Dynamite Darren Surtees has the chance to measure his progress against the best of British on Thursday night.
The unbeaten Co Durham fighter completes a very good 2018 with a six rounder on MTK’s debut North-East event.
Surtees takes on Oscar Amador on the sell-out Hilton Hotel show which also features Chad Ellis, Jay Hughes and Kyle Redfearn.
His opponent is a familiar, sort of, figure given he was in the away corner when Lewis Ritson boxed on the Amir Khan billin Birmingham in September.
Amador was brought in by Matchroom to give rounds to Ritson ahead of his European championship challenge, given the Sandman’s propensity for early finishes.
Alas it did not go to plan with Amador crumbling in round three.
The Spanish-based Nicaraguan does have areputation for having plenty of resolve and that will be put to the test by Surtees who is in the form of his life.
Surtees registered professional victorynumber 10 last time out in Glasgow where he stopped Troy James at two minutes, 25 seconds of round one for the biggest scalp of his career to date.
That success on the World Boxing Super Series event followed on from an equally-decisive night’s ‘work’ in SaudiArabia on another WBSS stage.
The 24-year-old Thornley puncher ruthlessly halted Kane Baker in round two of their match on the undercard of Callum Smithv George Groves.
Coach Dave Binns told punch-lines: “Darren is on fire.
“He’s looking absolutely mint, I could not be happier with him.
“Daz has had a great year. I’ve not seen William Warburton put in his place like he was at the Summer Rumble.
“That showed just what Darren can do, that was some performance.
“He has been sent out for the two WBSS fights to box, but the stoppages have come and he’s taken them superbly.
“He was due to box someone else at Gateshead but the lad pulled out and we’ve got the fighter Lewis beat on the Amir Khan show.
“Amador is an experienced kid and credible opponent and that’s what we want now for Daz.
MTK’s big night features three of their star turns. Hughes, an excellent winner last time out against Kris Pilkington, meets Blackburn’s Naheem Chaudry.
Redfearn is looking to return to winning ways against Norbert Szekeres following his first career defeat in Germany.
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Jen Charlton
