Prizefighter series
Encyclopedia
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. The prize money for the winner of the tournament is £32,000, a figure that has increased from the initial prize of £25,000 when the tournament first aired in April 2008. There have been 17 Prizefighter tournaments so far featuring 11 different weight divisions.
, David Dolan
, Dave Ferguson
, Billy Bessey, Alex Ibbs
, Darren Morgan
, Paul Butlin
and Colin Kenna
.
Martin Rogan
and David Dolan
met in the final each boasting unbeaten records of 9-0. Rogan won after three rounds of boxing in which Dolan had been knocked down twice. Dolan was possibly still feeling the effects of a gruelling first round in which a punishing left hook from Darren Morgan
had him out on his feet and holding on.
, Pele Reid
, Luke Simpkin
, Dave Ferguson
, Chris Burton, David Ingleby, Lee Swaby
and Darren Morgan
. The draw for the first round of fights was made by reigning British champion Danny Williams
. Speaking before the tournament, competitor Luke Simpkin said "This could change my life if I win it", initially a substitute he was brought in to replace Ian Millarvie who had sustained an injury. Of his tactics for the tournament Simpkin said "There’s no tactics involved in my game and attack is the best form of defence so I will just attack. You haven’t got much time to plan anything so I will just go out there, have a good time and try my best".
On the night it was the Norwich heavyweight Sam Sexton
who came out on top with wins over Pelé Reid
in the quarter-final, Luke Simpkin
in the semi-finals and the hometown favourite Chris Burton in the final. After the win Sexton praised his tactics saying "The night went exactly how we planned it, we had a gameplan for each fight worked out before we came tonight". On his future aspirations he added "At 24-years-old I still haven't got my man strength as yet, and I know I can keep improving, hopefully next year I can get a shot at British title, I will keep getting stronger and stronger."
and featured a different weight class to the previous two events with welterweights competing for the main prize. Fighters taking part in the competition were former European champion Ted Bami
; English champions Nigel Wright
and Ross Minter
; Former ABA champion Michael Lomax
; Commonwealth challenger Craig Dickson; Midlands Area champion Mark Lloyd
; Former IBO light middleweight champion Steve Conway
and Andrew Ferrans.
Micheal Lomax
won the tournament with wins over Craig Dickson, Nigel Wright
and Ted Bami
in the final. Lomax had been confident before the tournament had even begun despite not being the favourite to lift the trophy saying "I am confident I'll win...no one is as dedicated as me, what you put in is what you get out". He claimed that it was the best night of his career so far and raised hopes that this was the launchpad for his career saying “Hopefully this will be the break my career needs and as I said afterwards this wasn't about the money I won, but the glory I have enjoyed from this competition.” The result wasn't without controversy however as many people watching at ringside as well as the commentators on Sky thought that Lomax had actually lost his semi-final against Nigel Wright
. The judges however thought differently and scored a split decision win for the eventual champion. A shocked Wright speaking after the bout said "I'm absolutely disgusted – how could they rob me like that...One judge gave Lomax all three which is unbelievable...I can't remember Michael hitting me with a clean shot."
, Danny Thornton, Joe Rea
and Martin Murray
. It also formed part of a Sky Box Office show featuring the Ricky Hatton
fight with Paulie Malignaggi as the main event.
Martin Murray
won the tournament and the £25,000 prize money following wins over Joe Rea
, Danny Butler and then in the final Cello Renda
. The final itself saw Renda getting knocked down and with both fighters coming out swinging and fighting toe to toe.
, Billy Boyle, Bob Ajisafe, Carl Dilks, Darren Stubbs and Steve Spartacus. Former British champion Tony Oakey eventually won the tournament having defeated Billy Boyle
and Courtney Fry on the way to a final win over Darren Stubbs.
, Scotland
with the weight division on this occasion being lightweight
. Boxers taking part in the competition were Ryan Brawley
, Ben Murphy, Paul Holborn, Charlie King, Gary McArthur, Steve Saville, Stephen Burke and Stuart Green
. Brawley won the tournament with victories over Murphy, Holborn and Burke in the final.
, London
with the weight division on this occasion being cruiserweight. Boxers taking part in the competition were Darren Corbett
, Terry Dunstan, Dean Francis, John Keeton
, Ovill McKenzie
, Bruce Scott, Neil Simpson (boxer)|Neil Simpson and Mickey Steeds. Mark Krence was originally drafted in, but replaced by McKenzie after he was forced to withdraw due to injury. McKenize went on to win the title scoring wins over Dunstan, Corbett and Keeton in the final.
in Bethnal Green
, but was moved to the larger ExCeL London due to demand for tickets, increasing the potential attendance by 5,000. The boxers involved initially were Danny Williams
, Audley Harrison
, Michael Sprott
, Scott Gammer
, Scott Belshaw
, Michael Holden, Coleman Barrett
and Danny Hughes.
Carl Baker
was eventually drafted in to take the place of Michael Holden after the BBBofC
refused permission for Holden to fight after voicing concerns over his lack of activity over recent years in the ring. Sprott withdrew following a family bereavement and was replaced by Neil Perkins
.
The quarter final draw took place on 11 September at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
in Las Vegas
, Nevada
by Mike Tyson
alongside Matchroom Sports chairman Barry Hearn
.
Former Olympic gold medalist Audley Harrison eventually won the title having defeated Scott Belshaw, Danny Hughes and Coleman Barrett. Reigning British heavyweight champion Danny Williams, lost in the first round to substitute boxer Carl Baker, with Baker knocking him down four times over the course of the three round contest. The defeat to Baker also meant that Williams would be stripped of his British title.
, the first former World champion to compete in the tournament's history. The competition also had a number of European champions competing with Colin Lynes
, Jason Cook
and Ted Bami
, a man who had also reached the final of the Welterweight prizefighter tournament in October 2008. Former British champions David Barnes
and Young Mutley
also took part as did unbeaten fighter Michael Grant
and Welshman Barrie Jones
. The draw for the competition was conducted by Floyd Mayweather, Jr..
Gavin Rees, who was supported at ringside by Joe Calzaghe
, eventually picked up the trophy and £32,000 prize money after defeating all three former European champions in Ted Bami, Jason Cook and Colin Lynes in the final.
and former Commonwealth champion Bradley Pryce
. The tournament also featured former middleweight semi finalist Danny Butler, Midlands Area champion Martin Concepcion
, unbeaten boxers Steve O'Meara and Brett Flournoy as well as George Hillyard and Prince Arron
.
In a tournament that proved difficult to predict, Droylsden
boxer Prince Arron
scored an upset win after beating Hillyard in the quarter final, Pryce
in the semis and then knocking down the unbeaten former ABA champion Flournoy in the final.
. Also in contention were former Commonwealth champion Darren Corbett
and unbeaten prospect Jon-Lewis Dickinson
. The tournament also featured former English heavyweight champion Mark Krence as well as novices Leon Williams
, Zahid Kahut, John Anthony and Wayne Brooks.
Hide comfortably won his quarter-final against Brooks but suffered a cut after a clash of heads in the bout. He was forced to withdraw and was replaced by reserve Nick Okoth, a firefighter, who at been at work earlier in the day. He won a coin toss against Preston's Paul Morris to replace Hide. Journeyman Okoth, who had a record of 8-27-5 going into the tournament, pulled off the biggest win of his career with a UD victory against Corbett and faced Dickinson in the final who had knocked out Krence in his semi final bout. Dickinson dominated the final and knocked out Okoth in the final round to take the trophy and £32,000 cash prize.
world bantamweight champion Wayne McCullough
, former British, Commonwealth and European champion Esham Pickering
, former English champion Mark Moran and unbeaten prospects Craig Lyon and Ricky Owen. Josh Wale, Chris Riley and Gavin Reid completed the line up. McCullough, Lyon and Riley withdrew in the weeks leading up to the tournament and were replaced by 2002 Commonwealth Games
gold medallist Jamie Arthur
, undefeated Irishman Willie Casey
, and Robbie Turley.
