Tag: England

PAWEL AUGUSTYNIK

Post author By f/s
Post date August 23, 2019

“At 13 years old I was getting into trouble at school and I ended up in a few fights, so my parents took me to Taunton ABC under head coach Dennis Cornall. Within 3 years I was English ABA JUNIOR champion and I went on to represent England in the GB championships winning the gold and the Boxing News Boxer of the tournament.”

FIGHT SCENE CATCH UP WITH PAWEL AUGUST

24-year-old Pawel Augustynik’s professional record currently stands at 11-0, making him undefeated in the light heavyweight division. The fighter from Somerset has demolished adversaries in remarkable fashion, showcasing his ability to become a real contender within the division.

As a fighter, Pawel is perhaps best described in his coach Dave Entwistle’s words:

“Pawel excites me, early in his career he relied on his raw strength and aggression to win fights, but now nine fights in, his boxing is starting to come together and he has been able to improve technically while maintaining that natural strength.”

“Now he’s an exciting fast puncher, compact with strength and a natural aggression, but still knows how to pick his punches”.

Like many boxers, August was introduced to boxing at an early age in order to keep him out of trouble during his school years.

After such an explosive start at a young age, Pawel progressed into the amateur boxing scene and from there things started to fall into place.

“Back then I beat a lot of experienced international lads who had far more experience than me, but I was tough and wanted it more. Pretty soon after I boxed on an amateur show which Chris Sanigar was attending. After the fight he invited myself and my coach David Entwistle to his gym and we got on well, so when the time came it was only natural to turn over with Chris who has a good history of producing professional champions.”

The current light heavyweight division boasts an enticing line-up as we head into the latter stages of the year and a lot of that promise comes from the UK with Anthony Yarde and 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Josh Buatsi stealing the headlines time and time again. These are two fighters that Pawel holds in high regard.

“I have a lot of respect for both Yarde and Buatsi, they are an important part of a division that is currently very strong and holds a lot of talent. I like Yarde’s agility and his ability to combine speed and power to become explosive and I think Buatsi has a great skillset and has a lot of experience from his time as an amateur which gives him a great pedigree.”

As well as these two current light heavyweight artists, Augustynik is heavily inspired by one of the pound for pound greatest fighters in boxing history.

“My idol growing up was Roy Jones junior. Everything about him was so exciting and natural. His evasive skills were out of this world. I would try and box like him, but it didn’t work as I got hit too much. Now I like GGG it’s the way he sets them up, he’s a real thinker and he wears his opponents down and then stops them. I like to think that I have some of those qualities in me.”

Ahead of his eleventh professional fight, Pawel is still at an early stage in his boxing career and recognises that there is a lot of legwork to put in to achieve his ambitions.

“Right now, I’m training twice a day Monday to Friday, with one session early Saturday morning, followed by a sports massage in the afternoon, allowing plenty of time for recovery over the weekend. I train in my hometown Taunton to work on my conditioning and then I’ll travel 50 miles to Bristol to practice the boxing side of things.”

August, like most fighters, dreams of becoming a champion, but he’s aware of how the professional boxing scene works and the ladder that he must climb in order to reach that status.

“I have massive ambitions and I want to go as far as I can in the sport, but it’s one step at a time. I’m still very young for a light heavyweight so I would say in 5 years I want to be British champion and I’d also be at the right age to be potentially moving onto even bigger things.”

“In the short term, I’m hoping to go for a Southern area title.”

As Pawel progresses through the ranks, his following starts to grow, and this is something that every boxer needs to survive in today’s fight scene. Augustynik recognises the support and is eager to put on a show for those that pay to watch, until the very last bell.

“I would want my fans to know that they mean the world to me and essentially they keep my career going. It’s difficult to work your way up as a pro on small hall shows. If you don’t sell the tickets, you don’t box.

“As an amateur I wasn’t a show off who had lots of people coming to watch me box, it was only my family, so I’m grateful for the growing support that I have, and I love each and every one of them. One day I will be a champion for them.”

AARON SUTTON

Post author By f/s
Post date June 26, 2019

When I took up boxing I found something I was really good at and enjoyed, so I gave my life to the sport and gave it everything I have.”

