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The arrival of Matchroom and Eddie Hearn on Tyneside has set the boxing world alight in recent months and the impending show on

April 4th is already edging towards a sell out. So what does this mean for local fighters on the lower rungs of the fighting ladder looking up? For me it means that they should be looking to be as active as possible in 2015. This is it! This the big chance that the North East has been waiting for and we all need to grab the opportunity with both hands or gloves in the case of the fighters.

Matchroom are at the very top of the game and they are still growing. With the backing of Sky Sports and top sponsors they can attract the biggest names to their ever growing stable of fighters and can put on the fights that all fans want to see. In Hearn they have the perfect figurehead who has an impressive knowledge of each and every fighter in each and every region that he is looking to promote in.

STEVE WRAITH / / / WATCH THIS SPACE

Are they looking at setting up here long term? Yes I believe they are. If we work hard and put in

the hours collectively I believe they will. We need to produce fighters up here to keep the inter-

est of course but we currently have some great fighters on the circuit who can pull in a crowd. I

think it’s time to work more alongside the amateur scene and

support them because that is the breeding ground of future champions. We need to make it

easier for an amateur who is considering making the jump into the professional game. I’ve heard

it from a few amateur coaches that when a fighter comes to them for advice about who they

should sign with that they are reluctant to guide them in one direction

incase the kid makes that decision and it doesn’t work out for them and they end up resenting

the coach. That’s understandable. We, in the pro-game need to speak to the amateur clubs and

encourage them to come and take an interest in our shows and vice versa. That was the idea

behind our reduced ticket offer for amateurs on our recent

‘Rising Stars’ show. That gave amateur clubs such as Grainger Park and Forest Hall a chance to

sell 20 tickets at £20 and they got to keep 50% of any sales. Both clubs

managed to sell their allocation raising £200 for their clubs. A small amount in the grand scheme

of things, but the money is going to the amateur scene and giving those involved at that level

the chance to come and see the sport from our side of the ropes. I’d like to see more promoters

looking at this type of scheme. It will take time but I do feel that we will benefit in the long term

if we all work together and help each other. It can only be good for the sport as a whole and will

ensure Matchroom are here for many years to come.

NOPASSION

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clauzeltalks topeep

BY PHIL LINDSAY

Professional boxing in the north east of England is certainly flying at the moment. For the last

few years there has been a dramatic resurgence in the region for the

noble art, with regular local shows and a number of fighters winning national and even world

honours. One man who has played a number of roles in this roller coaster ride is Newcastle’s Mark

Clauzel.

As a boxer, Clauzel was part of the crop of exciting prospects which helped bring the crowds

back, before he was forced into retirement due to medical concerns and the responsibilities which

come with having a young family. After winning all six of his fights and tipped to go far in the sport,

it would have been easy for Clauzel to dwell on his frustrations but instead he has forged ahead

with new challenges and his ambitions have not waned in the slightest.

Now working as a boxing manager and promoter with his company Ringstar

Promotions, Clauzel has already made his mark in the local scene by putting on a Commonwealth

title fight in his first promotion. Speaking about his transition to matters outside the ring, Clauzel

bristled with enthusiasm at the prospect of being the type of manager which he was not lucky

enough to have when he was fighting.

“My lads know I have been in there so they know I understand their situation better than most. I’ve

got some really good talent with Basi Razaq, unbeaten in four fights so far and I’ve recently signed

two new guys in John Ferguson and Liam Sparrow and they will be having their first professional

fights in the next few months.

My job is to make sure they get the right fights at the right stage of their careers and that

means taking risks at times. Too many managers protect their fighters too much and then

they aren’t prepared for when they step up in levels. It’s my

responsibility to match them well so that they are given every chance when they step up towards

title fights”.

Clauzel has yet to put on his second professional show as he has had to focus on some of his other business interests over the last 12 months, although there are plans to put on a big amateur show with the inaugural Tyne/Wear Derby planned this summer. Clauzel realises only too well how important the amateur scene has been in the resurgence of the professional version of the sport in the region.

