The BBBoC has sent the fight for the vacant heavyweight title between Sam Sexton and Gary Cornish out to purse bids. They are due in on March 8 and the contest must take place by the end of June.
Down at cruiserweight, the title is also up for grabs, it will be contested by Craig Kennedy and Matty Askin at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff on March 11—Blain McGuigan will promote that one.
Frank Buglioni is fresh from a stunning come-from-behind KO win over then-undefeated Hosea Burton last year, the popular Londoner will make a voluntary defence against Ricky Summers on an Eddie Hearn-promoted show at London’s O2 Arena on March 4. David Haye and Tony Bellew top the bill that night.
Middleweight titlist Tommy Langford is set for a local derby in his first defence, he faces Craig Cunningham at the Leicester Arena on April 22, Frank Warren to promote. Jack Arnfield recently withdrew from a proposed eliminator against Elliott Matthews, which prompted the Board to call for bids for Matthews against Reece Cartwright, they are due in on March 8 with the contest to take place by the end of June.
The welter divison is going to have a busy spring, holder Bradley Skeete meets Shayne Singleton at the Copper Box Arena in London on May 6, Warren to promote, with an eliminator between John O’Donnell and Erick Ochieng due on March 18 at London’s York Hall; Steve Goodwin promotes that one, which also doubles up as an English title fight.
The Board have accepted a request from Warren to stage a voluntary defence between holder Tyrone Nurse and Joe Hughes at the Leicester Arena on April 22, ‘The winner to waive grace and defend when called upon to do so’.
As previously reported, Super featherweight holder Martin Joseph Ward is to meet Maxi Hughes in Manchester on March 25. Hearn is promoting and ‘The winner (is) to box Anthony Cacace when called upon to do so’.
Warren has requested, and been granted, another voluntary British title fight as featherweight holder Ryan Walsh has been cleared to meet Marco McCullough on May 6 at London’s Copper Box Arena. The veteran promoter has also won the right to stage Jazza Dickens’s Super bantamweight defence against Thomas Patrick Ward in Leeds on May 13.
Charlie Edwards’s decision to move up to Super flyweight to fight Iain Butcher means that the Hearn-promoted contender has withdrew from a mandated fight with flyweight holder Andrew Selby.
‘The Stewards decided to approve a request from Promoter Eddie Hearn for the above contest to take place on Saturday, 15th April 2017 in Glasgow. The winner to waive grace and defend when called upon to do so…Charlie Edwards withdrew from the above [Andrew Selby] contest,’ stated the Board when clarifying the flyweight scene.
