Boxing Back in Bury

I was very proud to take boxing back to Bury on Saturday night. The show exceeded my expectations, there was a fantastic atmosphere in the packed Castle Leisure Centre which witnessed local favorite Scott Quigg stop the tough Russian Andrey Kostin in the first round. Kostin was chosen for Scott as he is known to be a tough fighter and it was meant to be a test for Scott, the fact he dealt with him so quickly clearly demonstrates that he is now ready to fight for titles and I am now working towards making a title fight for him which can hopefully take place back in Bury in July. The biggest problem I face is trying to find a British boxer who will fight him.

Scott is an exceptional talent and I have no doubt he will become a world champion.

For anyone who missed the action the full show can be viewed on

www.hattonboxing.tv

Another rising star of Hatton Promotions is Martin Murray. I was bitterly disappointed for Martin when his Commonwealth title fight fell through at the last minutes as a result of his opponent being refused a visa. I am very pleased to confirm that he gets his chance to finally fight for the Commonwealth Middleweight Title in Bolton on the 16th July. Just like Scott, Martin has a great following and I know from personal experience there is nothing better than the support of your fans. St Helens is close to Bolton and Martin is hoping that his fans turn out in force to cheer him on.

Martin is another fighter I have high hopes for and I am in no doubt that this will be the first of many title fights for him.

The Bolton Arena show see’s my brother Matthew defend his European title against his mandatory challenger Yuriy Nuzhnenko. This is a tough fight for Matthew but he is much improved under the guidance of Bob Shannon and I fully expect him to win. Nothing would give me more pleasure than to promote Matthew in a world title fight in the next twelve months.

I am aware there is a big rivalry between Bury and Bolton, going back to the days of the Civil War, I hope the people of Bolton can match the support of their Bury rivals!

I am in London this week training for the Soccer Aid match which takes place this Sunday at Old Trafford. The match is for a great cause and hopefully it will be a good day on Sunday.

Next week I go to the Middle East to discuss the possibility of taking boxing out there. Middle Eastern money has done wonders for my football team, it would be great if it could do the same for boxing.