The opening bout between Moran and Casey was the only one to finish inside the distance. The remaining quarter-finals were all decided on split decisions with Pickering being the main casualty, being defeated by Josh Wale. In the semi-finals, Casey defeated Wale in a thrilling contest in which 532 punches were thrown in just three rounds. Owen maintained his unbeaten record with a victory over Jamie Arthur
, however he was unable to progress to the final after injuries sustained in the fight. He was forced to withdraw and was replaced by young Paul McElhinney, a Scotsman who was undefeated in four fights and won a coin toss against Slough's Ian Bailey to replace Owen. Despite having already fought two bouts Casey was able to win the final by unanimous decision.
, London
. The original line up featured former British champions Tony Dodson
and Tony Quigley
, former English champion Paul David, former BBofC
Celtic champion Stevie McGuire, former British Masters champion Eddie McIntosh, as well as Daniel Cadman and Peter Fedorenko. For the first time, it was decided that the eighth competitor would be decided by an online public vote. The winner of the vote was former BBofC
Southern Area champion Tony Salam. In the build up to the event, Dodson, McGuire, Quigley and Salam all withdrew, and were replaced by Gambia-born Patrick Mendy
, who at 19 years old was the youngest ever Prizefighter contender, former Midlands Area champion Sam Horton
, former Western Area champion Carl Drake, and unbeaten Welshman Jeff Evans.
Mendy was the eventual winner of the tournament, breaking the record for fastest Prizefighter knockout when he defeated Sam Horton after 82 seconds, and then became the youngest Prizefighter winner as well as competitor when he defeated Paul David in the final.
and the former British and Commonwealth champion Michael Sprott
. Other boxers taking part included Kevin McBride
, the last man to beat Mike Tyson
, Franklin Egobi
, Ali Adams, Shane McPhilbin, Declan Timlin and Danny Hughes. The tournament was won by Sprott who beat Danny Hughes in the quarter finals, Shane McPhilbin in the semis and Matt Skelton in the final. The fight against Skelton in particular was notable for Sprott in that it was the third time the two had met in the ring with Skelton having won the previous two fights. Sprott himself was also coming into the tournament on the back of a defeat in a European title challenge to Audley Harrison
, the winner of the previous Prizefighter tournament featuring heavyweights.
and a former British and European title challenger in Gary Buckland
. Ben Murphy and Gary McArthur had both previously contested the lightweight installment of the Prizefighter tournament on 24 March 2009. Choi Tseveenpurev
, the WBU title holder, Derry Mathews
, the former WBU title holder, Stevie Bell
and Scott Lawton
made up the rest of the competitors.
The competition resulted in a win for Gary Buckland
who met Derry Mathews
in the final and scoring a 2nd round KO over the Liverpool man. Buckland had fought his way to the final beating the likes of Stevie Bell in the quarters and Gary Sykes
in the semis. The win over Sykes in particular was notable in that the reigning British champion had chosen to competed in the tournament only to suffer a shock 1st round knockout.
, the 16th installment of the Prizefighter competition showcased boxers from the light heavyweight division for the second time. Former British champion Tony Dodson
was the biggest name involved.
The winner of the tournament was Travis Dickinson
, whose brother Jon-Lewis Dickinson
won Prizefighter at cruiserweight in April 2010. Dickinson beat Llewellyn Davies, Justin Jones and Sam Couzens to win the title - Jones and Couzens stepping in as reserves after the withdrawals of Dodson and Jack Morris due to injury.
|-align=center
|Tournament Date
| Venue
| Weight Category
| Winner
| Runner-Up
|-
| 11 April 2008
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Heavyweight
| align=center|Martin Rogan
| align=center|David Dolan
|-
| 12 September 2008
| Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle
| align=center|Heavyweight
| align=center|Sam Sexton
| align=center|Chris Burton
|-
| 24 October 2008
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Welterweight
| align=center|Michael Lomax
| align=center|Ted Bami
|-
| 21 November 2008
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Middleweight
| align=center|Martin Murray
| align=center|Cello Renda
|-
| 20 February 2009
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Light heavyweight
| align=center|Tony Oakey
| align=center|Darren Stubbs
|-
| 24 March 2009
| Kelvin Hall
, Glasgow
| align=center|Lightweight
| align=center|Ryan Brawley
| align=center|Stephen Burke
|-
| 19 May 2009
| Earls Court
, London
| align=center|Cruiserweight
| align=center|Ovill McKenzie
| align=center|John Keeton
|-
| 2 October 2009
| ExCeL, London
| align=center|Heavyweight
| align=center|Audley Harrison
| align=center|Coleman Barrett
|-
| 4 December 2009
| Olympia
, London
| align=center|Light welterweight
| align=center|Gavin Rees
| align=center|Colin Lynes
|-
| 26 February 2010
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Light middleweight
| align=center|Prince Arron
| align=center|Brett Flournoy
|-
| 30 April 2010
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Cruiserweight
| align=center|Jon-Lewis Dickinson
| align=center|Nick Okoth
|-
| 29 May 2010
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Super bantamweight
| align=center|Willie Casey
| align=center|Paul McElhinney
|-
| 30 June 2010
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Super middleweight
| align=center|Patrick Mendy
| align=center|Paul David
|-
| 9 October 2010
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Heavyweight
| align=center|Michael Sprott
| align=center|Matt Skelton
|-
| 21 November 2010
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Super featherweight
| align=center|Gary Buckland
| align=center|Derry Mathews
|-
| 29 January 2011
| Olympia, London
| align=center|Light heavyweight
| align=center|Travis Dickinson
| align=center|Sam Couzens
|-
| 23 March 2011
| Olympia, Liverpool
| align=center|Super middleweight
| align=center|Rocky Fielding
| align=center|Tobias Webb
|-
| 7 May 2011
| Alexandra Palace, London
| align=center|International Heavyweight
| align=center|Mike Perez
| align=center|Tye Fields
|-
| 7 June 2011
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Welterweight
| align=center|Yassine El Maachi
| align=center|Junior Witter
|-
| 12 October 2011
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Super featherweight
| align=center|Lee Haskins
| align=center|Don Broadhurst
|-
| 15 September 2011
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Light middleweight
| align=center|Robert Lloyd-Taylor
| align=center|Nick Quigley
|-
| 29 October 2011
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Featherweight
| align=center|Choi Tseveenpurev
| align=center|Rhys Roberts
|-
Barry Hearn
Barry Hearn is an English sporting events promoter, and the founder and chairman of promotions company Matchroom Sport. He is currently the chairman of Leyton Orient F.C., and the Professional Darts Corporation and was also until July 2010 chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker...
and aired on Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
. 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. The prize money for the winner of the tournament is £32,000, a figure that has increased from the initial prize of £25,000 when the tournament first aired in April 2008. There have been 17 Prizefighter tournaments so far featuring 11 different weight divisions.
Prizefighter 1: The Heavyweights
The first Prizefighter took place at York Hall, Bethnal Green in April 2008. The event was televised live on Sky Sports and saw 8 heavyweight fighters compete for the title. Competitors for the first series were Martin RoganMartin Rogan
Martin Rogan , is a heavyweight boxer and former Commonwealth heavyweight title holder. -Boxing career:...
, David Dolan
David Dolan
David Dolan is a British professional boxer who has competed at both heavyweight and cruiserweight. As an amateur he won a gold medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in the super heavyweight division...
, Dave Ferguson
Dave Ferguson
David Mark "Dave" Ferguson is a British heavyweight boxer based in Wallsend, England. His record stands at 7 wins and 1 loss after 8 bouts....
, Billy Bessey, Alex Ibbs
Alex Ibbs
Alex Ibbs , nicknamed El Toro, is a British heavyweight boxer based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. His record stands at four wins, and two losses in six bouts....
