Darren Surtees will be fighting for fame as well as fortune when he enters boxing’s exciting new tournament.
MTK’s Golden Contract competition, which will be televised by Sky Sports, is exactly what the name suggests.
The winner of each of MTK’s three weight categories, feather, light-welter and light-heavy will collect a two-year, five-fight deal with £100,000 purses.
Unbeaten Surtees goes into an eight-strong pool which includes former amateur rival Akeem Ennis Brown, big-hitting Londoner Ohara Davies, Belfast’s Tyrone McKenna, IBO world champ Mohamed Mimoune, unbeaten Kazakhstan fighter Zhankosh Turarov and former European champion Anthony Yigit.
What an illustrious 10-stone list.
Coach Dave Binns said: “I’m over the moon for Darren, it’s a great concept with life-changing money.
“When the chance came I said to Darren ‘take the money out of the equation and this about you getting the recognition you deserve and establishing yourself in the boxing world.”
Surtees, from Thornley, who boasts a 100 per cent record with 12 wins (eight coming inside the distance) is the underdog but what a “fantastic opportunity” for the man who has honed his skills at the East Durham College gym in Peterlee under Binns for the last four years.
“Anyone writing off Darren Surtees writes him off at their peril,” predicted Binns. “I’m not stupid, he is far from the favourite and if you look at the calibre of opposition he is probably the least favourite.
“I genuinely think Darren is good enough and I believe he’ll surprise people.
“Someone said to me ‘it’s too early’, but I strongly disagree with that, Darren is very good.
“What were we supposed to do? Just hang around and wait for a fight?
“Darren had a British title eliminator lined up for earlier this year and no-one would fight him. So this is a fantastic opportunity.”
The featherweights are the first division out of the blocks in October with the light-welters expected to box in November. Each of the quarter-finals will be contested over eight rounds.
Surtees, managed by Phil Jeffries, and under the Sauerland banner, has boxed once in 2019, a shut-out points win over six rounds at the Stadium of Light against Mexico’s Arturo Lopez.
Words: Roy Kelly