“We’ve always had an excellent amateur scene up here but it’s only recently that we’ve had regular local shows and the potential is now there for a lot more boxers to turn over to the pros. We’ve never had as many professional boxers in the region and there are more turning over all the time so it’s a really exciting time. There will be more professional shows in 2015 than we’ve ever had before in the region and I can only see north east boxing going from strength to strength”.

Clauzel has no set plans for any professional shows in the immediate future but he certainly doesn’t rule out the idea. “There are shows almost every month at the moment. Phil Jeffries and Steve Wraith are doing a great job and they’re putting on enough shows to give everyone a chance of getting out. As my Ringstar stable grows then there’s a good chance that I’ll look at putting some more shows on but a lot of that will come down to timing.”

Clauzel shows the same level of commitment outside the ropes as he did as a fighter. You can’t help but feed from the positivity and belief in his words, whether he’s talking about chasing around to get sponsorship for his pro fighters or teaching his amateurs at Swalwell ABC, which he runs from his Vision Health and Fitness gym.

Many boxers struggle to adapt to retirement, even when it’s not enforced upon them. Having

your career taken away must be even more difficult but Clauzel has taken it all in his stride

and focuses only on making it a bright future for everyone in the camp. The foundations have now

been laid for the latest chapter of his boxing career and with the level of ambition that the man still

retains, it’s hard to see anything but a bright future for Clauzel and co.

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NORTHEAST

Bare Knuckle Boxing, once the underground sport of Smokey back rooms, of run down pubs and clubs and of travellers in fields, has over-

done a huge transformation in the last few years and has emerged as a le-gitimate sport with a huge fan base in the UK and across the world, thanks to some die hard promotors that refuse to give up in their quest to bring BKB to the forefront of mainstream sport.

The largest promoter in the UK and the one that has done the most to transform this sport, is BBAD promotions ltd. Headed up and owned by Joe Smith-Brown an accountant and businessman from Oxford.

Thanks to BBAD, BKB is becoming huge with big changes in the game to bring the sport to the masses by doing such things as using rings instead of pits or hay bales and introducing rounds.

STU ARMSTRONG / / /

,Top medical care as good as you would find at any professional boxing

bout is always on hand and fighter safety is paramount. Having some of the

biggest and most well known fighters in BKB contracted to BBAD, gives

them a huge stable of talent including someone who is well known and

respected not just in his native North East but all over the world, James

‘Gypsy Boy’ McCory. McCory, who is the BBAD British and Transatlantic

Champion (who has recently returned from a month long training

session at a top Thai boxing institute in Thailand) is ready to fight another

legend of the sport, Dave ‘The Beast’ Radford, in May of this year, for the

coveted middle weight belt. Radford, who some will remember from his

professional days having fought such legends as Roberto Duran.

Probably the biggest and best show to date from BBAD was held in Newcastle last month at the NE6 Suite in Walker. Top of the bill being local lad Michael ‘The Real Deal’ Ferry fighting for the UK Heavyweight title against Dovers, Craig ‘The Hammer’ Amer as well as a fantastic undercard showcasing the best BKB talent in the UK.

The Show ‘Legends will be made’ was to be the first ever BKB show in the UK available on Pay Per View TV worldwide but sadly due to some technical issues at The Mercury Sport Network this didn’t go ahead.

The night was hosted by non-other than celebrity Gangster Dave Courtney who also proved he can do the business as master of ceremonies in his own unique way, and referee for the night was Shaun Smith who you may know from the vice documentary ‘Britain’s Baddest Debt Collector’.

