Tey Lynn-Jones withdraws – new opponent revealed for Linus Udofia
Champion Tey Lynn-Jones forced out of fight through injury
Relinquishes Southern Area title
Challenger gets new opponent and title opportunity
It has been a frustrating period for Luton's Linus Udofia (12-0) and all at Goodwin Boxing. Since September 2018 the 25-year-old has seen two fights fall through for the Southern Area middleweight title, both due to injuries to now relinquished champion Tey Lynn-Jones (11-0), who is likely gearing up to participating in April's Ultimate Boxxer III tournament instead.
The pair were originally due to meet on December 1, but Jones withdrew and the Nigerian-born Udofia fought Michal Gazdik (3-0) instead, ruining his unbeaten record with a shut-out points win over eight-rounds.The fight with Jones was due to be for both the Southern Area middleweight title and act as a Final Eliminator for the more illustrious English championship. This fight and potential victory would have made Linus mandatory challenger for the prestigious national belt and a step closer to the coveted British title shot he craves.
Head of Goodwin Boxing, Steve Goodwin commented, "As a Management team, our role is to help Linus achieve the maximum in his career and, although he is still young enough to have many years ahead of him, the months of delay that have been caused by the cancellations mean that his career has been stalled in a way that was never planned or could have been envisaged.
"Management of a boxer is a balance of long-term aspirations versus short term achievements. It became clear once Jones was unavailable that decisions would have to be made that would be for the boxer’s benefit and to ensure there is no stagnation. As already stated, the ceiling of Udofia’s talent is very, very high and, as such, we have made the decision to move past the Southern Area belt due to the requirement to go ‘back to square one’ in terms of opponents and negotiations. Many names have been thrown at us, but each would require a further delay in the career of Udofia, something we are not willing to contemplate.
"A good Manager will always have a backup plan. We have been pleased to work with the team of Darren Codona, who himself lost a tight 96-94 decision to Jones in July 2018, to ensure that Udofia still fights in March and are delighted that this will still be an eliminator for the English title. We recognise that Codona has performed at a good level in the past and provides the stiffest test of Udofia’s career to date."
Codona took a young, future two-weight British champ, Liam Williams, the distance over eight-rounds in 2013, before a four-year hiatus from the ring ensued.
"At Goodwin Boxing we believe that Udofia is heading towards bigger and better titles throughout his career. It is important that every boxer we manage has the opportunity to fulfil their potential and, in March, Udofia will be able to take those next steps without the delays that have plagued his career since being paired with Jones and we will continue to deliver on the promise of providing top class opportunities to our stable of boxers."
Unbeaten Udofia will now tackle Guildford's Darren Codona (7-3-1) on March 2 at the York Hall in a Final Eliminator for the English middleweight title.
Topping the bill is English light-heavyweight champion Miles Shinkwin in a maiden title defence to challenger Kirk Garvey on a Smith Sports promoted event, which also features a dozen unbeaten prospects and three exciting new debutants.