THAT WORLD TITLE IS STAYING IN ENGLAND SAYS COURTENAY

‘The Baby Face Assassin’ defends WBA crown against Mitchell
Shannon Courtenay has dreams of unifying the Bantamweight division but must first navigate a tricky maiden WBA World Title defence against undefeated American Jamie Mitchell on the undercard of Liam Smith vs. Anthony Fowlerat the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool this Saturday October 9, live worldwide on DAZN

‘The Baby Face Assassin’ (7-1, 3 KOs), who is set to fight in Liverpool for the first time as a professional this weekend, picked up the black and gold belt after defeating Australia’s Ebanie Bridges on points following a punishing battle at the Copper Box Arena in April.

The 28-year-old from Watford isn’t taking ‘The Miracle’ Mitchell lightly and is relishing pitting herself against the former amateur standout who trains at the famous Mayweather Gym in Las Vegas under the tutelage of former professional boxer Dewey Cooper.

“To be honest with you, after Rachel Ball pulled out we could have taken a nice easy defence,” said Courtenay. “We picked someone who was ranked number one in America. I’m not here to play games. I want good defences because I know it’s only going to get harder. Mark my words, that World Title is staying in England.

“She’s from the Mayweather Gym so she has that nice slick defensive movement about her. She’s got a lovely jab. She had a good amateur career. She’s a big name in America. Her name carries a bit of weight. She starts sharp and has good torso and head movement. Physically she has the same structure as me. It’s going to be a good fight. We both hit quite hard.

“I’m proud of what I’ve achieved, but I’d be lying if I said I was content, because I’m not content. I thought I would wake up after winning the World Title feeling content, but I didn’t. I want more now; I want more titles and I want to go on and unify the division. I’m happy and I’m proud but I’m not content – I want more!

“You’ve seen the power that I have, I can cause concussive one-punch knockouts, which not many women can do. Of course I believe I can do that to anyone in the division. And still! That belt is coming home with me. Nobody is taking it off me. I respect any fighter, especially someone that can get ranked in America. You know that they’re going to bring fire, so I’m just prepared for a good fight.”

Courtenay vs. Mitchell is part of a stacked night of action in Liverpool, former WBO Super-Welterweight Word Champion Liam Smith (29-3-1, 16 KOs) meets 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist and Rio 2016 Olympian Anthony Fowler (15-1, 12 KOs) in a massive all-Liverpool clash for local bragging rights, Ted Cheeseman (17-2-1, 10 KOs) puts his British Super-Welterweight Title on the line against Troy Williamson (16-0-1, 12 KOs) following his brilliant stoppage win over James Metcalf in Gibraltar, Northampton’s Kieron Conway (16-2-1, 3 KOs) looks to bounce back from his loss to Souleymane Cissokho on the Canelo vs. Saunders undercard when he meets James Metcalf (21-1, 13 KOs), decorated amateur star Peter McGrail makes his highly anticipated professional debut against Ed Harrison (2-8), Tony Bellew-managed Lightweight Luke Willis (10-0, 1 KO) clashes with Norwich’s Rylan Charlton (6-1-1, 3 KOs), two-time World Title challenger Natasha Jonas (9-2-1, 7 KOs) returns after her thrilling fight with Katie Taylor in May, Birmingham Heavyweight hope Solomon Dacres (2-0, 1 KO) steps up against the experienced Kamil Sokolowski (10-22-2, 4 KOs) in just his third fight, Wigan Lightweight Rhiannon Dixon (3-0) fights for the second time this year and Blane Hyland (4-1) meets Santiago San Eusebio (3-1-2, 2 KOs) in a four round Super-Flyweight contest. 
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THREE-WEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION RICKY BURNS JOINS PROBELLUM


Probellum can today proudly announce the promotional signing of Scotland’s only ever three-weight world champion Ricky Burns.

Burns (43-8-1, 16 knockouts) is one of the most successful boxers of the last decade, holding world titles at super-featherweight, lightweight and super-lightweight between 2010 and 2017.

During that time, the Scottish hero earned memorable wins over fighters such as Michael Katsidis, Kiryl Relikh, Roman Martinez and Kevin Mitchell, whilst also sharing the ring with the likes of Terence Crawford and Ray Beltran.

To this day, Burns remains one of the best Scottish fighters ever produced, having competed on 52 occasions in his illustrious professional career, with 13 of those being world title bouts.

He is the latest high-profile signing to team up with Probellum, after former world champions Regis Prograis and Badou Jack joined earlier this week.

Probellum has also announced ground-breaking co-promotional agreements with some of the biggest names in sport, such as Wasserman Boxing, Universum in Germany, LNK Boxing in Latvia, Glozier Boxing in New Zealand, Team Ellis Boxing in Australia Armin Tan Promotions in Indonesia, and Box Office Sports in Ghana.