, Darren Morgan
Darren Morgan
Darren Morgan is a Welsh snooker player, who won the World Amateur Championship in 1987, and played on the main World Snooker tour from 1988 through 2007. He earned just under £1 million in prize money, reached a high ranking of 8, and was ranked within the top 16 for many years despite never...
, Paul Butlin
Paul Butlin
Paul Butlin is an English heavyweight boxer. He was born in Oakham, England and resides in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire....
and Colin Kenna
Colin Kenna
Colin Kenna is an Irish boxer, formerly a holder of the BBofC Southern Area heavyweight title belt. Kenna currently resides in Southampton, England.-Career:...
.
Martin Rogan
Martin Rogan
Martin Rogan , is a heavyweight boxer and former Commonwealth heavyweight title holder. -Boxing career:...
and David Dolan
David Dolan
David Dolan is a British professional boxer who has competed at both heavyweight and cruiserweight. As an amateur he won a gold medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in the super heavyweight division...
met in the final each boasting unbeaten records of 9-0. Rogan won after three rounds of boxing in which Dolan had been knocked down twice. Dolan was possibly still feeling the effects of a gruelling first round in which a punishing left hook from Darren Morgan
Darren Morgan
Darren Morgan is a Welsh snooker player, who won the World Amateur Championship in 1987, and played on the main World Snooker tour from 1988 through 2007. He earned just under £1 million in prize money, reached a high ranking of 8, and was ranked within the top 16 for many years despite never...
had him out on his feet and holding on.
Prizefighter 2: The Heavyweights 2
The second tournament was held at the Telewest Arena in Newcastle in September 2008, and involved Sam SextonSam Sexton
Sam Sexton is a British heavyweight boxer based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. He was the winner of the second Prizefighter tournament held in Newcastle and is the current holder of the British Commonwealth and BBBofC Southern Area heavyweight titles.-Early professional career:Sexton started his...
, Pele Reid
Pelé Reid
Pelé Reid is an English heavyweight boxer. He currently resides in Birmingham, West Midlands and is a personal trainer.Reid is a former WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight champion and World Kick Boxing Champion....
, Luke Simpkin
Luke Simpkin
Luke Simpkin is a British light heavyweight boxer based in Swadlincote, Derbyshire, England. His record stands at 11 wins, 31 losses and 3 draws after 45 bouts....
, Dave Ferguson
Dave Ferguson
David Mark "Dave" Ferguson is a British heavyweight boxer based in Wallsend, England. His record stands at 7 wins and 1 loss after 8 bouts....
, Chris Burton, David Ingleby, Lee Swaby
Lee Swaby
Lee Swaby is a professional heavyweight boxer from Lincoln, Lincolnshire.-Professional career:Swaby began his sporting career as a kickboxer aged 14. He trained at the 'Still Kickboxing Gym' in Lincoln city. Swaby's trainer invited him to attend a trial to join the fighters class. This trial...
and Darren Morgan
Darren Morgan
Darren Morgan is a Welsh snooker player, who won the World Amateur Championship in 1987, and played on the main World Snooker tour from 1988 through 2007. He earned just under £1 million in prize money, reached a high ranking of 8, and was ranked within the top 16 for many years despite never...
. The draw for the first round of fights was made by reigning British champion Danny Williams
Danny Williams (boxer)
Daniel "Danny" Williams is an English professional heavyweight boxer.-Amateur:As an amateur boxing out of the famous Lynn AC boxing gym in SE London, Williams learned his trade quickly, often sparring with the likes of clubmates Henry Akinwande and Derek Angol...
. Speaking before the tournament, competitor Luke Simpkin said "This could change my life if I win it", initially a substitute he was brought in to replace Ian Millarvie who had sustained an injury. Of his tactics for the tournament Simpkin said "There’s no tactics involved in my game and attack is the best form of defence so I will just attack. You haven’t got much time to plan anything so I will just go out there, have a good time and try my best".
On the night it was the Norwich heavyweight Sam Sexton
Sam Sexton
Sam Sexton is a British heavyweight boxer based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. He was the winner of the second Prizefighter tournament held in Newcastle and is the current holder of the British Commonwealth and BBBofC Southern Area heavyweight titles.-Early professional career:Sexton started his...
who came out on top with wins over Pelé Reid
Pelé Reid
Pelé Reid is an English heavyweight boxer. He currently resides in Birmingham, West Midlands and is a personal trainer.Reid is a former WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight champion and World Kick Boxing Champion....
in the quarter-final, Luke Simpkin
Luke Simpkin
Luke Simpkin is a British light heavyweight boxer based in Swadlincote, Derbyshire, England. His record stands at 11 wins, 31 losses and 3 draws after 45 bouts....
in the semi-finals and the hometown favourite Chris Burton in the final. After the win Sexton praised his tactics saying "The night went exactly how we planned it, we had a gameplan for each fight worked out before we came tonight". On his future aspirations he added "At 24-years-old I still haven't got my man strength as yet, and I know I can keep improving, hopefully next year I can get a shot at British title, I will keep getting stronger and stronger."
Prizefighter 3: The Welterweights
Prizefighter 3 took place on 24 October 2008 back at the York HallYork 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...
and featured a different weight class to the previous two events with welterweights competing for the main prize. Fighters taking part in the competition were former European champion Ted Bami
Ted Bami
Ted Bami Minsende is a light-welterweight boxer. Nicknamed "Dangerous", Bami is a former European light welterweight champion and British light welterweight title challenger....
; English champions Nigel Wright
Nigel Wright (boxer)
Nigel Wright is a professional boxer, fighting out of Crook, England. He is a southpaw fighter standing at , with a record of 22-6-1, with 9 KOs and is a three-time English light welterweight champion and a two-time challenger for both the British and the Commonwealth titles.-Early professional...
and Ross Minter
Ross Minter
Ross Minter is a professional boxer.Ross Minter is the son of Alan Minter, the former World Middleweight Champion....
; Former ABA champion Michael Lomax
Michael Lomax (boxer)
Michael Lomax Michael Lomax Michael Lomax (born 25 September 1978 in Chingford, London is a British Welterweight boxer. Nicknamed "The Look", Lomax is a former ABA champion and was the winner of Prizefighter 3: The Welterweights-Early career:...
; Commonwealth challenger Craig Dickson; Midlands Area champion Mark Lloyd
Mark Lloyd
Mark Lloyd is the associate general counsel and Chief Diversity Officer at the Federal Communications Commission of the United States.He was previously the vice president for strategic initiatives at the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights...
; Former IBO light middleweight champion Steve Conway
Steve Conway
Steve Conway is an Irish broadcaster and writer, formerly of the offshore pirate station Radio Caroline and most recently a presenter on the Dublin indie rock station Phantom 105.2....
and Andrew Ferrans.
Micheal Lomax
Michael Lomax (boxer)
Michael Lomax Michael Lomax Michael Lomax (born 25 September 1978 in Chingford, London is a British Welterweight boxer. Nicknamed "The Look", Lomax is a former ABA champion and was the winner of Prizefighter 3: The Welterweights-Early career:...
won the tournament with wins over Craig Dickson, Nigel Wright
Nigel Wright (boxer)
Nigel Wright is a professional boxer, fighting out of Crook, England. He is a southpaw fighter standing at , with a record of 22-6-1, with 9 KOs and is a three-time English light welterweight champion and a two-time challenger for both the British and the Commonwealth titles.-Early professional...
and Ted Bami
Ted Bami
Ted Bami Minsende is a light-welterweight boxer. Nicknamed "Dangerous", Bami is a former European light welterweight champion and British light welterweight title challenger....
in the final. Lomax had been confident before the tournament had even begun despite not being the favourite to lift the trophy saying "I am confident I'll win...no one is as dedicated as me, what you put in is what you get out". He claimed that it was the best night of his career so far and raised hopes that this was the launchpad for his career saying “Hopefully this will be the break my career needs and as I said afterwards this wasn't about the money I won, but the glory I have enjoyed from this competition.” The result wasn't without controversy however as many people watching at ringside as well as the commentators on Sky thought that Lomax had actually lost his semi-final against Nigel Wright
Nigel Wright (boxer)
Nigel Wright is a professional boxer, fighting out of Crook, England. He is a southpaw fighter standing at , with a record of 22-6-1, with 9 KOs and is a three-time English light welterweight champion and a two-time challenger for both the British and the Commonwealth titles.-Early professional...
