RUNNING ORDER FOR ‪CONQUEST

RUNNING ORDER FOR ‪#‎CONQUEST‬. 

Doors open 6.30pm. First bout 7.30pm

6 x 2 mins Super Featherweight
Jamie Humble v Ben Mulligan

4 x 3 mins Welterweight
Gary Fox v James Gorman

4 x 3 mins Middleweight
Jamie 'Boom Boom' Jones v Deividas Sajauka

4 x 3 mins Welterweight
Lee Mould v Fonz Alexander

4 x 3 mins Super Featherweight
Mark White v Simas Volosinas

INTERMISSION

4 x 3 mins Heavyweight
Jone Volau TK v Jan Hrazdir

Main Event: 8 x 3 mins Lightweight International Classic Challenge Belt
Peter Cope v Abdon Cesar

4 x 3 mins Light Heavyweight
Kyle Redfearn v Scott Aitken

Jone TK determined to solider on in heavyweight division

There is no set path that leads an individual to pursue a career in professional boxing, but in a sport that attracts a range of characters, Jone Volau Taukeinikoro’s journey to lacing up the gloves is more unconventional than most.

A native of Fiji with little interest in boxing, ‘TK’ moved to the United Kingdom at the age of 18 to pursue a career in the British Armed Forces. Upon settling, the pugilistic sport soon grasped his attention.

“Boxing has never been popular in Fiji. Instead we are born with a rugby ball in our hands and are well known as the kings of rugby sevens.

“But when I joined the army, boxing caught my attention and as a result I jumped straight into it. That was that and I’ve been boxing since. I love the sport. It’s got everything.”

After over ten years in the army, TK now serves as a bombardier with the Royal Artillery based in Thirsk. And the Fijian has not only gained success in his military career but also in the ring – where he was twice crowned the Combined Services boxing champion.

An extensive career in the unpaid ranks saw the 32-year-old face a number of top amateurs. He fought against Rio 2016 hopeful Frazer Clarke, and was even matched to face Anthony Joshua in the ABAs, before being withdrawn by his coach.

"I was matched to face Anthony Joshua at the 2011 ABAs. This was before he had been selected for Team GB. After the weigh-in my coach, Tony Davies said that he was too strong and too big, and I should just re-enter next year.

“I was gutted as I was there to learn but I took my coach’s advice. Joshua has shown his class to get to the stage where is fighting for a world title. I’m working my way from the bottom, but hopefully one day I’ll be near the top of the sport.”

TK faces a challenge in balancing full-time work alongside training, but in his professional debut towards the end of last year he displayed a certain grit and determination that could take him far in the professional ranks.

In that outing, the Fijian scored a points victory over the experienced Larry Olumbamiwo. And on March 26, at Gateshead Leisure Centre, TK is aiming to continue his winning momentum and add another win to his tally.

“I cannot wait to get back in the ring. I have even more friends and family coming up. Last time on my professional debut I gave away over three stone, and as a result I was wary of his power. But this time around I’ve been working on keeping busy and getting in and out of range.

“It’s good having power but with being a smaller heavyweight I’ve got to use my advantages like my hand-speed and moving around the ring to outbox my opponent.”

While boxing is not popular in his native country, TK draws inspiration from his uncle, who won a gold medal for Fiji at the South Pacific games. With an accolade of such magnitude, he believes that success in boxing could run in the family – with the help of Fighting Chance coaches Ron Rowe and Gary Barr.

“I was introduced to Fighting Chance by a friend. After training and sparring for a few months I asked Ron if they would take me on as a professional. They eventually said yes, and I was over the moon with that decision. It was a big honour to join the team - Gary and Ron don’t take anyone on, you have to show that you really want it.”

He added: “I’ve joined the right gym. I’ve been constantly learning and improving. I want to make Ron, the Fighting Chance stable and my workmates proud.

“In December I am going to push for a Northern Area title fight. But I’ve got to work hard to get there. I want to get to domestic level, and then aim beyond that.”

Fighting Chance Promotions host ‘Genesis’ – a night of professional boxing show on March 26, at Gateshead Leisure Centre. The bill includes an array of North East talent, including Jon-Lewis Dickinson, Glenn Foot, Josh Leather, Jone TK and Mark White amongst others. 

Tickets can be purchased from any of the boxers on the bill or from www.fightingchancepromotions.co.uk

Jon-Lewis Dickinson to headline ‘Genesis’ on March 26 at Gateshead Leisure Centre

Cruiserweight Jon-Lewis Dickinson is set to headline Fighting Chance’s inaugural show on March 26 at Gateshead Leisure Centre.

