REDFEARN TO BATTLE NEYLON ON DARLINGTON CARD

Kyle Redfearn will have his eyes firmly set on making it two professionals wins out of two when he meets Andy Neylon in Darlington on November 26th.

Following his impressive professional debut -  a 3rd round TKO of Scott Aitken, Redfearn will be keen to build momentum going into the new year and finish 2016 with another stand-out performance.

The County Durham boxer took a similar path as Fighting Chance stable mate Jamie Jones and has made a somewhat seamless transition from MMA to boxing. Redfearn has brought over the aggressive, toe-to-toe style which served him so well in his previous discipline - every one of his MMA wins coming inside the distance, and with the help of his trainers has adapted it perfectly to fit the professional boxing game.

As like any fighter with Redfearn’s calibre and experience within combat sports, the Ferryhill local will be eager to maintain his finishing record, aiming for a quick disposal of his opponent. By the same token however, gaining some valuable rounds under his belt at this early stage in his career could benefit him a lot more when he steps up to the 8 and 10 rounders. Either way, Redfearn will be aiming to put on the kind of performance that will force his team to look for the bigger, more meaningful fights come next year.

Pitted against an exciting up and comer isn't something alien to Andy Neylon however, having convincingly defeated Yorkshire prospect Joel Palmer at Brammel Lane. Palmer was supposed to use this fight as an explosive introduction to the scene, but instead found himself cut above the eye in the 3rd round and on the canvas in the fourth leaving Neylon to walk away with a comfortable decision win. 

Although one could argue that the hostility of a crowd who will be primarily Team Redfearn may get to the boxer from Hull, the fact that he put in a resilient performance on the Crolla v Linares undercard at the Manchester Arena in front of a heavily partizan crowd would very much contradict that theory.

With power in both hands, composure in the ring and a come-forward style, Kyle Redfearn clearly has all the credentials of a solid prospect, and with a win over a robust and much more experienced boxer in Andy Neylon on December 3rd, Redfearn will firmly cement his place on the ‘one to watch’ list for 2017.

Kyle Redfearn joins a packed card in Darlington which includes the unbeaten Jeff Saunders and local favourite Neil Hepper. Promoted by Steve Wraiths ‘Pro-Boxing’ promotion, the show will take place at the Dolphin Centre in Darlington on Saturday the 26th November.

AUTHOR: Declan Bell

DARREN SURTEES TO BOX FOR THE BRITISH CHALLENGE BELT

Phil Jefferies and Fighting Chance are excited to announce that Darren Surtees will box Luke Keleher for the British Challenge title at Rainton Meadows Arena on December 3rd.

The matchup is the second title bout to be announced so far for the co-promoted ‘Christmas Cracker’ card, joining the Northern Area Title clash between Lewis Ritson and Jordan Ellison.

Darren Surtees is unbeaten in his four-fight professional career, and impressed most recently on Fighting Chances ‘Invincible’ show with a dominant victory over the more experienced Marek Laskowski. In a bout which saw his opponent having to weather heavy onslaughts in the final two rounds, Surtees showed brilliant composure and displayed a boxing maturity far greater than a four fight record would suggest.

Having forced stoppages in two of his four fights, Darren Surtees will be looking to bring his aggressive style and frantic pace to the bout on December the 3rd.

A 50% knockout average will do little to intimidate Luke Keleher however who has not been stopped in his eight fight career. This is especially impressive considering the high calibre opponents Keleher’s shared the ring with - his last outing being against the highly-touted Conor Benn, with Benn only taking the victory via a points decision. 

Keleher also battled to a hard fought draw against Glaswegian prospect Stewart Burt, and showed a stubborn resilience in both bouts.

Fighting for the British Challenge title will be exactly that for Surtees - a challenge; but no doubt one he will embrace in front of a lively home crowd. The County Durham boxer will be looking to secure his first title in what many expect to be an illustrious career, and will aim to use this bout to catapult himself into the domestic scene for the start of the new year.

The fight will take place on a packed end-of-year card at Rainton Meadows Arena, with former world title challenger Martin Ward hoping to cap off an unbeaten 2016, and local prospects Lee Mould and Mark White also aiming to impress and put themselves firmly into the mix for a title challenge of their own.

AUTHOR: Declan Bell