. The judges however thought differently and scored a split decision win for the eventual champion. A shocked Wright speaking after the bout said "I'm absolutely disgusted – how could they rob me like that...One judge gave Lomax all three which is unbelievable...I can't remember Michael hitting me with a clean shot."
Prizefighter 4: The Middleweights
Prizefighter 4 took place again at the York Hall this time on 21 November 2008. The tournament featured Middleweights Paul Samuels, Danny Butler, Max Maxwell, Steve Ede, Cello RendaCello Renda
Marcello 'Cello' Renda is a professional boxer, using the nickname "Dangerous". He is a middleweight, and reached the final of the 4th Prizefighter tournament.-Biography:...
, Danny Thornton, Joe Rea
Joe Rea
Joe Rea is a Northern Irish actor based in Belfast. He has appeared in such films as Mad About Mambo and Resurrection Man.He recently starred in the Dogs Trust commercials, The Neuter Boys with longtime friend, Maclean Stewart.-External links:...
and Martin Murray
Martin Murray (boxer)
Martin Murray is a British professional boxer fighting in the middleweight and super middleweight divisions. He was the winner of the fourth Prizefighter tournament and is the reigning Commonwealth champion at middleweight...
. It also formed part of a Sky Box Office show featuring the Ricky Hatton
Ricky Hatton
Richard John Hatton MBE, more commonly known as Ricky "the Hitman" Hatton, , is a former British professional boxer, and currently a promoter....
fight with Paulie Malignaggi as the main event.
Martin Murray
Martin Murray (boxer)
Martin Murray is a British professional boxer fighting in the middleweight and super middleweight divisions. He was the winner of the fourth Prizefighter tournament and is the reigning Commonwealth champion at middleweight...
won the tournament and the £25,000 prize money following wins over Joe Rea
Joe Rea
Joe Rea is a Northern Irish actor based in Belfast. He has appeared in such films as Mad About Mambo and Resurrection Man.He recently starred in the Dogs Trust commercials, The Neuter Boys with longtime friend, Maclean Stewart.-External links:...
, Danny Butler and then in the final Cello Renda
Cello Renda
Marcello 'Cello' Renda is a professional boxer, using the nickname "Dangerous". He is a middleweight, and reached the final of the 4th Prizefighter tournament.-Biography:...
. The final itself saw Renda getting knocked down and with both fighters coming out swinging and fighting toe to toe.
Prizefighter 5: The Light Heavyweights
The fifth instalment of the Prizefighter franchise took place on 20 February 2009 with the weight division on this occasion being light heavyweight. Boxers taking part in the competition were Courtney Fry, Shon Davies, Tony OakeyTony Oakey
Tony Oakey is an English professional boxer who fights in the light heavyweight division.He is a former British, Commonwealth and WBU light-heavyweight boxing champion....
, Billy Boyle, Bob Ajisafe, Carl Dilks, Darren Stubbs and Steve Spartacus. Former British champion Tony Oakey eventually won the tournament having defeated Billy Boyle
Billy Boyle
Billy Boyle is an Irish actor on British film, television and stage. He is a veteran of the West-End stage having played leading roles in over 15 hit shows. In his first West-End musical "Maggie May" he was nominated as best newcomer. Gower Champion then chose him to play Barnaby in "Hello Dolly"...
and Courtney Fry on the way to a final win over Darren Stubbs.
Prizefighter 6: The Lightweights
The sixth installment of the Prizefighter franchise took place on 24 March 2009 at the Kelvin HallKelvin Hall
The Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland, is a mixed-use arts and sports venue that opened as an exhibition centre in 1927. It has been a music hall, indoor arena and barrage balloon factory, and is currently home to the Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena and from 1987 to 2010, Glasgow's Museum of...
, 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 the weight division on this occasion being lightweight
Lightweight
Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....
. Boxers taking part in the competition were Ryan Brawley
Ryan Brawley
Ryan Brawley is a Scottish professional boxer fighting in the lightweight division. He was the winner of the sixth Prizefighter tournament featuring boxers in the lightweight category.-Professional career:...
, Ben Murphy, Paul Holborn, Charlie King, Gary McArthur, Steve Saville, Stephen Burke and Stuart Green
Stuart Green (boxer)
Stuart Green is a Scottish light welterweight boxer.-External links:* at BritishBoxing.net...
. Brawley won the tournament with victories over Murphy, Holborn and Burke in the final.
Prizefighter 7: The Cruiserweights
The seventh instalment of the Prizefighter franchise took place on 19 May 2009 at Earls Court Exhibition CentreEarls Court Exhibition Centre
The Earls Court Exhibition Centre is an exhibition centre, conference and event venue located in west London, United Kingdom in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea . It is the largest exhibition venue in central London. It is served by two underground stations, Earl's Court and West...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with the weight division on this occasion being cruiserweight. Boxers taking part in the competition were Darren Corbett
Darren Corbett
Darren Corbett , nicknamed Raging Bull, is a Northern Irish professional boxer. Corbett's weight fluctuated significantly throughout his career and although he had some fights at both heavyweight and light-heavyweight, the bulk of his contests and his success came at cruiserweight.-Amateur:Corbett...
, Terry Dunstan, Dean Francis, John Keeton
John Keeton
John 'Buster' Keeton is a British professional boxer fighting out of Sheffield in England, he competes in the cruiserweight division and is a former British cruiserweight champion and three time British title challenger....
, Ovill McKenzie
Ovill McKenzie
Ovill McKenzie is a Jamaican professional boxer fighting out of Derby in England; he competes primarily in the light heavyweight division but has also fought at cruiserweight...
, Bruce Scott, Neil Simpson (boxer)|Neil Simpson and Mickey Steeds. Mark Krence was originally drafted in, but replaced by McKenzie after he was forced to withdraw due to injury. McKenize went on to win the title scoring wins over Dunstan, Corbett and Keeton in the final.
Prizefighter 8: The Heavyweights 3
The eighth tournament was held on 2 October 2009, it was originally due to be held at the York HallYork 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,...
, but was moved to the larger ExCeL London due to demand for tickets, increasing the potential attendance by 5,000. The boxers involved initially were Danny Williams
Danny Williams (boxer)
Daniel "Danny" Williams is an English professional heavyweight boxer.-Amateur:As an amateur boxing out of the famous Lynn AC boxing gym in SE London, Williams learned his trade quickly, often sparring with the likes of clubmates Henry Akinwande and Derek Angol...
, Audley Harrison
Audley Harrison
Audley Harrison is a British professional boxer from Harlesden, England who fights in the heavyweight division. At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney he became the first British fighter to win an Olympic gold medal in the superheavyweight division. He stands and usually weighs around .Harrison turned...
, Michael Sprott
Michael Sprott
Michael Sprott is a professional heavyweight boxer from Reading, Berkshire, England. Sprott briefly held the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles, and was a European heavyweight title contender...
, Scott Gammer
Scott Gammer
Scott Gammer is a British boxer, based in Wales he is a former holder of the British heavyweight title.-Professional career:...
, Scott Belshaw
Scott Belshaw
Scott Belshaw is a professional boxer from Lisburn, Northern Ireland who fights in heavyweight division.-Amateur career:...
