Preview: Maloney Promotions, January 22nd - A night full of prospects
Frank Maloney Promotions kick off the new year with an explosive bill of boxing at the Brentwood Centre in Essex on January 22nd. A packed Friday Fight Night bill, headlined by British bantamweight champion Ian Napa’s title defence against Jamie McDonnell, also includes some of the most exciting prospects in the country. BoxRec News Correspondent David Simpson caught up with George Groves, Ashley Sexton and Larry Olubamiwo to find out how preparations have been going.
Larry Olubamiwo
Known as 'The War Machine', heavyweight prospect Larry Olubamiwo 6(5)-1 is building a reputation as a fierce puncher with an all-action style. Having turned professional at the age of 30 after just 11 amateur fights, the Hackney fighter has had to make quick progress, and January 22nd sees him take another step up against Prizefighter contender Scott Belshaw.
“Scott Belshaw is definitely a step up," said Olubamiwo. "I think he’s a very good opponent for me because he has some credibility being a former prospect himself and obviously he’s still got ambitions himself because he’s still got a decent record even though he’s been beaten twice on the trot. But he’s been stopped by good guys, Audley and Fury, so it’s by no means an easy fight for me or as clear cut as people are making out. But if I do what I’m supposed to do, and what I’ve been working on in training, I should come away with the victory.
"I’m not really bothered whether I stop him or not, I just want the win. I think the win in itself would be a statement, whether it’s points or stoppage. I think if I win it on points and I win it well on points that will be a statement in itself. But I know I punch hard enough that if I catch anyone clean, they’ll go.”
Olubamiwo has shown impressive progress in his seven fights to date and is keen to show further improvement against Belshaw.
“Training’s been very good. Very, very good. I’m not going to give too much away, I’m going to leave it till the fight for everyone to see what I’ve been working on and how much I’ve improved by, but I’m going to have a surprise for people on the 22nd. That includes after the fight as well, so everyone should wait with baited breath.”
Exactly what surprise that is, Olubamiwo wouldn't say, but should he beat Belshaw there is certainly plenty to look forward to, with a heavyweight division full of contenders and a promoter keen to move his man quickly. "If he keeps making progress he should be in a position to fight for the British title by the end of 2010," said Frank Maloney.
"People might say I am rushing Larry, but he doesn't have as much time on his side as younger fighters in my stable like Tom Dallas and David Price."
Olubamiwo disagrees his age is a problem, pointing to older champions such as Lennox Lewis and 38-year old Vitali Klitschko, who continues to dominate the division. However, 'The War Machine' is keen to move quickly in 2010. "I don’t feel I need to be rushed because of my age, but at the same time I do want to get a bit of a move on this year. I do think 2010 does hold some big things for me and some key fights for me so I’ll be looking to progress quite quickly this year.
"I’m keeping my eye out for all the heavyweights. I think, because of the way the scene is at the moment, a lot of the heavyweights will have some ambitions of doing quite well.
"I think it’s going to be an exciting time for the British heavyweight scene in terms of the domestic match-ups that can be made. I’m definitely looking forward to it."
Many see this as a step up for Olubamiwo, and certainly his performance against Belshaw, a fighter who’s been in with the likes of Audley Harrison and Tyson Fury, will be a great indicator of the hard-hitting heavyweight’s potential. However, tricky tests against the likes of David Ingleby and Yavor Marinchev have already suggested the 6′ 4″ man has what it takes to make a big impression on the domestic scene. 2010 could be a big year for Olubamiwo, and that all starts with Scott Belshaw next Friday night.
Ashley Sexton
As far as exciting prospects go, they don't come much better than Ashley 'Flash Ash' Sexton 8(4)-0. The stylish, fast-talking flyweight is all set for his first tilt at a professional title as he takes on former amateur foe Usman Ahmed 6(0)-2-1 for the vacant English title in just his ninth pro outing. Ahmed has only ever lost to former British and Commonwealth champion Chris Edwards, and should prove a great test for 22 year-old Sexton who has been sparring with Ian Napa ahead of the bout.
"Training's going great at the minute", said Sexton. "A lot of sparring with Ian Napa, who's obviously headlining the bill. Been doing eight rounds, and will be stepping up to 10 rounds sparring. It's been going great. I've been working on my strength, doing a lot of fitness drills with Ben Cormack, and I feel in great shape. I'm looking to do some serious damage.
"I've been watching tapes of him and obviously I fought him as an amateur and beat him so I know what to expect.
"In his fight against Chris Edwards he looked happy just to finish the fight staying on his feet. I'm not like that. I'm looking to win. I look to win every fight I go into and I want to knock him out. To be honest I'd be disappointed if I only beat him on points."
Sexton will be returning to the Brentwood Centre in Essex for the second time in as many fights, after his first round demolition of Darli Goncalves Pires in September last year, and is looking forward to boxing again in the fan-friendly venue.
