FIGHTING CHANCE AGREE SPONSORSHIP DEAL WITH ASPERS CASINO

Fighting Chance Promotions are delighted to announce an exciting partnership with Aspers Casino, Newcastle.

The sponsorship deal will see Fighting Chance events hosted at Newcastle’s largest casino, including press conferences, weigh-ins and post-fight parties.

Speaking on the deal, Aspers campaigns manager Darren Hedley said: “Partnerships with local organisations are an important aspect of our business, we are therefore delighted to have struck this sponsorship deal with Fighting Chance Promotions.

“We are looking forward to embarking on an exciting future with Fighting Chance along with the opportunities that working together will bring us both.”

Whether you are a gaming beginner or a professional, Aspers provides a warm and friendly welcome to all customers, and includes a variety of slots and tables, in addition to a stunning Freya’s restaurant.

In need of somewhere to watch the next boxing or UFC event? Look no further than Aspers Sports Bar, which has 30 individual multi-media screens plus a wall-to-wall 156” HD screen.

Take a look at the sports calendar, and plan your next visit to Aspers Casino:

·         Amir Khan v Saul Alvarez – Saturday 7^th May

·         UFC 198 – Saturday 14^th May

·         David Haye v Arnold Gjergjaj – Saturday 21^st May

·         UFC 199 – Saturday 4^th June

·         UFC 200 – Saturday 9^th July

·         Tyson Fury v Wladimir Klitschko – 9^th July

HOMECOMING FOR JOSH LEATHER ON MARCH 26th

Guisborough’s Josh Leather is considered one of Britain’s brightest boxing talents, and consequently he has had the spotlight firmly placed on him throughout his professional career.

Upon turning over, the former England amateur captain and 2012 senior ABA lightweight champion signed with promoter Frank Warren, and a string of appearances on BoxNation have followed.

Leather has featured in a number of high-profile bills across the country, but it has come at a price, as it’s been two years since he fought in the North East.

In his return to the region on March 26 at Gateshead Leisure Centre, the 24-year-old is aiming to put on a show for his loyal supporters.

 “When the opportunity to fight in the North East came up, I had to take it. It’s good to get support from where I live – especially considering how small Guisborough is. They’ve always been there for me, and the last time I fought at Gateshead Leisure Centre it was amazing coming out to a home-crowd.”

Over the duration of two and a half years, Leather has built an impressive record, and is unbeaten in eight fights. However, the light welterweight acknowledges a return to the North East could benefit him in fighting more often as he looks towards domestic honours.

“I need to be out every two or three months. If I can get on local shows as well as BoxNation shows it would let me build my record and that’s what I want to do. By end of this year I want to be in the top ten in the division domestically, and then look at challenging for the English title.

“Hopefully one day I will be headlining big shows in the North East – whether it’s a domestic title or even a world title in the future.”

Leather has had the best preparation imaginable by sparring with WBO lightweight champion Terry Flanagan. In gaining such an experience it has allowed Leather and his coach Imran Naeem to target what improvements need to be made.

“I did around 65 rounds of world class sparring with Terry Flanagan. It’s brought me on a lot and taught me what I need to work on and what things I need to put right. But overall it gave me a lot of confidence to spar with a top quality fighter and a world champion.”

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 TARGETING WORLD HONOURS AS BUSY 2016 APPROACHES

Jon-Lewis Dickinson is widely regarded as one of the North East’s most decorated boxers, and the 29-year-old is confident that a successful 2016 could lead towards world honours.

On a memorable show at the Metro Radio Arena last April, Dickinson proved his worth by halting Stephen Simmons in the eighth round to claim the WBC International Silver title.

However he has not been able to build on that win due to a frustrating period on the sidelines.

He said: “It is nearly a year since my fight against Simmons. Eddie Hearn spoke to me after that win and said that I would feature on another Sky Sports show later in the year. But the show fell through before eventually being cancelled.

