Matchroom Nxtgen Liverpool Preview

Matchroom Nxtgen Liverpool Preview

By James Hailston

Tonight Matchroom Boxing will return to Liverpool for the first time since March as the city plays host to one of their increasingly popular ‘NXTGEN’ shows.

Headlining is one of their own up and coming fighters and former amateur standout Anthony Fowler in what is the biggest fight of his career to date. Coming off his first pro defeat to old amateur teammate turned rival Scott Fitzgerald, it’s being deemed an ‘all or nothing’ fight by his trainer Dave Coldwell.

Losses in the amateurs whilst still gutting for a fighter are more part and parcel and can be rectified quicker than in the pro game, where defeats can be a lot harder to bounce back from.

Strangely enough though it’s the man in the opposite corner to Fowler that he can use as an example of how to learn from defeat.

Brian Rose was 15 unbeaten when stopped by Max Maxwell back in 2010 but still went on to win the British title outright and challenge for world honours. It was originally scheduled to be Fitzgerald taking on Rose before an injury paved the way for Fowler to step in and try and seize his chance.

It’s an intriguing fight. Fowler, 9-1 (8kos), is in the early stages of his career and needs the win to get back on the path to the top he was expected to walk when he first turned over.

Rose, 31-5-1 (8kos), at 34 years of age needs the win to prove he still has enough left to knock back this current crop of newcomers who want what he once had.

It will be interesting to see how each man goes about their business. Both like to establish their well schooled jabs and can box but neither are renowned for being negative at the same time which bodes well on the entertainment front. Rose has the experience at the higher level but Fowler appears the bigger puncher and will surely fancy body shots taking their toll on the older Rose the longer the fight goes. Game plans could play a big part. If we get the Rose of old, Fowler will certainly have to box as well as we’ve ever seen him do but if more the likelier outcome occurs and a past his best Rose turns up expect a newly improved, wiser Fowler to use the home crowd to his advantage and come away with victory.

The chief support was supposed to be a cracking match between Lewis Ritson and Joe Hughes at super lightweight however an injury to Hughes as put paid to that. Ritson, 25, of Newcastle will still fight though, up against Pole Marek Jedrzejewski in a 10 rounder.

Also on the card in an 8 rounder is European and British super lightweight champion Robbie Davies Jr. If both are victorious – which is expected – it’s likely they’ll meet in a big domestic clash later in the year.

Further down the card is an English middleweight title fight as champion Jack Cullen of Bolton makes his first defence up against London’s John Harding Jr. Cullen is still only 25, very tall for the weight standing at 6”3 and has won 16 of 17 contests thus far with one solitary stoppage defeat.

Harding Jr is 9 years older at 34 and has had just 8 bouts with 7 wins and 1 draw. With Cullens upright, more textbook style and Harding Jr’s crouched, more reactive one it’s a real contrast in styles that could be interesting as to how they gel. Either way the contest should teach us more about both men.

Two more amateur stars continue on their journey through the pro ranks as Qais Ashfaq and Sean McGoldrick both take steps up in their respective bouts. McGoldrick fights Thomas Essomba in a 10 round bantamweight contest who last time out made it all the way to the 12th round against Scotsman Lee McGregor before being stopped and has also been the distance with European flyweight champion Jay Harris.

Ashfaq takes on 14-3 brummie Sean Davis over 8 who’s 3 defeats have all came against at the time unbeaten fighters. These include Gamal Yafai, Thomas Patrick Ward and Reece Mould.

Heavyweight Martin Bakole is also in action as well as 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist John Docherty. Making up the rest of the card is some young talents from the north west in Dylan Evans, Tom Whittaker-Hart and Nathan Farrell.