The night got underway with a novice fight Featuring a good friend of mine Stevie Cairney who fought Stephen Wynne to raise awareness into knife Crime for the Charity, Choose

Lives not knives. The charity was set up in memory of Stevie Dom Leon who was tragically stabbed to death two years ago. Where do I start, this was a huge card and the Ferry vs Amer bout was always destined to be one for the BKB history books as it was just about as close as you can get to bare-knuckle boxing heaven. I have watched both fighters in previous bouts, and they are both very tough, hard men that really know how to box. Until recently, I knew more about Michael Ferry then Craig Amer, as I live in Newcastle where Michael is from. I’ve seen him on many occasions fight, not only in bare-knuckle boxing but also gloved, the man is a powerhouse with amazing hand speed and the power in his punches to knock Godzilla out, and he really can box!

Then, a couple of weeks ago I interviewed both Michael Ferry and Craig Amer for my radio show on, Radio Northumberland. After doing some research and talking to Craig, I managed to learn a lot more about him. Craig has a massive wealth of experience and again really can box and throw powerful shots. Obviously Ferry is the taller of the two fighters with a better reach, but on the other hand, Craig has a lot of experience in fighting bigger guys with longer reaches. We all knew that this was going to be war, and we all thought that it would go the full seven rounds.

As for the outcome, well a lot of BKB enthusiasts said that they couldn’t answer that and it

was just too close to call. On paper is was too close to call but to me I always saw Ferry as

having the edge, but just how much of an edge I wasn’t ready for. Nor were the BKB press and

fans, not only did the fight not go the full seven rounds, but it was ended in the first eight

brutal seconds of the first round. Ferry came out waging an absolute war and bringing

armageddon to Amer with a fast and powerful tirade of impressively fast body shots. Then

Ferry threw a huge right to Amers ribs that put him on the canvas and brought referee Shuan

Smith no other option to declde a win by stoppage for Ferry. That was game over and a new

UK Heavyweight British Champion was born, Ferry ran to the edge of the ring, jumping onto

the ropes in celebration to a roaring home crowd.

The genuine smile of Ferry when he realized he had just took the UK Belt was the highlight on

the night for me. So who next for the new Champ? Well, I think that’s the

question on everybody’s lips, personally speaking I don’t think at this time there is anyone

in the UK that could even worry him, so does this put him on the world stage? Who knows,

but that’s something that I would like to see, get in with the likes of Danny Bachelor the US

champ? Now that I think would be some fight and I know it’s one that I would love to see.

Will he defend his UK belt, almost certainly before he could be pushed onto the world’s stage

but in finding someone who can handle his immense speed and power, that’s where the hard

work really begins for Joe and the team from BBAD Promotions.

DAVID WEILD / / /

GIANTS SET TO CLASH IN KICKBOXING TOURNAMENT

NEWCASTLE: March 21st, sees the arrival of an explosive professional kickboxing tournament to be held in the region.

DUEL 4 will host ‘Road to Wembley’, a competition consisting of the North’s top Heavyweight fighters who will face each other under K-1 rules. However, what makes this event special is that not only will the winner walk away with the DUEL Tournament title, but also secures a slot at a much larger tournament to be held at London’s World-famous Wembley SSE Arena, promoted by UK Kickboxing giant Superfight Series Championships, later on in 2015.DUEL Fight Sports, the company behind DUEL 4, has scouted the best upcoming Heavyweight talent to take part: • James Cannon, North Shields • Lukasz Parobiec, Consett • Paul Venis, Middlesbrough • Darren Moffitt, Leeds

DUEL 4 certainly promises to be an exciting event, and with such a prestigious opportunity on the line for the tournament champion, could elevate the winner to the international stage.

About:DUEL Fight Sports is a Newcastle-based professional kickboxing league dedicated to K-1 style combat. With representative-promoters in 5 countries; UK, Romania, Mexico, Ghana, and the latest territory, Portugal, DUEL has no shortage of activity or talent. To find out more about getting involved with DUEL as a fighter, coach, matchmaker, promoter or partner/promoter, please contact us direct on 0044 (0) 7967 398 709.

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