Burkinshaw offers McDonnell Yorkshire blockbuster

Sheffield's former British title challenger Ross Burkinshaw has offered fellow Yorkshireman and new European bantamweight champion Jamie McDonnell a homecoming to remember - a guaranteed sell out derby scrap.

Doncaster's McDonnell, 23, completed an astonishing start to 2010 by travelling to France at the weekend and dethroning EBU champ Jerome Arnould by way of a tenth round stoppage.  He had already beaten the odds in January to take the British and Commonwealth titles from Hackney's Ian Napa.

Burkinshaw, also 23, was well beaten by classy Lee Haskins for the British super-flyweight title in July last year.  No disgrace in that - McDonnell himself lost to Haskins, albeit by the razor thin margin of 77-76 two years ago and he also failed in a challenge for the super-fly version of the Lonsdale, against Chris Edwards.

How times have changed.

McDonnell was set to box Napa in a rematch the diminutive Londoner deserves but the prospect of a Yorkshire derby could alter Jamie's plans - especially as Napa's promoter Frank Maloney also has a decent working relationship with Burkinshaw. 

Serving Rifleman Ross 'The Boss' - who himself is slated to face Martin Power on a Maloney bill on April 23rd - is positively licking his lips at the thought of a bout with his cross-county rival.

"All respect to Jamie - he's done unbelievably well," Burkinshaw told BoxRec News straight after his Sunday win against journeyman Danny Thorpe.

"I'd love to fight him and we'd have a good old scrap.  He's got three belts now and I'd love to box him for one of them, preferably the British.

"It's funny because after McDonnell beat Napa, his team were on the phone wanting to make a match with me...then that European chance came up and he's grabbed it with both hands.

"I hope they still want to make the match now.  It wouldn't matter where we did it - Doncaster Dome, Sheffield City Hall or Ponds Forge...we'd sell any of them out."

After going to his opponent's backyards twice in a row, perhaps McDonnell would like the idea of a home fight - and everyone loves a derby match.