“With my wife giving birth I’ve had time at home, but after a long break I now want to keep active and get out as often as possible. Mentally and physically it’s tough to be out for a long time. If you’ve got nothing to train for it’s hard to stay motivated in the gym.”

The County Durham boxer makes his highly anticipated return to the ring on March 26, at Gateshead Leisure Centre against Poland’s Wladimir Letr, who in his last fight on British soil provided a tricky test for Simon Vallily.

As Dickinson prepares for a busy 2016, with a British title eliminator scheduled against Tommy McCarthy, he is wary about underestimating Letr or any opponent he faces – a mistake he admits he made in the past.

“I’ve been in situations before where I’ve underestimated opponents and paid the price. I broke my jaw against Richard Turba and underestimated Courtney Fry’s punch power.

“I need to be switched on for every minute of the fight, and view every opponent as a threat. Letr is a big bloke and ultimately if a 14-stone lad hits you flush on the chin, it’s going to hurt. At the end of the day, any fight is a potential banana skin but it’s important for me to take this fight to keep active.”

After his recent trip to Latvia to spar Mairis Bredis, who was recently crowned IBF-Intercontinental champion, Dickinson has found a new sense of confidence that he can challenge at the highest level. 

“The opportunity came along and I had to take it. I was sparring one of the best cruiserweights in the world and that gave me a lot of confidence knowing that I could mix it with someone at world level. It provided a really good guide to where I’m at.

“I know what I’m capable of when I’m fit and ready. I’m pushing towards fights with Tony Bellew, and a rematch with Ovill McKenzie. I believe I’m one of the best cruiserweights out there, and definitely in Britain. I just need to prove it and keep busy.”

Dickinson’s career has been full of ups and downs. He first burst on to the British boxing scene by lifting the Prizefighter crown as a five-fight novice. Unexpectedly that was soon followed by two shock defeats, in six-rounders to Tyrone Wright and Richard Turba. To add to the disappointment, a broken jaw meant ten months of inactivity.

But he returned with intent and wins against David Dolan for the Northern Area title, and over Matty Askins for the English belt meant that his career was back on track. His title hunt continued and came to fruition when a points decision victory against Shane McPhilbin earned him the British title.

Defences against David Dolan, Mike Stafford and Neil Dawson made history, as he then became the first Tyneside boxer to win the Lonsdale belt outright.

However, just three months later, The Upsetter’ Ovill McKenzie lived up to his nickname by stopping Dickinson within two rounds. Defeat meant he was stripped of his belts and a seven-fight streak came to a sudden halt.

Upon reflection Dickinson believes the defeat against McKenzie and the following loss to Courtney Fry was largely down to a poor state of mind.

“I was in a state of depression when I was training for Ovill McKenzie, it was a tough time in my career. In truth I should have pulled out. My head wasn’t on the job. It wasn’t me in the ring against him.”

In a career-best win Dickinson bounced back with a re-vitilased performance against Simmons, and is now enjoying the sport of boxing more than ever.

He added: “I am now back to enjoying boxing. In the past I haven’t been a massive fan of the sport, I only did it because I was good at it. But I’m starting to really appreciate it now and I am looking forward to keeping busy.

“It’s exciting to be fighting regularly again. In the past I haven’t had that feeling of excitement. Something has just clicked.”

Jon-Lewis Dickinson and Fighting Chance Promotions would like to thank Fightstore Pro and WM Utility Services for their continued support.

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

BASI RAZAQ LOOKING TO BOUNCE BACK FROM FIRST CAREER DEFEAT

Image courtesy of www.peepmagazine.co.uk

Basi Razaq is looking to bounce back from his first career defeat as he faces Danny Little on March 26, at Gateshead Leisure Centre.

In his last performance, the 24-year-old was pushed to the limit throughout a four-round contest and was forced to deal with the adverse effects of a cut caused by a head clash. He struggled from that point onwards and was floored twice in the final round before the referee deemed him in no position to continue.