FIGHT SCENE CATCH UP WITH AARON SUTTON

Aaron Sutton, the Bristol born middleweight may not possess the absolute amateur experience in the sport, however has shown himself to be a naturally talented fighter with an unwavering will to win at all costs!

Despite not originally coming from a purely boxing background, Sutton has always been a fighting man with his early discipline being kickboxing. Sutton fought as a kickboxer in his youth, fighting in France and other venues all across the UK.

In an unprecedented turn of events, Sutton traded kickboxing for white collar boxing at the youthful age of 16 and was pitted against a far more experienced fighter in his first bout, only to dispatch him in the first round. Sutton continued to have an impressive spell in the white collar ranks winning 24 of 25 bouts over a three year period.

Since turning to boxing, Sutton has shown a desire to excel at the sport and has vowed to show it the utmost commitment.

“Winning means everything to me, it’s the only thing I am good at. I was never any good at school, never passed a test in my life. I always gave it my best I could never get to grips with it. When I took up boxing I found something I was really good at and enjoyed, so I gave my life to the sport and gave it everything I have.”

After impressing in the white collar ranks, Sutton caught the eye of Chris Sanigar. Under the guidance of Sanigar, Sutton bypassed the amateur scene and turned straight over to the pro ranks.

“I started training down at Empire sparring the pros, the manager Chris [Sanigar] asked if I would be interested in signing so I jumped at the chance”

The middleweight had his first pro bout at the age of 19, securing a points victory over now 9-2-1 Kieran Gething. Sutton has since gone on to secure a further eight victories, to extend his record to 9-0-0.

Thus far in his career Sutton has shown preference to a fan friendly front foot style that has a likening to one of his favourite boxers, Carl Froch.

“I like to watch people who always come forward and draw their opponents into a fight. This is how I try to fight when I’m in the ring. I used to love watching Carl Froch as he was never the best boxer, but he always came to fight and I loved his spirit.”

While most 21 year old prospects may struggle to deal with the occasion of a fight night, Sutton remains the calmest man in the building and says that he relishes the pressure of a fight night.

“I don’t really like getting pumped up as I am normally really relaxed before the fight. I love the pressure of fighting in front of my followers. I always pick old classic tunes to walk out too as these keep me relaxed. I walk out to ‘I Love You Baby’ by Frank Sinatra.”

At just 21 years old, Sutton remains in the early stages of his career but has made no bones about what his aims are in the sport.

“In 5 years time I want to be British, European and World Champion. I want it all, I want to make a name for myself. Keep following me and one day I will be on top”

Aaron Sutton has proved to be one of a rare naturally gifted fighters in the sport, and in his final words shares this message:

” Boxing has helped me by keeping me out of trouble and keeping me off the streets!. I have the utmost respect for anyone that has the courage to get in the ring and want to wish them all the best in every aspect of their life and career.”

“One day I believe I will be on top and the support means everything to me”

RITSON MOVES UP TO SUPER-LIGHTWEIGHT

Post author By f/s
Post date March 12, 2019

“You’ll see a different Lewis Ritson with the extra 5lbs to play with. The power will be more telling, we were surprised boiling down to make 135lbs I was getting good kids out of there in that fashion. But that shows I have natural power, which will only show with the extra weight.

RITSON MOVES UP TO SUPER-LIGHTWEIGHT
‘Sandman’ begins assault on 140lbs division at Copper Box Arena

Lewis Ritson has moved up in weight to the Super-Lightweight division and will make his debut at 140lbs when he takes on Argentina’s German Argentino Benitez for the WBA Inter-Continental title at the Copper Box Arena on March 23, live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in the US.

Ritson ripped the British Lightweight title from Robbie Barrett in seven rounds before making a series of devastating quickfire defences against Joe Murray, Scott Cardle and Paul Hyland Jnr to win the famous belt outright.

The 25-year-old Geordie ace makes the jump up to 140lbs after tasting defeat for the first time when he was outpointed by Franceso Patera in a battle for the European Lightweight crown at the Metro Radio Arena in October.

With an extra 5lbs to play with, the ‘Sandman’ is confident he will be even more destructive at his new weight and is itching to begin his assault on the Super-Lightweight division in London next week.

