Calum Cooper, Rob Hunt, Steven Pearce and Mark Thompson are the final
names in the mix for the first Prizefighter night of 2013, from the
Civic Hall in Wolverhampton in the Prizefighter Welterweights III. Midlands trio Cooper (4-0), Hunt (16-1-2) and Pearce (6-0) and
Heywood’s Thompson (24-2) join unbeaten trio Glenn Foot, Dale Evans and
Chad Gaynor and ‘Notorious’ Nasser Al Harbi in the 28
th edition of Matchroom Sport’s eight-man, one night tournaments.
Cooper and Pearce make it five unbeaten fighters in the line-up, with
24 year old Cooper chalking up four points wins in Birmingham since his
pro debut in September and 28 year old Pearce picking up two of his six
wins to date at the Civic Hall. Thompson returned to action in April
(of last year) after two years out of the ring and challenged former World Amateur
champion Jack Culcay for the WBA Inter-Continental light middleweight
title in Germany in September. Stafford’s Hunt is aiming to push for
honours this year after a frustrating 2012 with just two fights to his
name after hunting a second title shot following disappointment in his
British Masters bout in November 2010.
Promoter Eddie Hearn had the tough task of picking four names from 20
contenders for the remaining places, and he believes whoever claims the
£32,000 winner’s cheque will more than earn their cash in such a
competitive field.
“Picking the final fighters for January 19 was a real headache as all
the names in the hat had a strong case,” said Hearn. “It’s another
hungry group of boxers who will put it all on the line in Wolverhampton
and move themselves into a strong position in one of the most
competitive divisions in Britain. The Civic Hall is a great venue for
Prizefighter with the packed house right on top of the action, and we’re
expecting a great night in the Black Country.”
The Betfair Prizefighter Welterweights III kicks off the action on
January 19 before Kal Yafai’s first taste of action in 2013, a year that
promises so much for the Beijing Olympian who raced to 6-0 with five
wins inside the distance in the second half of 2012 after turning pro in
July.
SecondsOut.com to Doghouse Boxing.