Lerrone Richards will defend his Commonwealth super-middleweight title for the first time
Unbeaten South Londoner Lerrone Richards (12-0, 3KOS) will defend his Commonwealth super-middleweight title for the first time against mandatory challenger Emmanuel Martey (15-0, 11KOs).
Purse bids have been called by the Commonwealth Council by July 10. Richards' promoter Frank Warren will most likely win the bids and stage the fight in the new season in September.
Ghanaian Emmanuel Martey has an impressive 73% KO ratio and 100% winning record. Four of his last five fights have been championship contests, the most recent two ending in fourth and fifth round KOs. The heavy-handed African won the Ghanaian super-middleweight title in April 2017 with a wide points win then defended it successfully almost a year later in March 2018. He then added a second title to his collection in the form of the WBO Africa super-middleweight title in August 2018 with a fifth round TKO, which he defended dramatically in April 2019 with a fourth round knockout.
The 27-year-old from Korle Gonno, Accra has earned the nickname 'Mayweather' for his defensive acumen and shoulder-roll technique, but still comes at his opponents aggressively as his heavy KO count on his record suggests.
Lerrone Richards, trained by Alan Smith and Eddie Lamm at iBox Gym in Bromley, had recently been issued by the BBBofC as the mandatory challenger to Zach Parker's (17-0) British super-middleweight title, but the Derbyshire champion then relinquished the Lonsdale belt, leaving the Stewards to reconsider the division.
The 26-year-old known as 'Sniper the Boss' won the Commonwealth strap after he overcame former British and Commonwealth middleweight champion Tommy Langford (21-4) on points at The SSE Arena on April 27.