, Michael Holden, Coleman Barrett
Coleman Barrett
Coleman Barrett , nicknamed Coley, is an Irish professional boxer who holds the Irish heavyweight title.- Background :Coleman is the cousin of pro light welterweight Francie Barrett...
and Danny Hughes.
Carl Baker
Carl Baker (boxer)
Carl Baker is an English professional Boxer who was born in Sheffield, England-Prizefighter:Baker competed in the heavyweight Prizefighter series on 2 October 2009, he came in as an outsider but beat second favourite Danny Williams by unanimous decision, he also knocked Williams down twice in the...
was eventually drafted in to take the place of Michael Holden after the BBBofC
British Boxing Board of Control
The British Boxing Board of Control is the governing body of professional boxing in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1929 from the old National Sporting Club and is headquartered in Cardiff.- Councils :...
refused permission for Holden to fight after voicing concerns over his lack of activity over recent years in the ring. Sprott withdrew following a family bereavement and was replaced by Neil Perkins
Neil Perkins
Neil Perkins is a British amateur boxer who has won several medals in international tournaments at welterweight.-Career:Southpaw Perkins fights for Kirkdale ABC in Liverpool...
.
The quarter final draw took place on 11 September at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino is a 44-story luxury hotel casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned by MGM Resorts International. Five floors of the main hotel building are occupied by the five-star and AAA Five-Diamond Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas...
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
by Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
alongside Matchroom Sports chairman Barry Hearn
Barry Hearn
Barry Hearn is an English sporting events promoter, and the founder and chairman of promotions company Matchroom Sport. He is currently the chairman of Leyton Orient F.C., and the Professional Darts Corporation and was also until July 2010 chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker...
.
Former Olympic gold medalist Audley Harrison eventually won the title having defeated Scott Belshaw, Danny Hughes and Coleman Barrett. Reigning British heavyweight champion Danny Williams, lost in the first round to substitute boxer Carl Baker, with Baker knocking him down four times over the course of the three round contest. The defeat to Baker also meant that Williams would be stripped of his British title.
Prizefighter 9: The Light Welterweights
On 4 December 2009, the tournament saw the light welterweight's competing for the first time. Amongst the contestants was Gavin ReesGavin Rees
Gavin Rees is a Welsh professional boxer. Nicknamed "The Rock", Rees is the current EBU Lightweight Champion, and former WBA super-lightweight World Champion...
, the first former World champion to compete in the tournament's history. The competition also had a number of European champions competing with Colin Lynes
Colin Lynes
Colin Lynes is a British professional boxer from Hornchurch in London. He is a former IBO World, British and European champion at light welterweight and is the reigning British champion at welterweight.-Early Professional Career:...
, Jason Cook
Jason Cook (boxer)
Jason Cook is a professional boxer, who fights under the nickname "The Power". As an amateur, he won a silver medal for Wales at the 1994 Commonwealth Games. As a professional, he has fought as a lightweight, and has won both the European and IBO championships at the weight...
and Ted Bami
Ted Bami
Ted Bami Minsende is a light-welterweight boxer. Nicknamed "Dangerous", Bami is a former European light welterweight champion and British light welterweight title challenger....
, a man who had also reached the final of the Welterweight prizefighter tournament in October 2008. Former British champions David Barnes
David Barnes (boxer)
David Barnes is a British professional boxer from Manchester in England who competes in the light welterweight division. He is the former holder of both the British light welterweight and welterweight titles. -Early career:...
and Young Mutley
Lee Woodley
Lee Woodley , better known by his boxing alias Young Mutley, is a British boxer. He is a former British Welterweight champion. His professional record is 22 wins from 25 fights, 12 by knockout. He made his professional debut on 3 September 1999...
also took part as did unbeaten fighter Michael Grant
Michael Grant (boxer)
Michael Anthony Grant is a professional heavyweight boxer. He is 6' 7" tall, with an 86' reach. A natural born athlete before boxing he blossomed into a three-sport star at Chicago's Harper High School...
and Welshman Barrie Jones
Barrie Jones
Barrie Spencer Jones is a Welsh former professional footballer. During his career, he made over 350 appearances in The Football League with Swansea Town, Plymouth Argyle and Cardiff City and represented Wales at both under-23 and senior level.-Club career:Jones began his career at his home town...
. The draw for the competition was conducted by Floyd Mayweather, Jr..
Gavin Rees, who was supported at ringside by Joe Calzaghe
Joe Calzaghe
Joseph William Calzaghe, CBE, MBE is a Welsh former professional boxer. He is the former WBO, WBA, WBC, IBF, The Ring & British super middleweight champion and The Ring light heavyweight champion....
, eventually picked up the trophy and £32,000 prize money after defeating all three former European champions in Ted Bami, Jason Cook and Colin Lynes in the final.
Prizefighter 10: The Light Middleweights
On 26 February 2010, Prizefighter returned to the York Hall and featured the first outing for the light middleweight division. Among the contestants were former British champion Neil SinclairNeil Sinclair
Neil Sinclair aka Sinky is a professional boxer. He usually fights at light middleweight or the divisions either side.-Amateur career:...
and former Commonwealth champion Bradley Pryce
Bradley Pryce
Bradley Pryce is a Welsh professional boxer. He usually fights at light middleweight or the divisions either side, is a two time challenger for the British title and is a former Commonwealth champion....
. The tournament also featured former middleweight semi finalist Danny Butler, Midlands Area champion Martin Concepcion
Martin Concepcion
Martin Concepcion is a professional boxer.Concepcion began boxing professionally on 6 December 2003, with his first bout being won by knockout, a theme that would be repeated 6 more times until 3 December 2004, when he won his first bout by decision. He racked up another KO before two more points...
, unbeaten boxers Steve O'Meara and Brett Flournoy as well as George Hillyard and Prince Arron
Prince Arron
Prince Arron is an English professional boxer fighting in the light middleweight division. He was the winner of the tenth Prizefighter tournament featuring boxers in the light middleweight category...
.
In a tournament that proved difficult to predict, Droylsden
Droylsden
Droylsden is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. It is to the east of Manchester city centre, and west-southwest of Ashton-under-Lyne, it has a population of 23,172....
boxer Prince Arron
Prince Arron
Prince Arron is an English professional boxer fighting in the light middleweight division. He was the winner of the tenth Prizefighter tournament featuring boxers in the light middleweight category...
scored an upset win after beating Hillyard in the quarter final, Pryce
Bradley Pryce
Bradley Pryce is a Welsh professional boxer. He usually fights at light middleweight or the divisions either side, is a two time challenger for the British title and is a former Commonwealth champion....
in the semis and then knocking down the unbeaten former ABA champion Flournoy in the final.
Prizefighter 11: The Cruiserweights 2
On 30 April 2010, Prizefighter was at the York Hall once again and featured the second outing for the cruiserweight division. The main contender was two-time WBO world heavyweight champion Herbie HideHerbie Hide
Herbie Hide is a British boxer of Nigerian heritage from Norwich currently fighting in the cruiserweight class...
. Also in contention were former Commonwealth champion Darren Corbett
Darren Corbett
Darren Corbett , nicknamed Raging Bull, is a Northern Irish professional boxer. Corbett's weight fluctuated significantly throughout his career and although he had some fights at both heavyweight and light-heavyweight, the bulk of his contests and his success came at cruiserweight.-Amateur:Corbett...
and unbeaten prospect Jon-Lewis Dickinson
Jon-Lewis Dickinson
Jon-Lewis Dickinson is a British boxer currently fighting in the cruiserweight class. In his early fights he beat journeymen Paul Bonson and Hastings Rasani on points, before winning the Prizefighter series in April 2010 beating Leon Williams, Mark Krence and Nick Okoth...
