A
title fight will top the bill at the Exec Arena at the East of England
Showground on Friday, March 9 that will be the city’s first professional
show for more than four years.
Waterman,
who will reveal the top-of-the-bill fight in the next few days, hopes
to bring Eurosport cameras to the venue later this year – if fights fans
get behind his value-for-money show to raise funds for the RAF
Benevolent Fund.
Among
the event backers are local businessmen Peter Fraylich and Rob
Barrowman who are are planning to stage a series of big time events from
boxing to pop concerts at the 5000 sq metre indoor area.
They
hope a crowd of around 1,500 will watch the boxing show in March and
Waterman added: “The Exec Arena is a great venue, the people are good to
work with and if we get the support we need, there will be regular big
shows in Peterborough.”
Waterman
and matchmaker Errol Johnson are currently putting together the bill
and hope Big Brother star JJ Bird will box on the show.
Bird
fainted an hour before last September’s ‘Prizefighter’ and has to pass a
British Boxing Board of Control medical before being allowed to box in
front of his home fans.
Caine Brodie will be keen to be a part of Peterborough’s boxing revival.
Brodie
is an all-action super-middleweight and former amateur star who will
relaunch his career on the show after more than two years out of the
ring and Jake Dyer is sure to bring plenty of support with him from
Whittlesey for his middleweight fight.
Dyer
took more than 70 fights with him to Newark in December and they
cheered him to a third-round stoppage of Mickey O’Sullivan.
Waterman has confirmed three more boxers for the show.
Pat
McAleese, from Newmarket, is one of the biggest ticket-sellers on the
circuit – and Jamie Spence is one of the most exciting.
Spence,
a former British Masters light-welterweight champion from Northampton,
is a take-one-to-give-one scrapper guaranteed to thrill fight fans and
Nathan Dale looks a red-hot prospect.
Trainer
Graham Everett rates Dale among the best talents in a gym that includes
the fighting Walsh brothers – and so far, the former England amateur
international is punch perfect after two welterweight fights.
The
show will raise funds for the RAF Benevolent Fund and tickets are
priced £75 for diners, £50 for ringside seats and £30 unreserved. They
are available from 01733-882565
.