“Now is the right time to move up to 140lbs,” said Ritson. “I probably should have moved up in weight a while ago but I was determined to test myself on the European scene which is why I carried on. There’s no excuses from me though about the last fight.”

“I’ve watched the Patera fight back once and I won’t be doing so again. It was a terrible performance and some of the mistakes I made on the night are inexcusable, but you live and learn.

“Fanno (coach Neil Fannon) said if I don’t get him out of there in the first half of the fight it would be a hard night’s work but I went in there with the mentality of just blasting him away early, like I had done to the previous couple of opponents which was wrong. It’s opened my eyes and we’ve been working on my all round game since.

“You’ll see a different Lewis Ritson with the extra 5lbs to play with. The power will be more telling, we were surprised boiling down to make 135lbs I was getting good kids out of there in that fashion. But that shows I have natural power, which will only show with the extra weight.

“To be fighting for the WBA Inter-Continental title opens some doors right away with a win. I didn’t want to be fighting in a six or eight rounder just to feel in to the new weight, or fighting at Commonwealth or British level. That’s no disrespect to the lads up in this weight, but I’ve got the British title on my Dad’s mantlepiece so I don’t really want to be going over old ground.

“I’m a million miles away from a World title at the minute, but will be keeping an eye on the Hughes vs. Davies Jnr fight. The European title is something I failed to win, so I would be open to fighting for it down the line if it made sense for all parties.

“Generally, it’s a really open division – I’ve sparred WBA World Champion Kiryl Relikh before and after seeing Maurice Hooker’s last performance I wouldn’t shy away from those if they cropped up down the line. A couple of wins and I could be in the frame which sets me up for a really exciting year.”

Ritson vs. Benitez is part of a huge night of action at the Copper Box Arena.

Main event sees Croydon’s Charlie Edwards make the first defence of his WBC Flyweight World title against Spain’s Angel Moreno.

Rising Light-Heavyweight star Joshua Buatsi takes on former English Champion Liam Conroy for the vacant British title in his tenth fight.

London Cruiserweight rivals Lawrence Okolie and Wadi Camacho collide with the British and Cruiserweight titles on the line.

Watford Bantamweight talent Shannon Courtenay makes her highly-anticipated professional debut and Newport Bantamweight talent Sean McGoldrick fights for the first time under new trainer Jamie Moore.

Tickets are available to purchase through StubHub (www.stubhub.co.uk), See Tickets (www.seetickets.com) and Matchroom Boxing (www.matchroomboxing.com).

EGGINGTON: A WIN AGAINST SMITH PUTS ME RIGHT BACK UP THERE

Post author By f/s
Post date March 5, 2019

“Our spars have always been competitive. You could have sold tickets for some of them! That’s why I’m so confident our fight can’t disappoint on March 30. We’re going to be in 10oz gloves with no head guards, it’s going to be brutal and I can’t wait. It’s guaranteed to be an exciting fight for the fans – I promise you that.”

EGGINGTON: A WIN AGAINST SMITH PUTS ME RIGHT BACK UP THERE
‘The Savage’ expects bloody Merseyside battle on March 30

Sam Eggington says a win against former World Champion Liam Smith at The M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool on March 30 would fire him straight back into the title mix at 154lbs.

Former European Welterweight champ Eggington admits that his clash with Smith, shown live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in the US, is make or break after suffering a shock stoppage defeat to Tanzania’s Hassan Mwakinyo at Arena Birmingham in September, but insists he feels no pressure heading into the Merseyside showdown.

‘The Savage’ was preparing to face former World ruler Brandon Rios at Wembley Stadium when he was wiped out by the dangerous African in two rounds, but the Stourbridge man says there is no chance he will be making the same mistake again by overlooking his former sparring partner Smith, who he expects a ‘bloody battle’ with.

“I don’t feel any pressure going into this one,” said Eggington. “The bookies have me down as a huge underdog and that suits me just fine. I’m going to put the work in behind the scenes and come up on the blind side and get a big win that no-one is going to expect. I didn’t think I’d get a huge fight like this so soon after my loss, so to get Liam, a former World Champion, is a huge motivation for me.

