Fighting Chance Foundation hosts England Boxing development workshops

(Pictured above: Gateshead Victoria Boxing Club)

The Fighting Chance Foundation hosted two England boxing talent development workshops last week, and Steve Cranston, who led the session and is head coach of Gateshead Victoria Boxing Club, hailed the event as a great success.

The development workshops are designed to provide a talent pathway system for boxers all over the country that may have not met the criteria to attend the England Open Talent Day.

Boxers from across the UK travelled to the gym in Felling to take part in a junior men workshop for those aged between 14-16, and a women workshop for those of all ages.

Cranston was delighted with the talent on-show and is confident that a number of boxers who attended, will go on to represent England.

“Without a doubt some of those that attended will go far. Of course they will still need to go for the open talent day and pass the assessments, but after this workshop they will be better prepared for that.

“The attitude, behaviour and the concentration in the session was fantastic.”

Nicola Adams and Savannah Marshall were crowned gold medalists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and Cranston believes women’s boxing is only getting stronger. 

He added: “The girls session was second to none. The age range went from the youngest at 12 years old, to the oldest at 32 years old.

“The younger ones normally don’t get individual coaching, but I coached a couple of them last week and they were brilliant. Overall the two sessions were very successful.”

Craig Dixon to travel to Scotland for British title eliminator against Mike Towell

Fighting Chance Promotions have come to an agreement with Tommy Gilmour to host the British title eliminator between Craig Dixon and Mike Towell in Scotland.

Following lengthy negotiations, Fighting Chance agreed that the welterweight contest will be hosted on a Tommy Gilmour show, on the condition that the date will be suitable for both parties, and a neutral referee will be provided.

The bout is likely to take place in March in either Stirling or Dundee.

Speaking on the deal, Fighting Chance director Lewis Pendleton said: “We are delighted that Craig has a British title eliminator, and are confident that he can get the win in Towell’s backyard.

“Both teams made significant purse bids, but after protracted negotiations we decided that a fight in Scotland would make most financial sense for both fighters.

“We hope that a number of fans can join us in Scotland as Craig competes in the biggest fight of his career to date.”

‘The Birtley Bullet’ made a bold statement in his last outing as he stopped Duane Grimes in the second round to seal the first stoppage win of his career.

And Dixon will be confident entering Towell’s home patch, as the last time he fought in Scotland in 2013, he took a comfortable points decision victory over Rhys Pagan.

The British title eliminator promises to provide a true clash of styles, as Towell’s all-action approach has led to six knockout victories in ten fights and has earned him the nickname of the ‘Scottish Tyson’.

Whoever comes out on top between Towell and Dixon will edge closer to a shot at the British welterweight title, which is currently held by Sam Eggington, who won the coveted belt against Glenn Foot in July.

Fighting Chance Promotions are offering an exciting opportunity to sponsor Craig Dixon in his journey to a major title shot. If you are interested in increasing the exposure for your brand, please contact fighting.chance@mail.com for more details.

Fighting Chance and Craig Dixon would also like to thank VGS Global and Beta 2 for their continued support.