New opponent for Mutley

West Bromwich's Young Mutley will now face a tougher opponent in his first keep busy fight under Frank Maloney's promotional banner, taking on Ramsgate's Scott Woolford.

Woolford is coming off his best win in November when he beat ex English light welterweight champion Scott Haywood, albeit on a cut.

Mutley who has linked up with original trainer Jason Shinfield and Frank Maloney for a three fight deal will be looking to perform so he can secure a shot at British champion Lenny Daws.

The two will square off on the undercard of Jason Booth Vs Matthew Marsh in Nottingham on November 5th.

Horton lifts International Masters belt on dinner show

Holiday Inn, Birmingham
28th January 2010

Stourbridge's Sam Horton bounced back from his first defeat (to Cello Renda in a British title eliminator last year) with a victory over tough welshman Jamie Ambler lifting the vacant International Masters super middleweight belt in the process.

Horton had to pick himself up from the floor in the 8th round after a right to the body from Ambler, but the Stourbridge bus driver drove onto a 96-94 victory on referee John Keane's card.

Also on the dinner show, in a black country derby Tipton's Rob Doody and Brierley Hill's Martin Gordan could not be seperated with referee Keane scoring the eight rounder a draw.

Dudley's Chris Male also kept busy with a shutout points victory in his six rounder against late subsitute Anthony Hanna. Male had previously beat Hanna over four rounds in 2008.

Crunchtime At Lunchtime 2 to be screened live on the net

First Team promotions "Crunchtime At Lunchtime 2" bill at Wolverhampton Civic Hall is to be screened live on Ricky Hatton's promotional companies website - (www.hattonboxing.tv). The bill has also been put back from Sunday 28th February to Sunday 14th March.

The bill will be headlined by Wolverhampton's Dean Harrison challenging Ben Lawler (champion) for the Midland Area light welterweight title. Harrison now trains up at the Hatton's gym which is probably why the bill is to be screened on their site.

Also on the 12th fight allday bill will be Stafford's Rob Hunt, Coseley pair Jamie Ball and Richard Ghent, Birmingham's Nasser Al Harbi and Essington's Ben Wilkes.

Tickets are available from the civic box office on 0870 320 7000.

Picture courtesy of First Team promotions/Wolves Civic

Downing out of Gordan clash, Doody in

West Bromwich's Wayne Downing who was coming out from an eight month retirement has been forced to pull out of his British Masters title clash with Brierley Hill's Martin Gordan this Thursday.

Downing who holds a previous points victory over Gordan was said to have been struggling with making the weight and was told by his team to cancel the fight, which he reluctantly did.

Tipton's Rob Doody will replace Downing in what will still be a black country derby, but not with any title at stake. Doody and Gordan (pictured) have been scheduled to fight no fewer than 3 times before but due to injuries and show cancellations have yet to meet.

Picture courtesy of Express and Star

Altrincham weigh in pictures and weights

Pictures and weights from yesterdays weight in for tonight's Hatton promoted bill at Altrincham leisure centre


Rob Norton (198.5) Vs David Dolan (200)


Martin Gethin (134.5) Vs Graeme Higginson (134.5)

Pictures courtesy of Hatton Promotions

Altrincham preview - Norton and Gethin both in title fights tonight

Tonight Hatton Promotions host an impressive looking card at
the Altrincham leisure centre, top of the bill sees Stourbridge southpaw Rob Norton defending his British and Commonwealth crusierweight titles in a rematch with Sunderland's David Dolan. Also on the card Walsall's Martin Gethin faces Graeme Higginson for the vacant English lightweight strap.

It was almost a year ago when Rob Norton and Sunderland's David Dolan clashed at the Aston Arena, then for Norton's British cruiserweight belt and the vacant Commonwealth title. The fight turned out to be an exciting if not controversial affair.

When the pair first met it had pretty much everything, including five knockdowns (some of which were disputed) and a controversial ending (Dolan's team still dispute the scoring) so it was likely the two would meet again and tonight they do.

Norton is a very tricky fighter to fight, a southpaw who's stance and movement are very unorthodox, he can however get lazy at times and if his minds not a hundred percent on the job I can see Dolan, who will be more used to fighting the awkward Stourbridge fighter since their first fight, dropping Norton and maybe winning on points.

Walsall's Martin Gethin hopes to get his career back on track and will aim tonight to capture the vacant English lightweight title (a belt he held in 2008) when he faces Blackburn's Graeme Higginson. Gethin was supposed to fight for the belt before Christmas against Stefy Bull but Bull pulled out injured and Gethin gets his chance tonight.

Higginson's a good competitor and has turned his career around since losing his first four professional fights in 2005 and 2006. Since that early stage in his career his only losses on the whole have been at the hands of good fighters. I see Gethin having too much grit for him in this one though and can see him walking through Higginson's shots and maybe forcing a late stoppage bringing the English belt back to Walsall, and perhaps more importanlty to Gethin, putting him back in the British title mix.

Elsewhere on the card Mark Thompson fights Kevin Mcintyre in a British welterweight title eliminator, Paul Samuels and Cello Renda go at it again, and if they're first encounter is anything to go by there will be fireworks! Sky screen the show as Friday Fight Night tonight from 10pm.

Picture courtesy of Hatton Promotions

Mutley gets tune up in Notts, wants Daws later in the year

West Bromwich's Young Mutley (pictured) will be in action in a keep busy fight at the Harvey Haddon Centre, Nottingham, on the Jason Booth Vs Matthew Marsh undercard on the 5th February.

Mutley who has recently signed a three fight deal with Frank Maloney wants to tune up and then target British light welter champ Lenny Daws by the end of the year.

His opponent on the 5th will be London based Michael Frontin who although having lost 6 (mostly against good opposition) does have an impressive win over ex English light welterweight champion Scott Haywood.

Picture courtesy of Express and Star

Portman in next Prizefighter

West Bromwich's Marcus Portman is almost certain to be in the next Prizefighter tournament, Prizefighter The Light Middleweights.

The ex WBF light middleweight champion has said that after his dissapointing draw with Tyan Booth last October he was close to retiring, but will give Prizefighter a go and see how he goes from there.

Other rumoured entrants are ex Portman opponents Gary Woolcombe and Bradley Pryce, aswell as Leicester's Martin Concepcion and Matthew Hall.

The tournament will take place on February 26th at York Hall, Bethnal Green and will be screened by Sky.

Black Country derby at Holiday Inn

West Bromwich's Wayne Downing will return to the ring after an eight month retirement to face Dudley's Martin Gordon for the vacant British Masters title at the Holiday Inn in Birmingham at the end of the month. Downing retired in May to concentrate on his corner work with the Wednesbury gym but will be back in the ring aiming to pick up a belt against an opponent he beat in 2007.

The show will be Wednesbury based First Team's first show of the year and will be hosted by guest speaker and ring legend John Conteh. The four fight dinner show will also feature Stourbridge's Sam Horton who will be aiming to bounce back from his recent British title eliminator defeat by beating Welshman Jamie Ambler which will be for an International Masters title. Filling the rest of the card will be Dudley's Chris Male and Coventry's ex English champion Steve Bendall.