Hot on the heels of Mikael Lawal’s stunning victory at Ultimate Boxxer IV, the tournament now returns to London, with eight Super Welterweights looking to emulate Lawal by winning the Golden Robe and soaring up the professional ranks.
Friday Fight Night has been confirmed for September 20 at the Indigo at The 02, and for the first time in the history of Ultimate Boxxer, there will be an Olympian competing for glory.
Steven Donnelly, who represented Ireland in Rio three years ago, is joined by Joshua Ejakpovi, Kingsley Egbunike, Kaan Hawes, Lenny Fuller, Lewis Syrett, Aaron Collins and Sean Robinson at the Indigo at the O2.
Last month saw Sauerland fighter Lawal emerge victorious amongst the Cruiserweights at Ultimate Boxxer IV in Manchester – his triumph elevated him to the 7th best Cruiserweight in the UK division rankings. Defeated finalist Damian Chambers also saw his reputation enhanced, as did 21-year-old Rhasian Earlington who is now ranked at no. 11.
‘It speaks volumes about the attraction of Ultimate Boxxer that we have an Olympian who is now starting his professional career wanting to be involved with the tournament,’ said Paulie Malignaggi, who will also be commentating live for BT Sport on UBV when it’s screened on fight night.
As well as appearing in Brazil three years in 2016, Donnelly has also represented Northern Ireland in three Commonwealth Games, winning a bronze medal in both 2014 and 2018, and while Malignaggi was excited to see his name on the card, he was also intrigued by the rest of the confirmed line-up.
‘I’m also really interested to see Josh Ejakpovi, ‘The Hollywood Josh’ – he is an interesting character, and I think he’s going to excite people too, and it will be good to see Kaan Hawes in action again. He will be the first man to fight at two UB tournaments, after competing in UBIII. It will be a great night,’ he added.
Ultimate Boxxer is proving to be an ideal platform for fighters making their way in the professional echelon of the sport. Kieron Conway – who fought in the Middleweight UBIII, tournament, losing to eventual winner Derrick Osaze – has recently announced he has joined the Matchroom Boxing group, while Lawal’s performance at UBIV propelled him into the top-10 of the UK Cruiserweight rankings
‘We definitely have some success stories already, and we are thrilled to have been able to provide a platform for these guys to showcase their skills’ said Ben Shalom, Founder of UB.
‘The Cruiserweights put on an incredible night of action last time out, and we are looking forward to watching what will be a very competitive Super Welterweight division in action,’ he added.
Source: Ultimate Boxxer [Press Release].