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. 

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.

Lewis Scott: "I'm back to my old self and I'll show it on August 21"

Images courtesy of Steven White/www.ImagesBySW.com

Lewis Scott has declared that he is back to his former self ahead of fighting on August 21, at the Academy For Sport at Gateshead Stadium.

The Newbiggin boxer dislocated his shoulder in a loss to Rhys Pagan in November and has struggled to get back to winning ways since. (Losing a narrow points decision to Simone Lucas in May.)

However, Scott has worked hard on the rehabilitation of his shoulder and now feels he can re-create the form that saw him begin his career with five straight victories.

He said: “I was apprehensive about my shoulder in the last fight and as a result I was hesitating too much. But I had to get in the ring at some stage.

“This time round I haven’t had any problems with my shoulder. I’m back to my old self. I’m looping my left hands in and I’m putting the pressure on my opponents again in sparring.

“I’m a come forward fighter and we will definitely see that on August 21.”

Scott joined the Fighting Chance set-up in January, and is assured that the switch has had a positive impact on his career.

“My nutritionist Chris Clayton has worked wonders with me. Normally I don’t eat well, but he’s got me back on target,” he added.

“Ronnie Rowe (Fighting Chance chief coach) and Gary Barr (Fighting Chance coach) speak for themselves. They are legends in the North East and it’s doing me the world of good. I’m firing on all cylinders.

“Travis Dickinson, Jon-Lewis Dickinson and Craig Dixon are all established fighters and you don’t get to that level without a good coach. You can be as talented as you want, but you need a good team to take you to the next level.

“All the work with the Fighting Chance team is paying off and I need to showcase it on August 21.”

Any tickets that were purchased for the original date are valid for the rescheduled show. Tickets start at £35 and can be bought from any boxers on the bill, or from www.wraithpromotions.com.