Esham Pickering
Encyclopedia
Esham Pickering is a British
professional boxer
who competes in the super bantamweight and featherweight divisions. He is a former British, Commonwealth and European champion and former World title challenger.
. By November 1997 he had compiled an unbeaten record of 11 wins against no defeats and had earned a shot at the full British featherweight title. He travelled to Sheffield
to challenge holder Jon Jo Irwin in May 1998 and lasted the full 12 rounds in what was to be an unsuccessful attempt. The defeat to Irwin was to be his first as a professional.
nian, Mauricio Martinez and suffered a stoppage defeat after only 1 round. Martinez himself would go on to lose the belt in his next defence.
in Glasgow
to leave Scotland
with both championships. One more defence of his Commonwealth title took place on 24 October 2003 with Pickering retaining the belt by beating Ghana's Alfred Tetteh at the York Hall. He would not go on to defend the British title choosing instead to go the European route meaning that Michael Hunter
would go on to take the vacant belt.
. Sandwiched between the defence's on 8 May 2005 also came an 8 round victory over former British and European champion Noel Wilders. Pickering put his belts on the line, when on 28 October 2005, he challenged new British champion Michael Hunter
for the belt that he never lost in the ring. In an exciting contest Pickering eventually went home empty handed dropping a majority decision for his fourth career defeat in a fight which took place in Hunter's backyard, the Borough Hall in Hartlepool
. Pickering rebounded from the defeat with a victory over French journeyman Frederic Bonifai and with Hunter choosing to challenge for the IBF World title he found himself challenging for the now vacant title. The fight on 11 November 2006 took place in Dublin and saw Ireland's Bernard Dunne
lift the belt with a unanimous victory over 12 rounds.
and the defeat was avenged with Hughes stopped in the 9th round. On 27 June 2008, Pickering made his second defence and lost the title to prospect Matthew Marsh
at the York Hall. His next fight saw a move up to featherweight and another chance at a British title against another prospect in Scotland's Paul Appleby
only to drop another 12 round decision in Glasgow
for the 8th defeat of his career.
, Lincolnshire
and followed this by traveling to the Ukraine
for an unexpected chance to regain the European title. Meeting reigning champion Oleg Yefimovych on 3 October 2009 in what was a voluntary defence for the champion, Pickering was outclassed and stopped in the third round. He returned once more on 29 May 2010 this time to compete in the Prizefighter series
held at the York Hall
in Bethnal Green
. Pickering faced Josh Wale in the quarter final of the tournament, losing on a split decision to the younger man.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
professional boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
who competes in the super bantamweight and featherweight divisions. He is a former British, Commonwealth and European champion and former World title challenger.
Early career
Pickering started his professional career in September 1996, with a 1st round win over Brendan Bryce in CleethorpesCleethorpes
Cleethorpes is a town and unparished area in North East Lincolnshire, England, situated on the estuary of the Humber. It has a population of 31,853 and is a seaside resort.- History :...
. By November 1997 he had compiled an unbeaten record of 11 wins against no defeats and had earned a shot at the full British featherweight title. He travelled to Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
to challenge holder Jon Jo Irwin in May 1998 and lasted the full 12 rounds in what was to be an unsuccessful attempt. The defeat to Irwin was to be his first as a professional.
World Title Challenge
Pickering bounced back from his first career defeat to register six back to back wins before lining himself up for a shot at the World Boxing Organisation's version of the bantamweight title. On 16 December 2000 at the Sheffield Arena he challenged the reigning champion PanamaPanama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
nian, Mauricio Martinez and suffered a stoppage defeat after only 1 round. Martinez himself would go on to lose the belt in his next defence.
British and Commonwealth champion
Following the defeat to Martinez, Pickering fought only twice in 2001 on both occasions beating journeyman Carl Allen. In 2002 Pickering fought Allen twice more again winning both times. Sandwiched in between those wins came a third career defeat for Pickering, travelling to the Canary Islands to challenge Spaniard Alejandro Monzon and dropping a split decision. On 8 February 2003 Pickering fought for the vacant Commonwealth super bantamweight title and finally lifted a title defeating Kenyan Duncan Karanja to take the belt. In his next fight on 12 July 2003 Pickering made his first defence of the title against Brian Carr in a fight which also saw the vacant British title on the line. Pickering stopped Carr in the fourth round at the Braehead ArenaBraehead Arena
The Braehead Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Renfrewshire, Scotland, in the western part of the Glasgow conurbation. The arena was built in 1999, and is located within the Braehead Complex....
