Professional boxing is back on Teesside. How good will the sight and sound of that be?
It is almost here as Mark ‘Mo’ Prior promotes his first show in the North-East on Saturday, November 4, with a 10-fight card at Eston Leisure Centre.
For three exciting years the Middlesbrough venue was synonymous with Paul Truscott as the Boro favourite won and then, sadly, lost his Commonwealth featherweight title.
It is hard to believe that the last visit by Sky Sports in September 2009 was the last pro show in Middlesbrough. Hands up who can remember seeing a young prospect called Carl Frampton on the undercard?
On Saturday, November 4 we will be watching prospects from the North-East climb through the ropes.
One of those will be at the top of the bill in only his third bout as Jim Tyers takes on seasoned Manchester campaigner Darryl Sharp.
Tyers, making his first appearance for Prior, has sold a bundle of tickets and that’s no surprise because he is a fighter always worth watching.
The 27-year-old was a notable amateur for East Durham ABC at both light-heavy and middleweight. The Trimdon fighter reached the England Championship semi-finals in 2019 and boxed in the GB Championships in Sheffield where he lost to Ramtin Musah.
Fighting out of the fast-growing Billingham Boxing Acadamy as a pro, he has already triumphed twice, winning every round in contests against Erik Nyzaryan and Harry Matthews in Sheffield and Rotherham.
“I’m headlining for the first time and I’m looking forward to it,” said Jim, pictured left.
“It’s a different pressure but pressure makes diamonds doesn’t it?
“It’s a good card, full of North-East prospects, and it will be a good night of boxing.
“It’s the first show in Middlesbrough for 14 years and with the Boro being a boxing town I’m not sure why it’s taken so long to get a show back there.”
Tyers should make it up to a hat-trick of wins against Sharp, whose record is not the best, but should also not be taken lightly, given he won on his last visit to the North-East.
Jim, given his amateur experience and his pro-friendly style, should not need a lot of bouts before being let loose on the championship ladder as manager, Dave Westgarth (pictured right), agrees.
“He wants to move fast so we’ll look to move him quickly,” Westgarth said in an interview with Sporting Icons.
Dave is the right-hand man in our region for Prior, whose regular haunt is the York Hall in London’s Eastend.
Click here to see the full interview of Jim and Dave on Sporting Icons.
The pair are putting on 10 fights including Tyers v Sharp, while Jim’s Billingham Boxing Academy team-mates, Will Howe and Tom Summerbell will be in action.
South Bank’s 8-0 cruiserweight Michael Webster is the most experienced home boxer on the bill, just ahead of Halifax-based Londoner, Jabran Bilal.
Anthony Joshua’s pal is the only ‘out-of-towner’ on the left side of the card, which includes Spennymoor’s Kai Richmond, Consett’s Kerry Haley and Aaron Peet, from Durham.
There are two debutants at the Eston Leisure Centre, both of who came through Dunston ABC as amateurs, Josh Blenkiron and Sophie Rogers.
Words: Roy Kelly