The 29-year-old will feature for the first time since his career-best victory against Stephen Simmons in April, where he clinched the WBC International Silver title at the Metro Radio Arena.

Dickinson will top a bill that includes an array of North East boxers, including stablemates Mark White, Jone TK and debutant Jamie Jones (subject to board approval).

As part of an exclusive partnership, ‘Genesis’ will be the first Fighting Chance show that will air across all four Made Television channels: Made in Bristol, Made in Cardiff, Made in Leeds and Made in Tyne & Wear.

Fighting Chance promoter, Lewis Pendleton said: “We are delighted to provide a platform for North East fans to see Jon-Lewis Dickinson back in action.

"With our exclusive broadcast partner, Made Television, and an exciting lineup of boxers, March 26 promises to be a great night for boxing fans.”

Mark Clauzel of Ringstar Promotions, has four boxers on the bill, including: Basi Razaq, Herry Biembe, Michael Dixon and Kevin Elliot.

Razaq is looking to bounce back from his first career defeat and Biembe, a former Olympian, will make his highly anticipated UK debut.

Elsewhere, James Barnes will debut at light heavyweight after losing over five stone, and Tommy Conroy duo Danny ‘Tsunami’ Wall and Gary Reeve will also feature.

Tickets for ‘Genesis’ on March 26 will be available soon. For the latest Fighting Chance news, follow our twitter page @fcpromotions1 and like our official facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/fightingchancepromotions/?fref=ts

Reinvigorated Dixon sets sights on Mould rematch after gaining first stoppage victory

Craig Dixon (13-1) has declared that he is a reinvigorated fighter after scoring the first stoppage of his career against Duane Grimes.

Dixon, 29, had been out of the ring for 11 months, but proved he’s still a threat to be reckoned with after unleashing a barrage of hooks that forced the referee to halt the contest in the second round.

With Grimes holding four knockout losses on his record prior to the contest, Dixon was always confident that he had the ability to end the fight early.

He said: “It’s a monkey off my back. I knew he was there for the taking and I was capable of stopping him.

“It’s been a long time coming. In other fights, I’ve come close to getting the stoppage but the opportunity has always slipped past me.

“Hopefully I can get more stoppages in the future.”

Only last November ‘The Birtley Bullet’ suffered a narrow points decision loss to Lee Mould in a Northern Area title fight.

However after some time out of the ring, Dixon now feels ready to surge towards a title challenge and has a rematch with Mould well within his sights.

Dixon added: “I’ve got that hunger back, and I’m ready for the big fights.

“I’m chasing titles and it’s time for people to fight me now. Facing Grimes was a good fight to come back to, but I want bigger things in this sport.

“Mould said after our last fight that he would give me a rematch, so hopefully he sticks to his word.

“I don’t understand why the rematch hasn’t happened yet, I believe it’s a fight the fans desperately want to see.”

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

FIGHT REPORT: Fighting Chance trio win convincingly in Dunston

Mark White (left) with trainer Gary Barr (Images courtesy of www.ImagesBySW.com)

Fighting Chance's Craig Dixon, Mark White and Jone TK continued the stable's winning momentum with all three coming out on top at the Lancastrian Suite, Dunston.

Mark White (1-0) topped the bill in his second professional fight, and outclassed Harvey Hemsley (3-16-1) to take a points decision victory. 

Hemsley holds a reputation of providing stern tests for upcoming prospects, and from the opening bell the super featherweight contest showed signs that it would be a crowd-pleaser as both boxers fought at a fast-paced tempo and exchanged heavy fire. 

In the second round, White displayed his impressive punch variety and the uppercut proved to be key in breaking down his opponent's defence. However the Birtley boxer didn't have it all his own way and was consistently tagged with stinging bodyshots in return. 

White's superior technique and conditioning paid dividends, as he looked the fresher man in the third and fourth round, which allowed him to find success through his quick-fire combinations. 

Upon hearing the referee's scorecard, White was crowned the winner through a 40-37 verdict in his favour. 

The 24-year-old moves his professional record to (2-0) and Hemsley proved to be the perfect learning fight for his development. 

After 11 months out, Craig Dixon (12-1) returned to the professional boxing scene with a bang as he scored the first stoppage of his career against Duane Grimes (1-8).