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
to leave Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
with both championships. One more defence of his Commonwealth title took place on 24 October 2003 with Pickering retaining the belt by beating Ghana's Alfred Tetteh at the York Hall. He would not go on to defend the British title choosing instead to go the European route meaning that Michael Hunter
Michael Hunter (boxer)
Michael Hunter is a Super Bantamweight boxer from Hartlepool, North East England. He is currently British Champion and European champion at the weight....
would go on to take the vacant belt.
European Champion and challenger
On 16 January 2004 Pickering travelled to the Town and Country club in Bradford to lift the European super bantamweight title. His opponent, Italian Vincenzo Gigliotti was stopped in the 10th round meaning that Pickering held the Commonwealth and European titles at the same time. Pickering would defend the belt twice more against Juan Garcia Martin in May 2004 and Miguel Mallon in June 2005, the latter victory taking place in MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. Sandwiched between the defence's on 8 May 2005 also came an 8 round victory over former British and European champion Noel Wilders. Pickering put his belts on the line, when on 28 October 2005, he challenged new British champion Michael Hunter
Michael Hunter (boxer)
Michael Hunter is a Super Bantamweight boxer from Hartlepool, North East England. He is currently British Champion and European champion at the weight....
for the belt that he never lost in the ring. In an exciting contest Pickering eventually went home empty handed dropping a majority decision for his fourth career defeat in a fight which took place in Hunter's backyard, the Borough Hall in Hartlepool
Hartlepool
Hartlepool is a town and port in North East England.It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from...
. Pickering rebounded from the defeat with a victory over French journeyman Frederic Bonifai and with Hunter choosing to challenge for the IBF World title he found himself challenging for the now vacant title. The fight on 11 November 2006 took place in Dublin and saw Ireland's Bernard Dunne
Bernard Dunne
Bernard Dunne is a retired Irish professional boxer and a former WBA, and European super bantamweight champion.On Saturday 21 March 2009, Dunne waged the war that he would be best remembered for and defeated Ricardo Cordoba in the 11th round to become the WBA super bantamweight champion in a fight...
lift the belt with a unanimous victory over 12 rounds.
Two time British champion and challenger
on 16 March 2007 Pickering once again challenged for the now vacant British title and lifted the belt for the second time, defeating Marc Callaghan at the Norwich Showground. The victory was followed up with two non-title fights for the Newark man with a victory over Steve Gethin in October 2007 closely followed by an 8 round defeat to Sean Hughes in November. The defeat to Hughes meant that Pickering's next title defence was to be against the man from PontefractPontefract
Pontefract is an historic market town in West Yorkshire, England. Traditionally in the West Riding, near the A1 , the M62 motorway and Castleford. It is one of the five towns in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield and has a population of 28,250...
and the defeat was avenged with Hughes stopped in the 9th round. On 27 June 2008, Pickering made his second defence and lost the title to prospect Matthew Marsh
Matthew Marsh (boxer)
Matthew Marsh is a British professional boxer who competes in the Super bantamweight division. He is a former two time ABA champion at Flyweight and Bantamweight and a former British super bantamweight champion.-Early career:...
at the York Hall. His next fight saw a move up to featherweight and another chance at a British title against another prospect in Scotland's Paul Appleby
Paul Appleby (boxer)
Paul Appleby, is a Scottish professional boxer who fights in the featherweight division.He is the youngest ever British featherweight champion.-Professional career:...
only to drop another 12 round decision in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
for the 8th defeat of his career.
Later career
Pickering returned to the ring on 23 May 2009 to defeat journeyman Sid Razak in SleafordSleaford
Sleaford is a town in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is located thirteen miles northeast of Grantham, seventeen miles west of Boston, and nineteen miles south of Lincoln, and had a total resident population of around 14,500 in 6,167 households at the time...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
and followed this by traveling to the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
for an unexpected chance to regain the European title. Meeting reigning champion Oleg Yefimovych on 3 October 2009 in what was a voluntary defence for the champion, Pickering was outclassed and stopped in the third round. He returned once more on 29 May 2010 this time to compete in the Prizefighter series
Prizefighter series
The Prizefighter series is a knock out boxing tournament created by boxing promoter Barry Hearn and aired on Sky Sports. The format has an initial eight fighters, who compete in four quarter-finals of 3 x 3 minute rounds followed by two semi-finals and one final all on the same night...
held at the York Hall
York Hall
The York Hall is a health and leisure centre and one of Britain's best known boxing venues.The venue is situated on Old Ford Road in Bethnal Green, London, England. The hall, opened in 1929 with a capacity of 1,200, stages boxing as well as providing a gymnasium and swimming pool.The hall is owned...
in Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...
. Pickering faced Josh Wale in the quarter final of the tournament, losing on a split decision to the younger man.