that takes place at the York Hall in Bethnal Green, London on Saturday 2nd May 2015.
Sanctioning for this event will be provided courtesy of the Malta Boxing Commission (MBC) – www.maltaboxingcommission.com
Tickets priced £35 (Standard seating) and £65 (Ringside) are available direct from any of the boxers taking part, on-line atwww.tkoboxoffice.com or call the TKO ticket line on 07960 850645