. The tournament also featured former English heavyweight champion Mark Krence as well as novices Leon Williams
Leon Williams (boxer)
Leon Williams is a cruiserweight British boxer. He competed in the Prizefighter series in April 2010 losing in his first bout to eventual winner Jon-Lewis Dickinson. Leon Williams is The Current British Cruiserweight Champion following his defeat of Rob Norton at Londons York Hall on 21st October...
, Zahid Kahut, John Anthony and Wayne Brooks.
Hide comfortably won his quarter-final against Brooks but suffered a cut after a clash of heads in the bout. He was forced to withdraw and was replaced by reserve Nick Okoth, a firefighter, who at been at work earlier in the day. He won a coin toss against Preston's Paul Morris to replace Hide. Journeyman Okoth, who had a record of 8-27-5 going into the tournament, pulled off the biggest win of his career with a UD victory against Corbett and faced Dickinson in the final who had knocked out Krence in his semi final bout. Dickinson dominated the final and knocked out Okoth in the final round to take the trophy and £32,000 cash prize.
Prizefighter 12: The Super Bantamweights
On 29 May 2010, Prizefighter was at the York Hall once again and featured the first outing for the super-bantamweight division. The original line-up included former WBCWorld Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
world bantamweight champion Wayne McCullough
Wayne McCullough
Wayne William McCullough is a professional boxer. During his professional career, which spans back to 1993, he held the WBC title in the Bantamweight category...
, former British, Commonwealth and European champion Esham Pickering
Esham Pickering
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.-Early career:...
, former English champion Mark Moran and unbeaten prospects Craig Lyon and Ricky Owen. Josh Wale, Chris Riley and Gavin Reid completed the line up. McCullough, Lyon and Riley withdrew in the weeks leading up to the tournament and were replaced by 2002 Commonwealth Games
2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
gold medallist Jamie Arthur
Jamie Arthur
Jamie Arthur is a boxer from Cwmbran, Wales, who won the gold medal in the men's lightweight division at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, United Kingdom. Arthur turned professional in 2003, and since then has had some limited success, winning the Welsh super featherweight title in 2008...
, undefeated Irishman Willie Casey
Willie Casey
Willie Casey is an Irish professional boxer who lives in Limerick, Ireland. He won the Prizefighter series in May 2010 in the super bantamweight division, defeating Mark Moran, Josh Wale and Paul McElhinney...
, and Robbie Turley.
The opening bout between Moran and Casey was the only one to finish inside the distance. The remaining quarter-finals were all decided on split decisions with Pickering being the main casualty, being defeated by Josh Wale. In the semi-finals, Casey defeated Wale in a thrilling contest in which 532 punches were thrown in just three rounds. Owen maintained his unbeaten record with a victory over Jamie Arthur
Jamie Arthur
Jamie Arthur is a boxer from Cwmbran, Wales, who won the gold medal in the men's lightweight division at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, United Kingdom. Arthur turned professional in 2003, and since then has had some limited success, winning the Welsh super featherweight title in 2008...
, however he was unable to progress to the final after injuries sustained in the fight. He was forced to withdraw and was replaced by young Paul McElhinney, a Scotsman who was undefeated in four fights and won a coin toss against Slough's Ian Bailey to replace Owen. Despite having already fought two bouts Casey was able to win the final by unanimous decision.
Prizefighter 13: The Super Middleweights
On 30 June 2010, the first ever super middleweights Prizefighter took place in York HallYork 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...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The original line up featured former British champions Tony Dodson
Tony Dodson
Tony Dodson is an English boxer who fights in the super middleweight division. He is a former holder of both the English and British super middleweight titles and has challenged for the Commonwealth title at the weight....
and Tony Quigley
Tony Quigley
Tony Quigley is an English professional boxer fighting in the super middleweight division. He is a former British champion at the weight.-Early professional career:...
, former English champion Paul David, former BBofC
British Boxing Board of Control
The British Boxing Board of Control is the governing body of professional boxing in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1929 from the old National Sporting Club and is headquartered in Cardiff.- Councils :...
Celtic champion Stevie McGuire, former British Masters champion Eddie McIntosh, as well as Daniel Cadman and Peter Fedorenko. For the first time, it was decided that the eighth competitor would be decided by an online public vote. The winner of the vote was former BBofC
British Boxing Board of Control
The British Boxing Board of Control is the governing body of professional boxing in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1929 from the old National Sporting Club and is headquartered in Cardiff.- Councils :...
Southern Area champion Tony Salam. In the build up to the event, Dodson, McGuire, Quigley and Salam all withdrew, and were replaced by Gambia-born Patrick Mendy
Patrick Mendy
Patrick Mendy is an Gambian professional boxer who was born in Gambia and currently lives in Maidenhead.He made his debut as a professional boxer on 6 March 2009 against Travis Dickinson and lost on points. He then lost his next fight as well against Tobias Webb on points, with each of his first...
, who at 19 years old was the youngest ever Prizefighter contender, former Midlands Area champion Sam Horton
Sam Horton
Sam "The Man" Horton is an English professional boxer who competes in the super middleweight division.Horton turned Pro in 2006 after fighting as an amateur...
, former Western Area champion Carl Drake, and unbeaten Welshman Jeff Evans.
Mendy was the eventual winner of the tournament, breaking the record for fastest Prizefighter knockout when he defeated Sam Horton after 82 seconds, and then became the youngest Prizefighter winner as well as competitor when he defeated Paul David in the final.
Prizefighter 14: The Heavyweights 4
On 9 October 2010, the York Hall played host to the fourth outing for the heavyweights as part of the Prizefighter series. Contestants taking part included the former British, European and Commonwealth champion Matt SkeltonMatt Skelton
Matt Skelton is an English boxer who changed sports from kickboxing. He is a former English, British, Commonwealth and European Heavyweight champion. He has also held the lightly regarded WBU "World" Heavyweight title....
and the former British and Commonwealth champion Michael Sprott
Michael Sprott
Michael Sprott is a professional heavyweight boxer from Reading, Berkshire, England. Sprott briefly held the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles, and was a European heavyweight title contender...
. Other boxers taking part included Kevin McBride
Kevin McBride
Kevin Martin McBride is an Irish boxer, who competed for his native country at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.McBride debuted in December 1992, with a victory against Gary Charlton...
, the last man to beat Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
, Franklin Egobi
Franklin Egobi
Franklin George Egobi is a professional Nigerian heavyweight boxer from Tooting, London. His professional record stands at 15 wins, 10 by way of knock-out, four losses in 19 bouts.-Boxing career:...
, Ali Adams, Shane McPhilbin, Declan Timlin and Danny Hughes. The tournament was won by Sprott who beat Danny Hughes in the quarter finals, Shane McPhilbin in the semis and Matt Skelton in the final. The fight against Skelton in particular was notable for Sprott in that it was the third time the two had met in the ring with Skelton having won the previous two fights. Sprott himself was also coming into the tournament on the back of a defeat in a European title challenge to Audley Harrison
Audley Harrison
Audley Harrison is a British professional boxer from Harlesden, England who fights in the heavyweight division. At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney he became the first British fighter to win an Olympic gold medal in the superheavyweight division. He stands and usually weighs around .Harrison turned...
, the winner of the previous Prizefighter tournament featuring heavyweights.
Prizefighter 15: The Super Featherweights
On 21 November 2010, again at the York Hall, the 15th installment of the Prizefighter competition showcased boxers from the super featherweight division for the first time. Contestants taking part included the reigning British champion Gary SykesGary Sykes
Gary Sykes is a British super featherweight boxer. Educated at Birkdale High School he is based in Dewsbury, Yorkshire and is a former British super featherweight champion.-Amateur career:...
and a former British and European title challenger in Gary Buckland
Gary Buckland
Gary Buckland is a Welsh professional boxer fighting in the super featherweight and lightweight divisions. He is the reigning British super featherweight champion and has previously challenged for the full British and European lightweight boxing titles.-Professional career:Buckland's professional...