"It's a good place to box, it's good for the fans too - everyone can see the ring and get a good view no matter where they're sat and there's places to drink before and after. I've got good memories going back there after my last fight too when I stopped the guy in the first round."
An England International as an amateur, Sexton has great pedigree and has moved quickly so far in his pro career by any standards. However, the Cheshunt fighter has made no secret in the past of his ambitions for a British title and will no doubt be looking for an exciting performance against Ahmed to continue his progress.
"I could of gone a bit faster. Every time I've fought over a longer distance they haven't gone that far. The last fight was supposed to be a 10 rounder but I didn't even get to do a round. But I'm not looking past Usman Ahmed right now, I'm just concentrating on fighting him and knocking him out."
George Groves
Super-middleweight prospect George 'The Saint' Groves 7(5)-0 burst onto the professional scene in 2009 with some eye-catching performances and a plethora of positive press from the game's insiders. He has already been tipped for success and trainer/manager Adam Booth has even championed his man for a tilt at the Commonwealth title this year. Still only 21 years of age, Groves fights an as yet unnamed opponent in an eight rounder on Jan 22nd to kick-start what promises to be a thrilling year.
"Training's been going really well", said Groves. "I've been sparring with Paul David, he's boxing on Monday for the British title eliminator so he was nice and fit and healthy so a good bit of sparring for me. Managed to rattle out two sparring sessions, so I got 12 rounds there. He's a quality operator, he's difficult, he's awkward, he doesn't go by the book so getting guys like that is a bonus for me.
"I don't know who my opponent is but it's never a problem. You hope to deal with whoever it is on the day. The only hard thing is talking about it because you don't know who you're talking about! If the footage is available, I might watch it and i'll have a gist of who I'm boxing, but at this stage of the game, there's no point in me studying for a specific game plan because anything could happen and you have to learn to change and adapt during a fight and deal with anything that comes at you. Whoever I get, I'll get in there and keep it tight for the first few seconds and then hopefully work him out pretty early on in the first round and take it from there."
Having fought and won comfortably over the eight round distance last time out against tough Belarussian national champion Konstantin Makhankov, many fans will no doubt be keen to see Groves stepping up to ten rounds early this year. However, the Hammersmith fighter had some exciting news to explain why he'll likely be sticking to eight rounds in the next two fights.
"At the moment there's been talk about me boxing on the Shane Mosley v Andre Berto undercard, that's a week after my bout next week so that's like the end of January. Nothing can get confirmed with that until after this fight. So I need to get through this next fight clean, with no cuts or bruises, but that would be a dream come true.
"So the only reason we're not doing 10 rounds next is because I could be boxing 7 days later and with a trans-atlantic flight and that we don't want to push it too much, so this will be an 8-rounder and then when I get out there it'll probably be an 8-rounder again. From then on, if I'm boxing March or April time that'll probably be a 10-rounder, hopefully a title eliminator or something."
Indeed, Groves is hoping to earn a shot at either the British or Commonwealth title in 2010 and few would bet against the former double ABA champion producing the goods.
"We've identified a few things, we were there to see Carl Dilks and Adamu box for the Commonwealth title, who got the nod, I believe I'd beat him tomorrow. But the one that everyone wants at the moment is the British title. I know there's a long queue for that but I want a crack at that as well. I believe I could win that British title by the end of the season, by the summer time if they can put the fight together.
"Or a British title eliminator, because I know after 7 fights no one's going to give it to me for nothing but I'm willing to fight any of the guys above me for that British title, just to get a shot."
One factor that has helped the talented prospect develop at such a striking rate so far, has been the quality of his sparring, taking huge experience from being in with the likes of WBC World champions Carl Froch and Giacobbe Fragomeni. All being well, Groves had yet more exciting news to share, with the possibility of sparring with two more familiar names on the horizon.
"Sauerland promotions have been on the phone to Adam. They want me to go out in March maybe to spar with Arthur Abraham and maybe Kessler as well so that's fantastic news for me because that sparring is priceless.
"They both pose different threats and you have to be totally switched on, just like when I was sparring Carl Froch or Fragomeni, one mistake and you can get found out. They'll be like bouts for me anyway and I'll be learning just as much there if not more than when I'm fighting next week so I'm just buzzing about that."
A hugely promising year ahead then for three of the country's brightest talents and an important Friday night of fights to kick-start that journey on an excellent bill in Essex. Elsewhere, super-bantamweight Michael Maguire 5(2)-0, heavyweight Tom Dallas 8(6)-0, ABA champion Liam Cameron 2-0, Erick Ochieng 2-0 and former British super-featherweight champion Carl Johanneson 27(19)-4(3)-0 all feature.
Tickets can be purchased from frankmaloney.com.
