IN a mouth-watering heavyweight collision, big-punching Matty Harris and unbeaten Simon Ibekwe have been called on to meet for the Midlands title.
The pairing is among a raft of quality area title pairings made by the Midlands arm of the Board of Control.
That does not necessarily mean they will happen.
The proposed 10 rounders have now gone out to purse bids: promoters have to be prepared to bid for them, fighters must want them.
I’m sure there’ll be interest in the beefcake battle between Coventry KO artist Harris and Ibekwe, from Bromsgrove.
And with Harris under the Wasserman promotional banner, it may well end up on a TV show.
The bout was first called for last year, but came a little early for Ibekwe.
Back then, Harris’ manager Max McCracken told me: “It’s a good fight and one we’re confident of winning. It’s one that moves the winner up. Matty is coming on and improving all the time.”
Harris, aged 25 – a 6ft 8in man mountain, attracted national headlines after peeling off four straight first round stoppages.
Matty’s stock took a knock in his sixth contest when Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko stopped him in five. He moved to trainer Peter Fury’s gym after that and scored four wins.
Ibekwe is something of a sleeping giant in the division. While Harris has performed on televised shows, the 29-year-old has grafted in small halls and peeled off five straight wins.
The latest Board of Control title bulletin broke while Matty was training in Rome. It’s no Roman holiday for the big man – he’s been there for 10 days sparring Diego Lenzi, unbeaten in two, and Mirko Carbotti (8-0). Both have won all their bouts inside distance.
Manager Max said: “He’s doing well. I arranged it with ex-fighter Giovanni De Carolis. Matt’s at the Olympic Centre in Rome.”
In other title news, the Board has predictably called for Dudley’s Midlands featherweight champ Ryan Griffiths to again defend against Jack Dillingham after the pair fought a 10 round draw in June.
In a cracking women’s pairing, Omarah Taylor and Paige Goodyear have been called to contest the vacant welterweight belt.
Former amateur star Omarah, from Great Barr, is unbeaten in five. Dudley’s Goodyear, who returned to the ring in May after a two year break, is also 5-0.
That one appears destined for a BCB Promotions show.
At middleweight, Burntwood’s Troy Coleman defends the title he won by halting Bradley Goldsmith. He has been paired with “Baggie Boy” James Griffiths who has scored eight straight wins. That, too, is a clash of BCB boxers.
Purse bids for the contest have to be submitted by August 30, the fights must take place before the end of December.