“I do a lot of sparring with Liam and he’s a good bloke, they all are at Gallagher’s gym. I think he’d say the same about me, but there’s no room for niceties, come March 30 we’ll be knocking lumps out of each other and I’ll be fully prepared for a bloody battle with him. I’m in no position to be turning down fights like this after what happened. He’s the favourite but we’re quietly confident of getting the win.

The 25-year-old, who holds notable victories over Frankie Gavin and Paul Malignaggi, returned to winning ways with a four round decision over Sam Omidi last month. Another win on March 30 could see him return to fringe-World level and the all-action Brummie is unfazed at the prospect of fighting any contender put in front of him.

“A defeat isn’t the end, I’ve proved that myself. I’ve got a big opportunity to get things back on track later this month. They say you’re only as good as your last fight, so to beat Liam Smith would push me right back up there. That’s the drive for me in this fight. A win would open up doors to bigger fights and get people talking about me as a serious force again.

“By the end of this year I’d like to have beaten Liam and had another big fight against a top operator. There’s plenty of options out there so we’ll see where it goes. I can’t look too far ahead though – look at what happened against Mwakinyo, I was looking too eagerly ahead and I got blown right out, so I’m not going to do anything like that again.”

Smith vs. Eggington tops a huge night of action in Liverpool.

Domestic Super-Lightweight rivals Joe Hughes and Robbie Davies Jr meet with the European and British titles on the line.

Former Great Britain teammates Anthony Fowler and Scott Fitzgerald look to settle their longstanding feud in a dynamite Super-Welterweight clash.

Popular Heavyweight David Price takes on the unbeaten Kash Ali in his first fight in Liverpool for nearly there years as he looks to make a fresh charge on the Heavyweight division following his win over Tom Little at The O2.

Liverpool’s Tom Farrell challenges Leytonstone’s Philip Bowes for the Commonwealth Super-Lightweight crown.

There’s also action for rising Liverpool Cruiserweight talent Craig Glover, ‘Miss GB’ Natasha Jonas and undefeated Super-Lightweight Ged ‘G-Man’ Carroll.

Read more on Hughes vs Davies Jr HERE

MORGAN JONES

Post author By f/s
Post date February 25, 2019

“I enjoy displaying my skill to the spectators, and I see boxing like painting a picture. When I’m on my A-game, which is every time I fight, the winning takes care of itself.”

FIGHT SCENE CATCHES UP WITH MORGAN JONES

Morgan Jones knows what he wants, knows how he wants to get there….and you better believe him when he tells you so convincingly.

Jones admits that he wasn’t born with this confident and exuberant persona, but it has manifested itself in his personality due to what boxing has given to him.

“It’s hard to put into words how much boxing has helped me,” he says. “What I can say is that it has made me the man I am today – I am hard working, strong, confident, everything a man is supposed to be. All thanks to this sport.”

Jones has had his fair share of crosses to bare with some truly heartbreaking situations in his life, but even when asked about the losses he has been through, his defiant attitude shines through. “Boxing helped me through the hard times,” Jones says. “It was a reason to get out of bed and stay motivated. Boxing kept (and keeps) me around good, positive people that want to see you be the best you can be.”

Confidence personified and the skillset to back it up, Jones points out his self-belief in his timing and his arsenal to get his hand raised at the final bell. He knows if he applies himself and fights his own fight, the wins will come……but he wants to put a show on whilst he does it. “I enjoy displaying my skill to the spectators,” he says. “I see boxing like painting a picture. When I’m on my A-game, which is every time I fight, the winning takes care of itself.”

There can be no debate over the list of qualities the Aberdare-based super middleweight possesses, but it was interesting to find out why people should be getting a ticket and going to watch “Team Chocolate” in action. “If you enjoy watching effortless boxing masterclasses, you should watch me fight.
“ If you enjoy watching super middleweights getting dropped or knocked out, you should watch me fight!”

With Jones highlighting he is the man to watch, it was intriguing to find out who has been influential to him. He mentions James Toney, and his fight against Vassiliy Jirov, which made him more and more smitten with the sport as well as influencing his commitment to composure and technique. “James Toney is one of my favourite fighters anyway” he says. “In this particular fight the odds were stacked against him when he faced an undefeated Olympic champion from Kazakhstan, with a huge KO% and a great fighter. Toney grinded out the win through slick boxing and staying calm under pressure.” Characteristics he plans on emulating.

