Commonwealth orders for returning Vassell

The Commonwealth Council has ordered Denton Vassell to defend his welterweight crown against mandatory challenger Bethuel “Tyson” Uushona from Namibia by 31 March 2011 with purse bids being called for 10 December.

According to BoxRec News sources however, Hatton Promotions are expected to ask the Commonwealth Council to grant them a small extension to enable Vassell to first defend his title against former British champion Young Mutley on 26 February in Bolton before he accommodates Uushona.

Vassell (15-0) is currently preparing for a warm-up bout against Brazil's Welson Alves de Oliveira (14-3) on the Hattons’ Christmas dinner show at the Palace Hotel on 4 December. The unbeaten Manchester man hasn’t fought since outpointing Colchester’s Lee Purdy in a war to claim the vacant Commonwealth welterweight strap in April. Travelling beyond six rounds for the first time in his career, Vassell threw almost 1,000 punches as he repeatedly punished Purdy to the body but was wobbled himself in round three and most notably towards the end of round seven. The Manchester man recovered and finished strongly to take a deserved unanimous decision (117-111, 117-112 and 115-114) to successfully emerge from the first gut-check of his career.

The fellow unbeaten Uushona, 23-0 (8), has completed the 12-round distance on no less than five occasions, most recently as yesterday when he outpointed Kenya’s James Kimori to retain his WBO Africa welterweight title. The 28-year-old’s most notable victory though is a controversial ten-round split decision over the former Glossop-based Ali Nuumbembe to capture the vacant Namibian welterweight title in 2004.

In other Commonwealth orders, Commonwealth flyweight champion Chris Edwards is facing a rematch against Namibia’s Abmerk Shindjuu, the man he narrowly outpointed to win his title in Stoke in February. Purse bids are again due on 10 December. Edwards began brightly against the gangly Shindjuu but was on the receiving end down the stretch and had to cling on to eek out a close (but worthy) unanimous decision (115-114 on all three judges’ scorecards).

The Stoke buzzsaw has been out of the ring since but was supposed to defend his crown against Ashley Sexton on the undercard of David Haye-Audley Harrison only for Sexton to withdraw after being struck down by flu.