African Tyson next up for Vassell

Denton Vassell will make the first defence of his Commonwealth welterweight crown against Namibia’s Bethuel “Tyson” Uushona at Bolton Arena on 26 February after Hatton Promotions submitted the winning purse bid. Stephen Foster Jr’s European super-featherweight title defence against Ermanno Fegatelli tops the bill.

The 16-fight unbeaten Vassell impressed when winning the vacant Commonwealth championship with an entertaining points victory over Lee Purdy back in April but was restricted to only one subsequent outing in 2010 – an easy three round pummeling of Brazil’s Jack Welson last month.

Despite his menacing nickname, mandatory challenger Uushona has only chalked up eight stoppages in his 23 wins but like Vassell is also undefeated. The Namibian’s best wins have come over the distance against the former Glossop-based Ali Nuumbembe and Philip Kotey, who was recently annihilated in two rounds by Sheffield’s Kell Brook.