. Ben Murphy and Gary McArthur had both previously contested the lightweight installment of the Prizefighter tournament on 24 March 2009. Choi Tseveenpurev
Choi Tseveenpurev
Choijiljavyn "Choi" Tseveenpürev is a Mongolian featherweight boxer based in the United Kingdom. Tseveenpurev won the Prizefighter series Featherweights tournament on 29 October 2011, the same month that he passed 40...
, the WBU title holder, Derry Mathews
Derry Mathews
Derry Mathews is an English lightweight boxer and former holder of the English and WBU Featherweight titles. As an amateur he won the 2002 ABA Bantamweight championship.-Professional career:...
, the former WBU title holder, Stevie Bell
Stevie Bell
Stevie Bell is the first and only African American professional snowboarders of his time to break into the industry in 2005. His love for snowboarding and his passion to excel earned him a spot on the Forum Pro snowboarding team in 2006...
and Scott Lawton
Scott Lawton (boxer)
Scott Lawton is an English professional boxer who has competed in the lightweight and super featherweight divisions. He comes from Stoke-on-Trent, is a two time English lightweight champion and has challenged for the full British and Commonwealth lightweight titles as well as the full European...
made up the rest of the competitors.
The competition resulted in a win for Gary Buckland
Gary Buckland
Gary Buckland is a Welsh professional boxer fighting in the super featherweight and lightweight divisions. He is the reigning British super featherweight champion and has previously challenged for the full British and European lightweight boxing titles.-Professional career:Buckland's professional...
who met Derry Mathews
Derry Mathews
Derry Mathews is an English lightweight boxer and former holder of the English and WBU Featherweight titles. As an amateur he won the 2002 ABA Bantamweight championship.-Professional career:...
in the final and scoring a 2nd round KO over the Liverpool man. Buckland had fought his way to the final beating the likes of Stevie Bell in the quarters and Gary Sykes
Gary Sykes
Gary Sykes is a British super featherweight boxer. Educated at Birkdale High School he is based in Dewsbury, Yorkshire and is a former British super featherweight champion.-Amateur career:...
in the semis. The win over Sykes in particular was notable in that the reigning British champion had chosen to competed in the tournament only to suffer a shock 1st round knockout.
Prizefighter 16: The Light Heavyweights 2
On 29 January 2011, at the Olympia, LondonOlympia, London
Olympia is an exhibition centre and conference centre in West Kensington, on the boundary between The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham, London, W14 8UX, England. It opened in the 19th century and was originally known as the National Agricultural Hall.Opened in 1886,...
, the 16th installment of the Prizefighter competition showcased boxers from the light heavyweight division for the second time. Former British champion Tony Dodson
Tony Dodson
Tony Dodson is an English boxer who fights in the super middleweight division. He is a former holder of both the English and British super middleweight titles and has challenged for the Commonwealth title at the weight....
was the biggest name involved.
The winner of the tournament was Travis Dickinson
Travis Dickinson
Travis Dickinson is an English boxer who fights in the light heavyweight division. He won the light heavyweight version of the Prizefighter title on 29 January 2011 with victories over Llewellyn Davies, Justin Jones and Sam Couzens at the Olympia in London...
, whose brother Jon-Lewis Dickinson
Jon-Lewis Dickinson
Jon-Lewis Dickinson is a British boxer currently fighting in the cruiserweight class. In his early fights he beat journeymen Paul Bonson and Hastings Rasani on points, before winning the Prizefighter series in April 2010 beating Leon Williams, Mark Krence and Nick Okoth...
won Prizefighter at cruiserweight in April 2010. Dickinson beat Llewellyn Davies, Justin Jones and Sam Couzens to win the title - Jones and Couzens stepping in as reserves after the withdrawals of Dodson and Jack Morris due to injury.
Prizefighter 17: The Super Middleweights 2
The second version of the super middleweight tournament took place in Liverpool on 23 March 2011 and saw a hometown winner in Rocky Fielding. Fielding became the first man to win the tournament by scoring three stoppages in a row beating the likes of Patrick J Maxwell (stoppage in the 2nd), Joe Ainscough (stoppage in the 1st) and Tobias Webb (stoppage in the 1st).Tournament summary
{| class="wikitable"|-align=center
|Tournament Date
| Venue
| Weight Category
| Winner
| Runner-Up
|-
| 11 April 2008
| York Hall, 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,...
| align=center|Heavyweight
Heavyweight
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
| align=center|Martin Rogan
Martin Rogan
Martin Rogan , is a heavyweight boxer and former Commonwealth heavyweight title holder. -Boxing career:...
| align=center|David Dolan
David Dolan
David Dolan is a British professional boxer who has competed at both heavyweight and cruiserweight. As an amateur he won a gold medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in the super heavyweight division...
|-
| 12 September 2008
| Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
| align=center|Heavyweight
| align=center|Sam Sexton
Sam Sexton
Sam Sexton is a British heavyweight boxer based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. He was the winner of the second Prizefighter tournament held in Newcastle and is the current holder of the British Commonwealth and BBBofC Southern Area heavyweight titles.-Early professional career:Sexton started his...
| align=center|Chris Burton
|-
| 24 October 2008
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
| align=center|Michael Lomax
Michael Lomax (boxer)
Michael Lomax Michael Lomax Michael Lomax (born 25 September 1978 in Chingford, London is a British Welterweight boxer. Nicknamed "The Look", Lomax is a former ABA champion and was the winner of Prizefighter 3: The Welterweights-Early career:...
| align=center|Ted Bami
Ted Bami
Ted Bami Minsende is a light-welterweight boxer. Nicknamed "Dangerous", Bami is a former European light welterweight champion and British light welterweight title challenger....
|-
| 21 November 2008
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Middleweight
Middleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...
| align=center|Martin Murray
Martin Murray (boxer)
Martin Murray is a British professional boxer fighting in the middleweight and super middleweight divisions. He was the winner of the fourth Prizefighter tournament and is the reigning Commonwealth champion at middleweight...
| align=center|Cello Renda
Cello Renda
Marcello 'Cello' Renda is a professional boxer, using the nickname "Dangerous". He is a middleweight, and reached the final of the 4th Prizefighter tournament.-Biography:...
|-
| 20 February 2009
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Light heavyweight
Light heavyweight
In boxing, the light heavyweight is a weight division above 168 pounds [12 Stone or 76.204 kilograms] and up to 175 pounds [12.5 stone or 79.38 kilograms]), falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight...
| align=center|Tony Oakey
Tony Oakey
Tony Oakey is an English professional boxer who fights in the light heavyweight division.He is a former British, Commonwealth and WBU light-heavyweight boxing champion....
| align=center|Darren Stubbs
|-
| 24 March 2009
| Kelvin Hall
Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena
The Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena is located within the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland. It has hosted many athletics competitions including the 1990 European Athletics Indoor Championships and the Aviva International Match since 1988.- History :...
, 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...
| align=center|Lightweight
Lightweight
Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....
| align=center|Ryan Brawley
Ryan Brawley
Ryan Brawley is a Scottish professional boxer fighting in the lightweight division. He was the winner of the sixth Prizefighter tournament featuring boxers in the lightweight category.-Professional career:...
| align=center|Stephen Burke
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| 19 May 2009
| Earls Court
Earls Court Exhibition Centre
The Earls Court Exhibition Centre is an exhibition centre, conference and event venue located in west London, United Kingdom in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea . It is the largest exhibition venue in central London. It is served by two underground stations, Earl's Court and West...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
| align=center|Cruiserweight
| align=center|Ovill McKenzie
Ovill McKenzie
Ovill McKenzie is a Jamaican professional boxer fighting out of Derby in England; he competes primarily in the light heavyweight division but has also fought at cruiserweight...
| align=center|John Keeton
John Keeton
John 'Buster' Keeton is a British professional boxer fighting out of Sheffield in England, he competes in the cruiserweight division and is a former British cruiserweight champion and three time British title challenger....