Jones boasts a record of 13-2-0. The build up to fights have been good, and Jones is ecstatic with how things have gone!

“I’ve now teamed up with Mountain Ash Boxing Club, and the support I’ve had from Pebbles and Shane has been unbelievable. My work rate, aggression and confidence have gone through the roof. I’m really excited to show the boxing world a new Morgan Jones come fight night.”

“If I see ANY signs of weakness in my opponent…..he’ll be having an early night!”

RIAKPORHE – McCARTHY EASIER FIGHT THAN HYDE

Post author By f/s
Post date February 22, 2019

“It’s a good division at the minute with the likes of Craig Glover coming through. Win this on March 2 and I want them all over the next year or two, what’s the point in holding back? I would like to box overseas at some point as well. I want to carry on getting experience for the big day one day, which I know is going to come – and that’s for a World title challenge.”

RIAKPORHE – McCARTHY EASIER FIGHT THAN HYDE
Londoner eyes Okolie British title shot in 2019

Richard Riakporhe is expecting an easier night’s work when he makes the first defence of his WBA Inter-Continental Cruiserweight title against Belfast’s highly-touted Tommy McCarthy at the East of England Arena on Saturday March 2, live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in the US.

The undefeated Dillian Whyte-mentored Londoner produced a stunning comeback to stop the previously unbeaten Sam Hyde in an epic battle at the Manchester Arena in November and is fully confident of making a successful first defence of the World ranking title next week.

“I’m feeling good going into this fight as I believe Sam Hyde is a better opponent than Tommy McCarthy,” said Riakporhe. “That’s meant as no disrespect to Tommy as he’s a fighter that I’ve watched a lot of and have admiration for. I remember watching the Commonwealth games back in 2010 and he looked pretty decent then.
“He’s got a good skillset and a solid background, but I believe that this is my time now and the momentum is in my corner. I’ll do anything to win and to keep on winning. There’s no way I’m overlooking Tommy as every fight is a huge risk and anything can happen, but I’ve got the bit between my teeth and I’ll be prepared come fight night.”

With one eye seemingly set on British Champion Lawrence Okolie, Riakporhe hasn’t let a potential clash with his fellow Londoner disrupt his focus when preparing for McCarthy, but the Walworth man couldn’t resist speaking about the current Lonsdale belt-holder.

“Lawrence Okolie has the British title at the moment and I believe that would be a good fight for me in the future if he still has the belt. I was focusing on individuals at one point in my career, but I soon realised that despite making noises, a lot of people don’t really want to fight you. I’d rather just focus on the titles right now, so I can progress in my career and get the experience that I need.

“I’d like the Okolie fight down the line for sure. We’ve been close to fighting twice but it doesn’t sound like he wanted it. Granted he’s ahead of me with the belts and in the pecking order but a couple of wins and why not? He must be shying away from it for a reason.

“Having watched a few of his fights Okolie has issues with movement. I train out in Cuba quite a lot, working on my lateral movement so that mixed with my punching power I think will cause him big problems.

Riakporhe vs. McCarthy is part of a huge night of boxing in Peterborough.

Jordan Gill headlines his first show as he goes for his second pro title in a WBA International Featherweight clash with Mexico’s Emmanuel Dominguez.

Unbeaten Indiana Super-Middleweight contender Anthony Sims Jr fights for the second time in the UK after an explosive debut in Cardiff last summer.

Nottingham’s Leigh Wood clashes with Ghana’s Abraham Osei Bonsu for the vacant Commonwealth Featherweight crown.

Heavy-handed Super-Middleweight prospect John Docherty looks to make if four knockouts from four fights after impressing again on the Garcia vs. Cheeseman undercard at The O2 and Leeds Super-Bantamweight and former Team GB amateur standout Qais Ashfaq aims to go 5-0, and there’s also action on the undercard for Northampton Super-Welterweight Kieron Conway, Wisbech Super-Welterweight Joe Steed and St Ives Super-Lightweight Bradley Smith.