By Iwan Evans: York Hall in Bethnal Green is having a busy period in November and that busy period continues on Saturday night as Prizefigher rolls in to town. This time it’s the middleweights in action and here I am going to preview all eight fighters who start the night in the competition.
Martin Murray (9-0, 3 KO’s) ranked 6th in the UK. Murray is one of three unbeaten fighters in the competition; the 26 year old from St Helens has fought mostly at super middleweight and will be a very dangerous fighter in this competition. Murray is a guy who I haven’t seen fighting in the past but he has been comfortable in dispensing all nine of his opponents since starting off his career in September last year and comes in to this fight with a lot of rounds under his belt in 2008, he’s going to be sharp and his boxing skills are ranked as one of the best in the competition. According to reports he’s trained very hard for this fight and has a good trainer in his corner in Amir Khan’s former trainer, Salford based Oliver Harrison. He is the favourite and a tough style and some pretty decent boxing skills, gives him a good chance.
Danny Butler (13-0, 3 KO’s) ranked 22nd in the UK light middleweight rankings. Butler is the current BBBofC British Masters super middleweight champion and is the former light middleweight champion of that belt. He is pretty inexperienced and hasn’t fought any really tough fighters yet. Age might go against him here and he’s been given a really tough task in the quarter finals against the experienced Paul Samuels. I don’t think he has the power to win this tournament and it could be one for a more experienced head.
Cello Renda (15-6-1, 9 KO’s) ranked the 11th best middleweight in the UK. He’s a fighter that can bang but also has a pretty dodgy chin with four of his six losses coming inside the distance. Won the BBBofC British Masters Middleweight title against fellow Prizefighter Steve Ede in September last year and fought former Contender Paul Smith for the English middleweight title in March of this year, Smith won with a sixth round stoppage. Renda is perfect for the Prizefighter, he could be involved in a KO, either a win or loss, last two Prizefighters’ have shown power isn’t everything and his chin may let him down in quest to be Prizefighter winner.
Max Maxwell (7-2, 2 KO’s) ranked 20th in the UK. Former Midlands Area champion who lost his title to Rob Kenney in September of this year. He’s trained by fellow Brummie Richie Woodhall and his dad Len, which will give him good experience in his corner and this guy is a pretty decent boxer. He is one of the better boxers in the field in my opinion and represents a pretty decent EW shot, he was unlucky to lose his Midlands Area champion and that 10 round fight will have given him some good sharpness coming in to this event.
Joe Rea (6-0-1, 4 KO’s) currently residing in Birmingham, but born in Ballymena, Ireland. Has already gained good experience of fighting in America and his record suggests this guy can punch. Not fought since April which could put him at a slight disadvantage because a couple of the fighters have had a number of fights this year and that fight was his first in two years. Has lacked motivation in the past and may not have the heart to win this event.
Paul Samuels (18-3, 11 KO’s) 22nd in the UK, fighting out of Newport, South Wales. Very experienced campaigner, now 35 years of age and is a former IBF Inter-Continental light middleweight champion, as well as fighting for the IBO light middleweight belt, a fight he was the better man in but fight ended in a draw after accidental clash of heads ended in the 3rd round, before he lost in a rematch to Richard Williams. Looked like his hunger had returned in July as he stopped Mark Nilsen in a round and experience of fighting the likes of Williams and Wayne Alexander gives him a good a EW shout despite being 35.
Danny Thornton (25-13-3, 5 KO’s) ranked 9th in the UK. Tough fighter who’s been in pretty good form having won four of his last five fights. Has fought for the EBA super middleweight title and has been in with the likes of Brian Magee and Paul Smith. He’s a very experience guy, but I don’t think he has the quality to win this event; there are better boxers and more powerful fighters in the field.
Steve Ede (9-1, 4 KO’s) ranked 26th in the UK. Very fit guy and he could be a guy that could scrape his opener and take it from their. Not fought since March but will have kept himself in good shape. Only loss came in September last year to fellow Prizefighter Cello Renda and the prospect of facing Renda in the semi finals could be a daunting one for him, having lost that fight with a 2nd round stoppage.
