Short and sweet. That will be the fare on offer at Saturday’s Christmas Cracker in Dunston.
Just the four bouts go ahead on the Steve Wraith/ Phil Jeffries event, but they include the appearances of two of the North-East’s best prospects, plus the return of an entertainer and a debutant from Tyneside.
Bout of the night would appear to be the battle of the little guys as Joe Maphosa, on the back of six straight wins, takes on ex-English flyweight champion Louis Norman.
‘Smokin’ Joe’ (pictured above left, with Adam Hutchinson) looks the real deal and he can brings the curtain down on a fine 2018 in style should he claim the scalp of the Leicester boxer.
Norman has a highly-creditable record of 13-6 (2) and has fought for the English bantamweight title this year, when he was stopped by Joe’s Stockton neighbour, Thomas Essomba, at the King Power Stadium.
Maphosa, trained by Imran Naeem in Stockton and under the Queensberry umbrella, was a winner, ironically in Leicester, last time out against Hungary’s Gyula Dodu.
While it is a big night for Teesside at the Lancastrian Suite it is a similar story on Tyneside.
Lawrence Osueke shares an identical 6-0 (1) record as Maphosa and identical ambitions.
The Steve Wraith-managed light-heavy also had a notable victory last time out when he defeated the once mighty Charles Adamu at the Metro Radio Arena last month.
He has Eastern European opposition this time, facing Norbert Szekerers over six rounds. The 32-year-old Hungarian, who is two years’ Lawrence’s senior, has 18 wins to his credit so will be no pushover.
Staying on Tyneside. there is an eagerly-awaited debut for Anth Ornsby who takes to the ring as a pro for the first time.
The teenage prospect, from Wallsend ABC, faces Slovakia’s Rudolf Durica over four rounds.
There is also a return to the square ring for Terry Tyers.
‘Turbo’, an NPBA team-mate of Maphosa, has not boxed since stopping Hull-based Lithuanian Zygimantas Butkevicius at a Summer Rumble cracker in July.
He has a UK-based Eastern European-born opponent again, this time Nottingham light-middleweight, Patryk Buczek, who is originally from Poland.
Words: Roy Kelly