Razaq insists that loss was just a minor slip-up, and he will be back to his best on Fighting Chance's inaugural show.

“I don’t look at it as a loss. The reason I lost that fight was because of the head clash. I lost so much blood that I felt faint and couldn’t see anything. But I can’t wait to get back in the ring and do what I do best. I’ve been training hard, and with each session I feel more experienced."

The Newcastle boxer started his professional career with a bang by scoring three knockouts in his first three fights. However after his recent loss, Razaq is wary of overlooking any opponent.

“Hopefully there are big things ahead for me, but I can’t overlook Danny Little. I’m never out of the gym and I’m just trying to make a name for myself.”

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

DANNY WALL KEEN TO IMPRESS ON MARCH 26th TRAINING STATESIDE

Pegswood-born boxer Danny Wall makes his second professional outing on March 26, at Gateshead Leisure Centre and is keen to impress after hosting part of his training camp in Los Angeles.

The 27-year-old trained at the Wildcard Gym, which is famous for hosting a number of world champions, including Manny Pacquiao, and for a period Amir Khan.

Wall’s five-week training camp included a plethora of high-quality sparring and sessions with famed coach Freddie Roach.

“People travel from all over America to train at the Wildcard Gym. The sparring was the standout feature. I had some brilliant rounds and took something valuable out of every session.

“When I got there it didn’t seem real. I was nervous beforehand because it’s a gym full of world champions and has quite a hostile atmosphere. But after my first spar I proved that I could really fight and it was easier from that point onwards.

“I haven’t got time to waste and the experience brought me on leaps and bounds. I want to give myself every opportunity to succeed. You will see improvements on fight night, but it won’t be until I’m doing eight and ten round fights that people will really start to take notice of what I’ve learnt.”

On his professional debut in November, Wall clinched a laboured win against Scott Hillman, winning by a margin of a single point.  While things didn’t go to plan, he is assured that he learnt a valuable lesson from that experience.

“Scott Hillman was a tricky fighter. I hit him with clean shots in the first round and he didn’t budge. Then he adjusted and was hard to catch clean again. He ended up coming on strong towards the end of fight, which made it difficult and close on the scorecards.

“But I learnt a lot from that experience, and my coach Tommy Conroy believes I’m a totally different fighter now to how I was then. I’ve just got to keep progressing and getting better by putting the hard work in.”

Back in September, Wall was initially scheduled to make his professional debut in Morpeth – just a stone’s throw from his hometown of Pegswood.

However a last-minute pullout from his opponent meant his dream to headline a professional boxing bill in front of his home fans was left unfulfilled.

Although Wall believes a return to Morpeth could be on the cards in the near future.

He added: “When I got pulled off that bill, my fans all stayed and watched the other three fights. People were upset but no one kicked up a fuss. They were very understanding.

“It’s always been a dream to headline a bill in Morpeth. I’m hearing some good things and hopefully I can fight there very soon. I’ve got a loyal support and they deserve a reward for 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

JAY HUGHES READY TO LEARN THE PROFESSIONAL TRADE ON MARCH 26th

Jay Hughes is the latest boxer to turn professional out of David Binns’ highly esteemed gym in Peterlee.

At the age of 18 many would have expected Hughes to remain in the amateur set-up for a longer period of time – especially considering his success in reaching the ABA schoolboy finals.

However the teenager felt disillusioned with the selection process in the unpaid ranks and feels the professional game is his true calling.

“Everyone is already picked out for the GB squad and with that there is not much chance of me making the team for the Olympics in four years time.

“There are people who have already been selected to box at the next Olympics after Rio, so I thought why not turn professional now. Ultimately everyone who does boxing wants to turn pro.

“It’s a totally different sport but it suits me better. In the amateurs it’s about picking punches and being light on your feet, while in the pros you have to plant your feet and be able to fight for more rounds – which suits me as I get better as the rounds go on.”