Draw
1. Max Maxwell v Steve Ede
2. Cello Renda v Danny Thornton
3. Danny Butler v Paul Samuels
4. Joe Rea v Martin Murray
Semi-final draw
5. Winner of 1 v Winner of 2
6. Winner of 3 v Winner of 4
Outcome – My predicted winner is slightly boring I fancy Martin Murray who is the favorite to win the competition @ 2 with a number of bookmakers. Rea should be an opponent he beats, while a semi final with either Butler or Samuels will be interesting. But Murray for me is a really talented fighter, who’s got a good trainer in Oliver Harrison and could box his way to the crown. Outside shot on the top half of the draw would be Cello Renda, has a lot of power and could very well KO his quarter final and semi final opponents, he’s a best priced 13/2 with Betfred which is massive.
For viewers in the UK, Prizefighter will serve as a warm up for the big fight of the night from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. I don’t fancy doing any fights on the undercard if I’m honest, Matthew Hatton v Ben Tackie should be a decent fight though. The main event sees Ricky Hatton take on Paulie Malignaggi for the IBO light welterweight belt. Hatton (44-1, 31 KO’s) has had a very good training camp coming in to this fight, I expect him to be very fit and I hope he keeps his attacking style going in to this fight, despite the change of trainer. He’s said in the press that he will and he certainly has a lot more power than the New Yorker. Hatton is now trained by the father of the guy who took away his unbeaten record, Floyd Mayweather Sr. Floyd Sr is a much respected trainer who’s been brought in to improve Hatton’s defense and if he does that, Ricky should win the fight. But his performance against Juan Lazcano at the City of Manchester Stadium back in May wasn’t very good, he deserved to win the fight but it wasn’t the Ricky of old, it could have been a hangover from the Mayweather fight and I would think a change in trainer was a good thing. A lot of these so called experts have come out in recent days, saying Ricky Hatton is finished, his lifestyle of beer and burgers are going to catch up with him and so on. Being honest with you I think Hatton will come in to this fight in the shape of his life, a training camp with Floyd Mayweather Sr is intensive, he’s not a too bob trainer, look where he got his son. Ricky has natural talent in the sport of boxing and if Floyd Mayweather Sr has improved his defense, he should win this fight.
Paulie ‘Motormouth’ Malignaggi (25-1, 5 KO’s) is a guy I just don’t like. I just hate the way he talks, the speed he talks and just all of this that he’s a superstar, yes you’ve got fast hands but only five wins have come inside the distance, the last of which was in 2004 against some guy called Sandro Casamonica, who you ask. He fought very well in his only loss against Miguel Cotto, I have to take my hat off to him for his performance that night but he labored to a win on the Hatton-Lazcano bill in May and didn’t impress me at all. The main thing I worry about Ricky Hatton when he fights is his chin and his ability to be cut easily. I can’t see Malignaggi hurting Hatton, Ricky has more experience and has a better all round game than Malignaggi. Paulie is a fantastic combo puncher, his hands are quick but does he have enough to beat a world class fighter like Ricky Hatton, no in my opinion. Hatton is such a tough fighter, he’ll always give 100% in the ring, this has been his best preparation for a fight for a very long time and despite me being a little biased, I do think he will win the fight @ 4/9 with Boylesports. I fancy him to win the fight on points @ even money with Ladbrokes and with Malignaggi having a good chin, but weak hands I fancy neither fighter to suffer a KO, TKO or knockdown @ 8/11 with Betfred.
Ricky Hatton treble
Hatton to win the fight @ 4/11
Hatton to win on points @ 8/11
Neither fighter to suffer a knockdown @ 8/11
Is a pretty decent treble which is available at Betfred, not sure how much it pays out though.
Prizefighter value
Cello Renda EW @ 13/2 with Betfred.