Dixon had not featured since his Northern Area title defeat to Lee Mould last November, but started the contest with purpose as he utilised his jab to set-up a number of scathing attacks which shook and hurt Grimes.

‘The Birtley Bullet’ stepped up a gear in the second round and dispatched of his opponent after landing a barrage of hooks that forced the referee to step-in and halt the contest.

By earning the first stoppage of his career and boosting his record to (13-1), Dixon sent a message of intent to his welterweight competitors and local rival Lee Mould, who was watching ringside.

Jone TK was the first Fighting Chance boxer of the night to feature, and marked his professional debut by beating Larry Olumbamiwo in a convincing points decision victory.

Olumbamiwo towered over TK with a considerable size advantage, but the Fijian heavyweight was able to use his speed and nimble footwork to land a number of effective ambush attacks.

TK continued to navigate past Olumbamiwo’s jab, but often found himself frustrated as the Londoner adopted negative tactics and fired little in return.

Olumbamiwo was shook momentarily in the third, but TK was unable to get rid off his opponent. However upon hearing the final bell, the Fighting Chance heavyweight won 40-37 on the referee's scorecard. 

TK, who joined Fighting Chance’s growing stable in June, made an impressive debut and will hope to build on his professional record in the coming months.

Elsewhere on the bill, Jeff Saunders continued his knock-out streak by defeating Sylwester Walczak in a first-round blowout, Tom Whitfield beat Danny Little in a points victory, and Richard O’Neil started his professional career with a win over Scott Hellman.

Fighting Chance Promotions would like to thank everyone who attended, and Beta 2, VGS Global, Electrical and Security Limited and Ravensworth Construction for their continued support. 

Mark White eager to follow-up impressive debut performance

As he approaches his second professional outing, Fighting Chance super featherweight Mark White is hoping to build on his impressive debut performance.

White, 24, was part of Steve Wraith’s three-fight bill in Morpeth last month, and received plaudits after a composed and disciplined display against Russ Midgley led him to win every round on the referee’s scorecard.

Following the victory, the Birtley boxer only had three days rest before returning to the gym for preparation for his next scheduled fight, on Oct 17 at the Lancastarian Suite, Dunston.

Prior to his debut in the paid ranks, White had not fought in a competitive contest for three years, and believes that now the ring-rust is gone there are no excuses to not improve in each and every fight.

He said: “I’m still buzzing from my professional debut. It was all-new as I hadn’t fought without headguards before.

“In the first round I suffered from ring rust, but after that I got into my rhythm and I was really happy with my performance.

“Now I’ve got back in the ring, it’s about improving each time. It kept me motivated to know that I had this fight so soon after my professional debut.

“I’ve been straight back into the gym and that’s made it easier, as my fitness is already there and my weight is on target.”

White is facing a much more experienced opponent this time round in the form of Harvey Hemsley, who has only won three of his twenty contests but has a reputation of providing stern opposition for upcoming prospects.

White insists that despite the step-up in opponent, it is key he concentrates on imposing his own strengths as opposed to worrying what his competitor can do.  

He added: “I don’t know anything about my opponent, but it doesn’t bother me. I’ll just keep putting the training in, and apply my hard work when it comes to fight night.

“I’m always looking to improve and hopefully I can do that on the 17^th of October.”

Tickets for Sudden Impact on Oct 17, at the Lancastrian Suite, Dunston can be purchased from any fighters on the bill, or from www.relentlesspromotions.co.uk. Tickets from £35. 

An open letter from directors Lewis Pendleton and Ron Rowe MBE‏: “We give boxers a Fighting Chance”

Fighting Chance Promotions were born out of giving boxers opportunities. In November 2013, we collaborated to develop and create unique opportunities for north east fighters. 

And a strong team has assembled since, which includes Gary Barr as trainer, Chris Clayton: MSC Performance Nutritionist, Andre Tulip: Physiotherapist, Martin Nugent and Louis Cunningham: Strength and conditioning coaches, Michael Briggs (MFB media): Digital and social media officer, Steven White: Chief photographer and our media officer, Nathan Orr. 

Strong foundations have been laid for the Fighting Chance stable, and the whole team work tirelessly to put the boxers in the best position possible - which is the least they deserve in such a tough sport. 

Craig Dixon with Gary Barr

Fighting Chance started this journey when Craig Dixon won the International Masters title on Steve Wraith’s ‘Young Guns’ bill. The show was important to build Craig and display his immense boxing ability. It has been difficult to match him since, but we believe his talent will allow him to go on to win major titles.