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| 2 October 2009
| ExCeL, London
| align=center|Heavyweight
| align=center|Audley Harrison
Audley Harrison
Audley Harrison is a British professional boxer from Harlesden, England who fights in the heavyweight division. At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney he became the first British fighter to win an Olympic gold medal in the superheavyweight division. He stands and usually weighs around .Harrison turned...
| align=center|Coleman Barrett
Coleman Barrett
Coleman Barrett , nicknamed Coley, is an Irish professional boxer who holds the Irish heavyweight title.- Background :Coleman is the cousin of pro light welterweight Francie Barrett...
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| 4 December 2009
| Olympia
Olympia, London
Olympia is an exhibition centre and conference centre in West Kensington, on the boundary between The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham, London, W14 8UX, England. It opened in the 19th century and was originally known as the National Agricultural Hall.Opened in 1886,...
, London
| align=center|Light welterweight
Light welterweight
-Professional boxing:The light welterweight class is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63.5 kg or 140 pounds...
| align=center|Gavin Rees
Gavin Rees
Gavin Rees is a Welsh professional boxer. Nicknamed "The Rock", Rees is the current EBU Lightweight Champion, and former WBA super-lightweight World Champion...
| align=center|Colin Lynes
Colin Lynes
Colin Lynes is a British professional boxer from Hornchurch in London. He is a former IBO World, British and European champion at light welterweight and is the reigning British champion at welterweight.-Early Professional Career:...
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| 26 February 2010
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Light middleweight
Light middleweight
Light Middleweight , is a weight division in professional boxing, above 147 pounds and up to 154 pounds ....
| align=center|Prince Arron
Prince Arron
Prince Arron is an English professional boxer fighting in the light middleweight division. He was the winner of the tenth Prizefighter tournament featuring boxers in the light middleweight category...
| align=center|Brett Flournoy
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| 30 April 2010
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Cruiserweight
| align=center|Jon-Lewis Dickinson
Jon-Lewis Dickinson
Jon-Lewis Dickinson is a British boxer currently fighting in the cruiserweight class. In his early fights he beat journeymen Paul Bonson and Hastings Rasani on points, before winning the Prizefighter series in April 2010 beating Leon Williams, Mark Krence and Nick Okoth...
| align=center|Nick Okoth
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| 29 May 2010
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Super bantamweight
Super Bantamweight
Super bantamweight is a weight division in professional boxing. The maximum weight for this division is 122 pounds, or roughly 55.34 kilograms....
| align=center|Willie Casey
Willie Casey
Willie Casey is an Irish professional boxer who lives in Limerick, Ireland. He won the Prizefighter series in May 2010 in the super bantamweight division, defeating Mark Moran, Josh Wale and Paul McElhinney...
| align=center|Paul McElhinney
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| 30 June 2010
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Super middleweight
Super middleweight
Super Middleweight is a boxing and Muay Thai weight division that has a weight limit of 168 pounds .- 1960s–1983 :There was interest in a division between Middleweight and Light Heavyweight in the late 1960s, the mid-1970s, and the early 1980s...
| align=center|Patrick Mendy
Patrick Mendy
Patrick Mendy is an Gambian professional boxer who was born in Gambia and currently lives in Maidenhead.He made his debut as a professional boxer on 6 March 2009 against Travis Dickinson and lost on points. He then lost his next fight as well against Tobias Webb on points, with each of his first...
| align=center|Paul David
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| 9 October 2010
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Heavyweight
| align=center|Michael Sprott
Michael Sprott
Michael Sprott is a professional heavyweight boxer from Reading, Berkshire, England. Sprott briefly held the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles, and was a European heavyweight title contender...
| align=center|Matt Skelton
Matt Skelton
Matt Skelton is an English boxer who changed sports from kickboxing. He is a former English, British, Commonwealth and European Heavyweight champion. He has also held the lightly regarded WBU "World" Heavyweight title....
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| 21 November 2010
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Super featherweight
Super Featherweight
Super featherweight is a weight division in professional boxing. The maximum weight for this division is 130 pounds or 59 kilograms....
| align=center|Gary Buckland
Gary Buckland
Gary Buckland is a Welsh professional boxer fighting in the super featherweight and lightweight divisions. He is the reigning British super featherweight champion and has previously challenged for the full British and European lightweight boxing titles.-Professional career:Buckland's professional...
| align=center|Derry Mathews
Derry Mathews
Derry Mathews is an English lightweight boxer and former holder of the English and WBU Featherweight titles. As an amateur he won the 2002 ABA Bantamweight championship.-Professional career:...
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| 29 January 2011
| Olympia, London
| align=center|Light heavyweight
Light heavyweight
In boxing, the light heavyweight is a weight division above 168 pounds [12 Stone or 76.204 kilograms] and up to 175 pounds [12.5 stone or 79.38 kilograms]), falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight...
| align=center|Travis Dickinson
Travis Dickinson
Travis Dickinson is an English boxer who fights in the light heavyweight division. He won the light heavyweight version of the Prizefighter title on 29 January 2011 with victories over Llewellyn Davies, Justin Jones and Sam Couzens at the Olympia in London...
| align=center|Sam Couzens
|-
| 23 March 2011
| Olympia, Liverpool
| align=center|Super middleweight
Super middleweight
Super Middleweight is a boxing and Muay Thai weight division that has a weight limit of 168 pounds .- 1960s–1983 :There was interest in a division between Middleweight and Light Heavyweight in the late 1960s, the mid-1970s, and the early 1980s...
| align=center|Rocky Fielding
| align=center|Tobias Webb
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| 7 May 2011
| Alexandra Palace, London
| align=center|International Heavyweight
| align=center|Mike Perez
Ismaikel Pérez
Ismaikel "Mike" Pérez Pérez is a Cuban professional boxer best known to win the World Junior Amateur Championships at light heavyweight in Jeju in 2004. Perez also, won the International Prizefighter tournament...
| align=center|Tye Fields
Tye Fields
Tye "Big Sky" Fields is an American heavyweight boxer.-Career:Tye Fields grew up in Beaverton, Oregon. Fields played college basketball and was a starter at forward for San Diego State University. Fields never was an amateur...
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| 7 June 2011
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Welterweight
| align=center|Yassine El Maachi
| align=center|Junior Witter
Junior Witter
Junior Witter is a professional boxer from Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. He is the former WBC, European, British, and Commonwealth light welterweight champion.-Early professional career:...
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| 12 October 2011
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Super featherweight
| align=center|Lee Haskins
Lee Haskins
Lee Haskins is a British professional boxer from Bristol in England who has fought in the Flyweight, Super Flyweight and Bantamweight divisions...
| align=center|Don Broadhurst
Don Broadhurst
Don Broadhurst is an English professional boxer who competes in the Flyweight division. He hails from Birmingham and currently boxes for Frank Warrens Sports Network...
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| 15 September 2011
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Light middleweight
| align=center|Robert Lloyd-Taylor
Robert Lloyd-Taylor
Robert Lloyd-Taylor is an English welterweight boxer.-External links:...
| align=center|Nick Quigley
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| 29 October 2011
| York Hall, Bethnal Green
| align=center|Featherweight
Featherweight
Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...
| align=center|Choi Tseveenpurev
Choi Tseveenpurev
Choijiljavyn "Choi" Tseveenpürev is a Mongolian featherweight boxer based in the United Kingdom. Tseveenpurev won the Prizefighter series Featherweights tournament on 29 October 2011, the same month that he passed 40...
| align=center|Rhys Roberts
Rhys Roberts
Rhys Roberts is a super-bantamweight boxer from Manchester, England.He made his professional debut in 2007, defeating Delroy Spencer on points after six completed rounds....
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