“I’m honoured to be signing this promotional agreement with Probellum,” said Burns“I feel I’ve still got plenty left to offer in my career and I can’t wait to make my long-awaited return in the near future, hopefully with thousands of my fans in attendance.

“From my conversations with Probellum it’s clear that we share the same vision and goals, so I’m looking forward to stepping back into the ring soon and having a powerhouse like them backing me.”

“We are ecstatic to announce the promotional signing of three-weight world champion Ricky Burns,” said Richard Schaefer, President of Probellum“Ricky is one of the best fighters of this generation, and there are still some huge nights ahead of him.

“Scottish boxing is at an all-time high at the moment with fighters such as Josh Taylor, Lee McGregor and Kash Farooq flying the flag, but Ricky remains a national hero. He hasn’t had the chance to fight in Scotland since 2017, and there are going to be endless possibilities for him after joining us here at Probellum.”

News on when Burns will have his first bout since signing a promotional deal with Probellum will be announced in the near future.

For live news and updates, be sure to follow Probellum on InstagramTwitter and Facebook.

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I COULDN’T ASK FOR A BETTER DEBUT! SAYS MCGRAIL

Decorated amateur makes professional bow in Liverpool
Peter McGrail says he couldn’t have wished for a better platform to make his professional debut on as he prepares to battle Ed Harrison in a six-round Super-Bantamweight contest on the undercard of Liam Smith vs. Anthony Fowler at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool this Saturday October 9, live worldwide on DAZN

One of Merseyside’s most decorated amateur boxers, McGrail first broke through with bronze medals at the Youth Olympics and World Youth Championships back in 2014. The gifted southpaw then won gold at the European Championships in Kharkiv in 2017 before winning Commonwealth gold a year later in Australia. 

The 25-year-old Liverpudlian, who trains out of the renowned Everton Red Triangle Gym on Albion Street under Paul Stevenson, was hotly-tipped for a Featherweight medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games but succumbed to a premature defeat against Thai fighter Chatchai-decha Butdee in the opening round. 

“I won seven National Titles growing up,” said McGrail. “I went to the Youth Worlds and got a bronze. Then I qualified for the Youth Olympics and got a bronze. It was after that I joined Team GB. My best achievement was when I won the Europeans fighting a Ukrainian in Ukraine in the final. I knew if I won that I was the first ever Scouser.

“You’ve seen the Scousers that have come out of this city. For me to win that and be the first ever Scouser was boss for my family. It was boss for me and boss for the gym. I needed the Olympic medal, but it wasn’t to be. I’m still proud of my career. It was sad but it was exciting at the same time because I knew it was time for the new chapter to begin which I’ve been waiting for for years. 

“I’m a proud Scouser, whenever there’s a Scouser fighting I’m always rooting for them. The likes of Tony Bellew and Callum Smith – former World Champions. Everyone in our gym, we’re all looking to follow in their footsteps. I love Liverpool. I trained down in Sheffield for years but I always used to miss home. When I’d come home I was always a bit happier. 

“I can’t ask for a better debut. It’s not just a little show in Liverpool, it’s a proper heavy bill. It’s a naughty main event. I’m looking forward to it. I want to become a World Champion. I want to bring big nights to Liverpool. I want to make my mum, my dad and my family proud, and hopefully make loads of money as well. I’m going to be pushing on to bigger and better things.”

McGrail vs. Harrison is part of a stacked night of action in Liverpool, former WBO Super-Welterweight Word Champion Liam Smith (29-3-1, 16 KOs) meets 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist and Rio 2016 Olympian Anthony Fowler (15-1, 12 KOs) in a massive all-Liverpool clash for local bragging rights, Ted Cheeseman (17-2-1, 10 KOs) puts his British Super-Welterweight Title on the line against Troy Williamson (16-0-1, 12 KOs) following his brilliant stoppage win over James Metcalf in Gibraltar, WBA Bantamweight World Champion Shannon Courtenay (7-1, 3 KOs) defends her crown for the first time against the USA’s Jamie Mitchell (6-0-2, 4 KOs), Northampton’s Kieron Conway (16-2-1, 3 KOs) looks to bounce back from his loss to Souleymane Cissokho on the Canelo vs. Saunders undercard when he meets James Metcalf (21-1, 13 KOs), Tony Bellew-managed Lightweight Luke Willis (10-0, 1 KO) clashes with Norwich’s Rylan Charlton (6-1-1, 3 KOs), two-time World Title challenger Natasha Jonas (9-2-1, 7 KOs) returns after her thrilling fight with Katie Taylor in May, Birmingham Heavyweight hope Solomon Dacres (2-0, 1 KO) steps up against the experienced Kamil Sokolowski (10-22-2, 4 KOs) in just his third fight, Wigan Lightweight Rhiannon Dixon (3-0) fights for the second time this year and Blane Hyland (4-1) meets Santiago San Eusebio (3-1-2, 2 KOs) in a four round Super-Flyweight contest. 
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