Issue 46 of Joe's Jab covers crocked combatants and New Kids on the Block
Promoter Joe Elfidh discloses behind the scenes stories and breaking news surrounding his promotional outfit.
A former boxer, known as ‘The Moroccan Machine’, Joe was a two-weight Central Area title contender who shared the ring with English, British, Commonwealth and World champions, but is now an established promoter with regular shows in the South East and East Midlands with an ever-expanding roster of talented fighters.
The head honcho of JE Promotions kindly takes time out every week to write a column exclusive to BBN:
This Weekend
Light-heavyweight Paul ‘Bomber’ Brown (3-0) is fighting this weekend at the York Hall on the Mickey Helliet show that Ashley Theophane is headlining in his first fight back in the UK since he lost his British super-lightweight title to Darren Hamilton in 2012.
He’s fought three times at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas since then, as well as fighting Adrien Broner for the WBA world title, plus he was signed to Mayweather Promotions for a long time, so I hope he gets a nice welcome home on Saturday. Best of luck to Ash!
My stable of fighters want to be busy and if they ask to fight on someone else’s show, I will never stop them. Paul should be 4-0 by now, but for cancelled shows, so he will move up to that number this weekend and then look ahead to fighting on the JE Promotions September 14 show in Maidstone to kick off the new season.
He’s 29, won titles in the amateurs and unlicensed, and now he’s unbeaten in the pro ranks and looking to keep going forward.
I hope he can finish the year on 6-0 and we’ll start looking to move him up next year to longer rounds leading towards title fights.
The Infirmary
Unfortunately, Martin Hillman (12-6) broke his wrist so had to pull out of his next fight on July 20.
I’m gutted for Martin because he’s had so much bad luck lately, with landing the Southern Area title fight with Chris Matthews and dropping everything to fight at just eight days notice then Matthews failed the weight and the fight and entire show was cancelled. He lost money, just as I did and many other fighters scheduled to fight.
He did something at work, he’s a mechanic and he fell awkwardly and broke his hand somehow, which obviously puts him out on the sidelines for a while now.
He’s a genuine kid and if he could fight, then he would fight – anyone, anytime, anywhere. He’s been up against Frank Warren prospects, challenged for titles in the away corner, and proved himself time and again.
I would like to wish Martin a speedy recovery.
New Kids on the Block
Lightweight Zeki Hussein (0-1), 33 from Gillingham, will make his long-awaited ring return on the next Maidstone show on September 14 at Mote Park.
He’s never boxed in the home corner before, his debut was in 2014 at the York Hall on a Sunday night Left Jab Promotions show.
He deserves to get a real shot at his pro career and I’m going to do all I can to make that happen, starting with September 14.
Mick Mills (1-12) will be in the home corner for the first time as well. He's also from Gillingham, like Zeki, and is always in the away corner, for all 13 of his fights. He's never had an easy fight but he's learnt on the job and it's time he got in the home corner and gave his fans a treat. His four knockout defeats came in his first six losses, but he's since adapted to the journeyman role and gone the distance with Southern Area champions and British title contenders.
Newest JE Promotions' signing Brooklyn Tilley will be having his first fight in the paid ranks as a professional fighter. He's only young but he's had a lot of experience in the amateurs, unlicensed and in MMA. He's so dedicated to combat sports and learning his craft that there's no way he won't succeed in his pro career. I'm really excited for his pro debut and for rhis journey to begin.
The Real Deal, the Animal and the Go-Getter
I tried to make the fight with my super-middleweight Danny 'The Real Deal' Shannon (4-7-1) and Oli Edwards (6-0) but they didn’t want it.
I phoned Oli's manager to make this tasty local derby, which the local area would have really got behind and supported in big numbers, but they didn’t want it, sadly. Oli Edwards used to be signed to JE Promotions and trained at Invicta Gym in Sheerness but he's now training with David Haye’s old conditioning trainer somewhere in London. I would have made it an eight-rounder for a Challenge belt and it could have been headlining fight, but Edwards and his team just don't want to know, which is a real shame.
So Danny is looking for an opponent and still wants the Challenge belt. Fair play to Danny because others would be looking at someone like Lewis van Poetsch as an opponent to stack the odds in their favour, but he just loves a tough fight and a big challenge. He thrives on it.
Charlie Shane (7-0) has already bagged himself a Challenge belt in his fifth fight and I will be working on getting him a Southern Area title shot at super-middleweight or middleweight next. Brad Pauls just won the middleweight title, becoming the first Cornishman in 100 years to win a professional title so fair play to him for that acheivement.
I want Grant Dennis (14-2) in for the British title at middleweight as soon as possible. He's already been a Southern Area champion, he challenged for the English title and should have won but the home corner got a dubious decision instead, and he most recently reached the finals of Ultimate Boxxer, live on BT Sport, beating two unbeaten prospects on the way.
The British middleweight titleholder Liam Williams is going for the WBC Silver title in his next fight so his focus has turned towards world titles again, so let him vacate the Lonsdale and let Grant fight for it.
I have tried to make the Commonwealth title fight against the champion Felix Cash with Matchroom but he's already matched up with English champion Jack Cullen for his next fight in July. Grant's 35 now and still fresh but he only wants worthwhile fights, so it's the Commonwealth and the British we're looking for at the moment.
Follow JE Promotions on Twitter: @JE_Promotions
For tickets to the next show, visit JE Promotions’ FB Page or call 07883 943 994
Subscribe to JE Promotions’ YouTube channel to see all fights in full: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSxqeCbY2l6qDTEFmcMCuVQ
JE Promotions would like to thank Kent Trade Frames – Campbell Nutrition – Swerve City – Basement159 – RoofDec – 1ClickPrint – Shiatsu Shane – Tierney Photography – Laking Painting & Decorating – Protect and Patrol – Invicta Gym and PR Manager Tim Rickson