In making his debut on March 26, at Gateshead Leisure Centre, Hughes becomes the youngest professional boxer in the North East. While that may be daunting, he has looked to the achievements of Tommy Ward as inspiration.

“If you do everything properly you can’t go wrong. It’s about building up slowly and not getting ahead of yourself. Tommy Ward turned professional at 18 and is now pushing for a British title. He’s built his way up and is now mandatory to face Jazza Dickens - it shows that it can be done.”

By training at David Binns’ gym in Peterlee, the lightweight prospect joins a star-studded lineup that includes some of the best professional boxers on Wearside.

“It is brilliant to train with them. There is Glenn Foot, Darren Richardson and Warren Baister. It motivates me to see what they’ve achieved and then train alongside them."

The teenager added: “I have plenty of time. I am only 18 and have many years to come. For 2016 I am hoping to fight as much as possible. Fighting on shows is important, but all the hard work is done in the gym and for now I just want to concentrate on learning the trade.”

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

MARK WHITE AIMING TO STEAL A HAT-TRICK OF VICTORIES ON MARCH 26th

Since turning professional last year, Mark White has kick-started his career in impressive fashion with two convincing wins - however a career in boxing wasn’t always on the cards.  

White started boxing at Birtley ABC the age of nine during a six-week period over the summer holidays. The Birtley boxer’s talent was quickly recognised and he was swiftly asked to come back.  At that stage he trained with Ron Rowe for the first time in his career – which would soon become a formidable partnership.

“At the age of nine, I trained at Birtley ABC for 6 weeks and absolutely loved it. Boxing teaches a lot of respect from both inside and outside the ropes. It can take an individual a long way and teaches you manners and discipline.”

With the help of Rowe, a pedigree amateur career followed as White boxed for England and won a National Championship. But soon after a hand injury suddenly halted his amateur career and caused a three-year absence from the sport.

After a long period of recovery, White eventually began to contemplate trying his hand at boxing once again, but this time he had his mind set on the professional ranks and a reunion with ex-coaches Ron Rowe and Gary Barr.

“When I came back from my injury I fell in love with the sport again. Everyone who boxes wants to turn professional. I always wanted to do it and I had the chance, so took the opportunity with both hands.  

“Ron worked with my dad in the fire service and for the large part trained me in my amateur career. When I was a senior I worked with Gary Barr. They have been friends for many years, and I knew when I turned professional working with them would be ideal, as they already knew my style. It was the perfect match.”

The winning partnership has continued with White outpointing Russ Midgley and Harvey Hemsley to win his first two outings in the professional game. Despite being landslide victories the 24-year-old believes that he learnt an important lesson in dealing with contrasting styles.

“Hemsley had more experience than Midgley but they had very different styles. I learned to adapt in each fight, and that’s important as different opponents bring different challenges.

“Every fight is a learning curve and I’m still improving with every session I do. I can tell I’m improving when I spar and overall I’m happy with how things have gone so far.”

White, who works as a tyre-fitter in addition to his boxing career, feels he has stepped up a gear since enjoying the benefits of Fighting Chance’s professional setup – which includes strength & conditioning and sports nutrition advice from Chris Clayton.

“Strength and conditioning has been a big help since I didn’t do much in the amateurs. And Chris Clayton’s advice with my diet and nutrition is a great help with what to eat and when.”

Both of White’s performances have been crowd-pleasing wins via decision. But he has no doubt that his power will start to come into its own the near future.

He added: “I’m big for the weight. I’ve got fast hands and the power will come in time. There’s plenty of time for that to develop. Overall I’m an aggressive fighter - I’m not scared of getting into a fight and going into the fire when it counts."

The Birtley boxer is eager to keep impressing and is targeting a hat-trick by winning his third professional fight on March 26, at Gateshead Leisure Centre.

“My aim is to keep winning and improving. The big fights will come and I’ll be ready when they do.”

Mark White and Fighting Chance Promotions would like to thank the Hanlon for their continued support. 

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