Global boxing promotion Probellum will host its first UK show of 2022 in Newcastle in March, jointly headlined by local fighters Lewis Ritson, Troy Williamson and Thomas Patrick Ward, with the hugely talented duo Pat McCormack and Ben Rees set to make their professional debuts.
Taking place at the Utilita Arena, on Friday March 25, Probellum returns to the north-east following its sell out inaugural UK show in Sunderland in December.
The upcoming event features some of British boxing’s biggest and brightest talents, with tickets available to purchase via Ticketmaster from today (Friday January 28).
Newcastle-born Ritson (22-2, 13 knockouts) will be back in action after defeating Christian Uruzquieta with a brilliant performance in December. This time around he faces Dejan Zlaticanin (24-3, 16 knockouts), an experienced Serbian fighter.
Having signed to Probellum last month, Williamson (17-0-1, 13 knockouts), from Darlington, aims to maintain his unbeaten record in what will be the first defence of his British super-welterweight title, which he secured courtesy of an eye-catching knockout victory over British fighter Ted Cheeseman in October 2021.
The undefeated Ward (31-0-1, 4 knockouts), from County Durham, produced a dominant display against Venezuelan Leonardo Padilla in his most recent contest to move one step closer to a deserved world title shot.
The event will also see McCormack and Rees, both local fighters who recently signed to Probellum, make their hotly anticipated professional debuts following brilliant careers at amateur level, with McCormack winning a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Rees a five-time national champion.
Fellow Probellum fighter and rising star Dickinson (2-0, 1 knockout) will be looking to build on an impressive start to his professional career under the guidance of world-leading coach Ben Davison when he returns to the ring at the Utilita Arena.
Speaking about the event Richard Schaefer, President of Probellum, who has promoted some of the biggest names in world boxing including Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather, said:
“We are extremely pleased to be bringing our first UK show of the year to Newcastle, a city which boasts a huge passion for boxing, and home to many of Probellum’s most promising young fighters.
“December’s show in Sunderland was a big success, with a brilliant atmosphere, and we are really looking forward to returning to the north-east in March.
“As always, the card is packed full of talent with Troy Williamson joining a host of talented local fighters, including the likes of Lewis Ritson and Mark Dickinson, for what promises to be a fantastic night of boxing.”
Tickets, which go on sale today (Friday January 28), can be purchased via Ticketmaster.
Tag: Troy Williamson
I’LL BE GOING HOME WITH THE BRITISH TITLE SAYS WILLIAMSON
| ‘Trojan’ primed for Cheeseman test |
| Troy Williamson is determined to prove that he is the number one 154lbs fighter in the country when he takes on two-time British Super-Welterweight Champion Ted Cheeseman for the Lord Lonsdale Challenge Belt at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool this Saturday October 9, live worldwide on DAZN. ‘Trojan’ (16-0-1, 12 KOs) landed his shot at the famous belt by stopping Scotland’s Kieran Smith in six rounds of their Final Eliminator at York Hall earlier this year, and the chiselled 30-year-old from Darlington believes that a win over Cheeseman will place him at the top the stacked 154lbs division. Williamson, who spent two years with the Team GB set up in Sheffield during his amateur days, concedes that Cheeseman has the upper hand in terms of the level or previous opponents faced, but insists that this won’t matter when the bell rings and he takes on his toughest challenge to date. “I’ve been saying for years that I deserve the chance to be involved in these big fights,” said Williamson. “I’ve told everyone that I’m good enough and this is my chance to prove it. I believe that I’m the best 154lbs fighter in the division. “I’ve been offered some big fights in the past and I’ve accepted them all. It’s just unfortunate that some of them never happened for whatever reason. As soon as the Ted Cheeseman fight got mentioned I accepted it because he’s a warrior. “This Saturday we’re getting down to business. Ted is a great two-time British Champion. That says it all. He’s the number one fighter in the division. You can’t deny that. I just know what I possess and what I’m going to bring on the night. I’ll be going home with the British Title. “We’ve had a similar number of fights; I think he’s had one or two more fights than me. I’ve not had it the easy way. I’ve had it tough when I had to sell tickets myself on these small hall shows. I’ve not had no bums just to knock over. I’ve come through the hard way and it will show on the night that experience won’t matter. “You’re going to see the best of me on Saturday. The better the opponent, the better version of Troy Williamson you’ll see. Ted Cheeseman is the biggest fight of my career and he’s probably the best fighter I’ve boxed in my career. It’s going to be a cracker, there’s going to be fireworks. “I carry power in both hands. If I hit anyone on the chin at 11st in 10oz gloves I’m going to hurt them. If the stoppage comes it comes. We both like to have a tear up, we’re both fit and both very tough. I’m not one to backdown from a fight. When the big fights come I’ll always take them and so will Ted.” Cheeseman vs. Williamson 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, 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), 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. |