Jon-Lewis and Travis Dickinson have achieved great things in boxing, and it's a tremendous feat that both have won the Prizefighter tournament, which was aired live on Sky Sports.

After winning the competition, Jon-Lewis went on to win the Northern Area title, English title, and became the first boxer from Tyneside to retain the Lonsdale belt outright.

Meanwhile, Travis Dickinson has boxed in front of huge audiences. The highlight being when 2.6 million people tuned into his fight against Matty Clarkson, which was aired on Channel 5 and was hailed as a fight of the year contender.

In his upcoming fight, Travis has the opportunity to redeem his last defeat when he defends his English title, live on Boxnation, on October 30^th against Miles Shinkwin.

Reigning English light heavyweight champion, Travis Dickinson. 

Following the announcement that Matchroom Sport were coming to the north east after signing Bradley Saunders, we were introduced to Eddie Hearn and duly negotiated that Jon-Lewis and Travis would box on the Metro Radio Arena bill in April.

The highlight of the night for many was Jon-Lewis outboxing and stopping Stephen Simmons to win the WBC International title. For us it proved that by fully supporting our fighters, it provides the biggest platform for them to deliver.

In the past year, we have also kept our fighters busy by working with Steve Wraith and Relentless Promotions.

We have added a number of exciting talents to our stable. Fijian heavyweight Jone TK joined earlier this summer and comes with a good amateur pedigree.

Also joining the team is Mark White who has boxed for England. It’s exciting to see how Mark will adapt to the professional game, and he will make his debut on September 18 on the ‘New Kids On The Block’ show, which will be promoted by Steve Wraith and Relentless Promotions.

Lewis Scott holds a bright future and we look forward to seeing how far he can go in the sport. In the last few months, we have worked hard on getting him back to his best after injury troubles.

We are proud to have provided Andrew Buchanan a final chance in boxing, as we look to provide the opportunities he deserves. We were thoroughly disappointed that his Northern Area title shot fell through due to O’Neill picking up an injury. But Andy’s attitude is second to none, and he would cause problems for any fighter at domestic level.

New signings Jone TK and Mark White

Our team provides unrivalled opportunities having worked with major promoters like Eddie Hearn, Frank Warren, Mick Hennessy and Dennis Hobson, and of course our fruitful working relationship with Steve Wraith and Relentless Promotions.

We are happy to work with everyone and anyone for the best interests of our fighters and we are able to get these opportunities due to the ability of our boxers and the dedication of the team behind them. 

Fighting Chance Promotions would like to thank all of our partners and sponsors who make things possible. Special thanks must go to MFB media, ImagesBSW, Portland Consulting Engineers, Arch Homes, WM utilities, Onesign print and digital, Ravensworth Construction, Zoemick commercials, Wear Mini Mix, Roflow, Winns Solicitors, Intu Metroentre, Made Television and  VGS Global.

Together we are #TeamFC.

**SPONSORS REQUIRED FOR FIGHTERS ON AUGUST 21 'SUMMER SHOWDOWN' SHOW**

Andrew Buchanan, Lewis Scott and Jone TK are featuring on the August 21 ‘Summer Showdown 1’ show at the Academy For Sport at Gateshead Stadium.

Buchanan’s Northern Area title shot against Gregg O’Neill is the shows headliner, while Lewis Scott looks to avenge his defeat to Simone Lucas and heavyweight Jone TK makes his professional debut.

The Fighting Chance stable are working hard in their preparations and need your help in paying for training costs- which include physiotherapy, strength & conditioning and training supplements.

In return, the sponsorship packages on hand are the perfect opportunity for your business.

The headline sponsor package, which involves the Northern Area title clash between Andrew Buchanan and Gregg O’Neill includes:

-Branding on two corner posts on August 21

-Full-page advert in programme

-Logo on fighters t-shirts

-Logo on trainers t-shirts

-Announcements during the show, which will advertise your business.

-Branding at press conference, weigh-in and during the show

-Logo to feature during live YouTube stream

-Credits in all local press and press releases

-Logo on Fighting Chance TV interviews

-Plus 5 VIP Tickets

Alternatively, the separate boxer sponsorship package includes:

-Branding on t-shirt of boxer

-Branding on t-shirt of trainer

-Framed signed photo from boxer

-Half page advert

-Plus 2 VIP Tickets

If interested, please email fighting.chance@mail.com or personal message the Fighting Chance Promotions facebook page, and we’ll get back to you.