Troy Williamson makes his second defence of his British super-welterweight title as he takes on north-east rival Josh Kelly, who is looking to rebuild the hype that was around him, before he was knocked out by David Avanesyan last year.
The fight is being promoted as ‘Judgement Day’ and there is an added football rivalry to the bout as Sunderland fan Kelly faces a supposed Newcastle United fan in Williamson, although that’s something his opponent has questioned recently. With the expectance of a majority North-Eastern attendance at the show, Wasserman Boxing have ensured that there will be a few more local stars on the card.
Former reality television personality, Aaron Chalmers, most known for starring in ‘Geordie Shore’, returns to the ring for his second professional fight after a debut points victory back in June. Meanwhile, Joe Laws, nicknamed ‘The Benwell Bomber’, returns to action after a disappointing display on Troy Williamson’s last undercard. Laws (12-2) lost to Russian journeyman Alexey Tukhtarov (4-27-6) in a shock defeat and will be desperate to get back into the winning column.
The local theme continues as the likes of highly-rated prospects Ben Marksby and Ewan Mackenzie, who are both 5-0 respectively, line up alongside Newcastle’s Jordan Barker-Porter (5-1). Barker-Porter will be looking to follow in the footsteps of fellow Geordie, Savannah Marshall, as the women’s game continues to catch eyes.
Former super-featherweight world champion Katharina Thanderz (14-1) fights a third successive fight in the U.K., despite being a Norwegian who trains in Spain. She fights Hungary’s Edina Kiss (15-16) who has shared the ring with the likes of Amanda Serrano and Mikaela Mayer and went the distance with Rhiannon Dixon back in September.
Finally, one of the highlights of the undercard is Coventry’s up-and-coming heavyweight Matty Harris. The 22-year-old is 3-0, with back-to-back wins against durable journeymen this year. He fights his first opponent with a winning record in the form of Czech Republic’s Jiri Surmaj (3-2), who is yet to be stopped.
In summary, the main pull of the card is the chance for the locals to see some of their rising stars, before a real 50/50, mouthwatering fight for the British title. The fight takes place on December 2nd at the Utilita Arena, Newcastle and will be broadcast for free, live on Channel 5.