Matchroom Bring NXTGEN to Newcastle
By Matt Elliott
Matchroom make their eagerly anticipated return to Newcastle this weekend, with the next generation of talent taking centre stage. Eddie Hearn has built up quite a stable of North East boxers and Saturday’s show at the Utilita Arena will give them the opportunity to showcase their abilities in front of a home crowd.
The show is headlined by Cyrus Pattinson (5-0) who faces Chris Jenkins (23-6-3) for the vacant WBA International welterweight title, his second title opportunity after he claimed the IBO Continental belt last time out with victory over Jorick Luisetto. Of his five victories to date, four have come within the distance and Pattinson will be hoping to put on a show as he faces the experienced Jenkins.
Pattinson admitted this week that he has always dreamed of fighting at the Arena he snuck into as a child, and he will be eager to continue his climb up the rankings of a hugely competitive welterweight division. Jenkins comes into the fight on the back of two straight defeats, a fourth-round stoppage against Florian Marku and a narrow points loss to Tyrone McKenna last time out. Whilst many will expect a dominant performance from Pattinson, he will need to be at his best and try not to be overawed by the occasion if he is to walk out victorious.
Pattinson is joined on the card by fellow Birtley boxing club fighters Mark Dickinson and Calum French who are all trained by Graeme Rutherford. Dickinson (4-0) makes his second appearance for Matchroom and this is his first back under the tutelage of Rutherford following his split from Ben Davison. He faces Ben Ridings (5-3) another fighter coming off back-to-back defeats. French (3-0) takes on another local fighter in the experienced Jordan Ellison (14-44). Ellison’s record suggests a comfortable win for French, but we all know records can be deceiving. Ellison sprung a surprise last time out when he defeated Dylan Cheema on points, and he will be eager to impress.
Pat McCormack (3-0) is another local fighter on the card and someone else who is familiar with Birtley, having competed there as an amateur. The Olympic silver medallist from Tokyo faces Dario Socci (15-7-2) as he looks to continue the impressive start to his professional career.
An intriguing fight in the heavyweight division sees Soloman Dacres (5-0) meet Newcastle’s Rob Ismay (11-0) for the English heavyweight title. Dacres will be a strong favourite but Ismay, whose eleven-fight professional career spans twelve years following a six-and-a-half-year absence between 2013 and 2019, will be looking to spring a surprise.
Adam Reichard (1-0) from the Tenacity Boxing gym, run by Anth Kelly and John Stubbs, makes his second professional appearance on the card. Reichard, who made his debut on the undercard of the Josh Kelly and Troy Williamson clash last December, takes on Jahfieus Faure (1-11-1).
Outside of the locally born fighters, Hopey Price (9-0) faces Thomas Masson (20-5-1) for the vacant WBA Continental super-bantamweight title. Price has been very impressive since his debut in 2019 and he recently signed a new multi-fight promotional deal with Matchroom, signalling their confidence in him.
Maisey Rose Courtney (1-0) is another female prospect that Matchroom feels can go a long way and she makes her second professional appearance on Saturday, taking on Spain’s Buchra El Quaissi (3-4-3). Quaissi is a solid choice of opponent having previously faced Shannon Courtenay, Lauren Parker, and Shannon Ryan. In her last outing, she lost to Nicola Hopewell, but she has a history of going the distance and, over four rounds, this should be good experience for Courtney.
The card will also see the professional debut of Muhammad Ali. Bearing a name steeped in boxing history, Ali will be hoping to put on a performance when he meets Sean Jackson (0-6-1).
The action will be shown live on DAZN, with the undercard expected to get underway from 4:15pm and the main card starting at 7pm.
Photo Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
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