THIS IS THE LAST HURDLE FOR ME AT BRITISH LEVEL SAYS CHEESEMAN
| ‘The Big Cheese’ clashes with Williamson in Liverpool |
| Ted Cheeseman hopes to push on from domestic level should he successfully defend his British Super-Welterweight Title against Darlington’s Troy Williamson on the stacked Liam Smith vs. Anthony Fowler card at the M&S Bank Arena Liverpool a week on Saturday, live worldwide on DAZN. Cheeseman (17-2-1, 10 KOs) recaptured the 154lbs Lord Lonsdale Challenge Belt with a brilliant eleventh round knockout of the previously unbeaten Liverpudlian James Metcalf on the blockbuster Alexander Povetkin vs. Dillian Whyte II show in Gibraltar earlier this year. ‘The Big Cheese’ suffered his first career loss when he stepped up to European level to challenge Spain’s Sergio Garcia at The O2 back in February 2019, but with his personal issues now behind him the 26-year-old Bermondsey favourite is confident that he can mount a fresh assault at European honours and beyond. “Before I had my demons I hit a point where as a young pro you think you’re unbeatable,” said Cheeseman. “You have that glow and that feel around yourself. I feel like for a while I had a lot of pressure on me. I was putting more pressure on myself because I wanted to prove everyone wrong. Now I feel like I’ve got that relaxed happiness and confidence back. I know that as long as I perform I should deal with Troy Williamson. “You always get a test. You either shine or you fail. I hope he fails, but you never know. I believe that I’m ready for whatever he brings. There isn’t any bad blood between us. We’re both good fighters and we both know what we want to do and where we want to go. It’s about giving ourselves the best opportunity of doing that. I’m in unbelievable shape both mentally and physically. “I can’t look past this fight, but I feel like this is the last hurdle for me at this level. As long as I’m successful on October 9 then I’ll push on, roll the dice and see where I can get to. I believe that I have the ability to get him out of there in the twelve rounds. Whether it’s points or a stoppage it doesn’t matter, as long as I get the win. “This is my last hurdle at British level. I’m very motivated for this fight. Troy is a good fighter. Obviously he hasn’t had any tests like me. I don’t think he’s had a proper gut check yet, but he’s unbeaten and he doesn’t want to lose his unbeaten record. He’s a tough fighter and he can bang a bit. It’s a good test but I believe my experience will count in the end.” Cheeseman vs. Williamson 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, 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), decorated amateur star Peter McGrail makes his highly anticipated professional debut, 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) takes on Anaelle Angerville (1-1-1) over four rounds and Blane Hyland (4-1) meets Santiago San Eusebio (3-1-2, 2 KOs) in a four round Super-Flyweight contest. |
WILLIAMSON v SMITH SET FOR APRIL 30
| UNBEATEN SUPER WELTERWEIGHTS Troy Williamson and Kieran Smith will fight in a final eliminator for a shot at the British title on April 30, live on BT Sport. The 15-0-1 ‘Trojan’ from Darlington moved into title-winning mode in December 2019 when he defeated Dario Socco via a 10th round stoppage to clinch the IBF European title and he defended his belt in August of last year with a close-run points decision over Harry Scarff. Smith, 16-0, from Greenrigg in Scotland, is holder of the WBC International Silver title, which he won in November 2018 against Evaldas Korsakas and has subsequently defended on two occasions. His most recent bout came in November 2019 when he defeated the then 16-0 Vincenzo Bevilacqua over ten rounds in Glasgow. Both fighters have been determined to make an impact at domestic level, with the British title currently held by Ted Cheeseman, who overcame JJ Metcalf in a mandatory defence last Saturday. The pair will collide on the undercard of Sunny Edwards challenging for the IBF world flyweight title against the champion Moruti Mthalane, with Michael Conlan taking on Ionut Baluta in his opening gambit at super bantamweight. Troy Williamson said: “It is a good fight and he is a good fighter. It is one I am taking very seriously and I can’t wait to get the ball rolling. “It is a big fight, with a lot at stake being a final eliminator for the British, and there is a bit of beef behind it because I beat him as an amateur back in 2015. It was in the Tri-Nations semi-final and it was a close-ish fight so there is a bit of history there. “I’ve not seen much of his pro career but I know he is ranked above me in the Boxrec ratings and I respect him as a fighter. I agree with him that he has been avoided but I also think I am myself. “This will be just the start and where I will announce myself on the big stage.” Kieran Smith said: “I am very excited to be back out in a big fight, and on a big show on BT Sport. The last 18 months has been frustrating for me as it has been for many, but I’m here now and ready to kick on. “It’s a shame we can’t get fans in for this one but I’m used to fighting in empty halls as it’s what we all did as amateurs on national teams all over the world. “With this being a final eliminator for the British title, the plan is to win this and then push on for that belt. The super-welterweight division is thriving at the moment and there are so many big domestic fights. “It’s just one step at a time though, my full focus is on beating Troy.” |
