Magee in ludicrous Prizefighter winner suggestion
The manager of Ulster's European super-middleweight champion Brian Magee has apparently made a ludicrous offer to tonight’s Prizefighter Super Middleweight fighters – lift the trophy and get a shot at his man's title.
“Brian will be watching tomorrow night’s action with great interest,” said manager Pat Magee. “He’s a big fan of Prizefighter and there is huge potential for him to take on the winner in his first European title defence.”
Although Prizefighter has been an effective launching pad for boxers - or in the case of Audley Harrison, resurrecting a failing career - to suggest that any of the willing chaps in tonight's line up should get a straight shot at one of the most important belts in boxing should they win is patently absurd. None of the fighters would remotely qualify for a tilt even with three back to back first round knockout wins.
A fight with Commonwealth super middleweight champion George Groves has also been mooted after his manager Adam Booth told the Steve Bunce Boxing Hour that the 22 year-old Londoner would be interested in fighting tomorrow’s champion. With the appalling standard of challenger sanctioned by the Commonwealth Boxing Council of late, this is a more likely proposition.
This is not to denigrate the boxers in tonight's line up - though after the pull outs of three Tonys (Dodson, Quigley and Salam), this is one of the poorer line ups in the Prizefighter series - the fact of the matter is that any of them should have to do much more than win tonight to secure a shot at a decent title...not that the Commonwealth belt deserves to be called that anymore, such has been its decline, seemingly abused for television purposes.
The quality of boxers in the line-up certainly doesn't necessarily mean it won't be a very watchable event, by the way. The recent super-bantams line up didn't seem up to much but was compelling viewing.
Olympic gold medallist James DeGale will be an interested spectator at ringside tonight and the man he defeated to claim the WBA International super middleweight title Sam Horton kicks-off the night against Patrick Mendy, the 19 year-old who becomes the youngest boxer in Prizefighter history.
Daniel Cadman and Eddie McIntosh battle in the second quarter-final to face the winner of that opener, while unbeaten Welsh fighter Jeff Evans takes on Sheffield’s comeback man Peter Fedorenko.
The winner of that fight will face either Sheffield-based Northampton fighter Paul David and Carl Drake, the Plymouth man who takes the place of Tony Salam, who has been forced to withdraw through personal reasons.
“I’m absolutely buzzing at getting a chance for Prizefighter,” said Drake at the weigh-in at the Crowne Plaza London Hotel in Shoreditch.
“I know Paul is a top fighter and well-fancied for this but I am going to give it everything and I’m so up for it.”
Tickets for Prizefighter Super Middleweights are available on the door from 7.30pm and are priced £35 (unreserved) and £60 (ringside) with VIP tickets now sold out.
QUARTER-FINALS (with weights):
Patrick Mendy (12st 1lb 9oz) v Sam Horton (12st 1lb 12oz)
Daniel Cadman (12st 1lb 10oz) v Eddie McIntosh (12st 1lb 13oz)
Jeff Evans (12st 1lb 6oz) v Peter Fedorenko (11st 13lb 10oz)
Carl Drake (12st 0lb 10oz) v Paul David (12st 2lb)
Reserves: Eder Kurti (11st 13lb 9oz) and Anthony Fitzgerald (12st 1lb 13oz)
