BOXXER Super-Lightweight Tournament will have £100,000 prize money up for grabs
Photo credit to Lawrence Lustig / BOXXER
The opening matches of this Saturday night’s BOXXER Series Liverpool: Super-Lightweight Tournament are now set, following a blind draw held today at the iconic Royal Liver Building in the heart of Liverpool’s historic waterfront.
A massive £100,000 prize money – the largest ever payout in UK boxing tournament history – is on the line for the winner with eight fired up and fiercely determined boxers representing Merseyside, Lancashire, Yorkshire and The Midlands set to battle it out.
All eight tournament participants were present for the draw, which aired live across the UK on Sky Sports News. Names were drawn by Olympian and former Team GB member Natasha Jonas, who had been announced as the latest signing to BOXXER’s world-class stable shortly before the draw began.
The Draw
Sean Dodd (Birkenhead) (17-5-1, 3 KO’s) vs. Cori Gibbs (Birkenhead) (13-0, 3 KO’s)
Kane Gardner(Manchester) (11-1, 6 KO’s) vs. Nathan Bennett(Liverpool) (9-2, 2 KO’s)
Tom Farrell(18-4, 5 KO’s) (Liverpool) vs. Ben Fields(Digbeth) (10-10, 2 KO’s)
Lee Appleyard (Rotherham) (17-6-1, 5 KO’s) vs. Levi Kinsiona(Sheffield) (8-1, 1 KO)
What they had to say:
Sean Dodd (Birkenhead) (17-5-1, 3 KO’s) vs. Cori Gibbs (Birkenhead) (13-0, 3 KO’s)
Gibbs: “I respect Masher a lot, he's a very good boxer and obviously I've followed his career. I've watched him plenty of times and I believe I beat him in every department. That's boxing. I've got the power. I've got the youth, everything. So I'm really confident I'll beat him.
Dodd: “He's young, he's up-and-coming, but this is going to be a toe-to-toe straightener out there under the lights, eight-ounce gloves, everyone watching on TV. Lot of pressure there. He's unbeaten as well. When you suffer your first loss it's hard, so this is going to be a new experience for him to deal with.”
Kane Gardner (Manchester) (11-1, 6 KO’s) vs. Nathan Bennett (Liverpool) (9-2, 2 KO’s)
Gardner: “We were meant to fight three times before and each time it fell through. No more running now mate, I'm here now! I can't wait to finally get this fight done. He's a decent boxer but I have a better pedigree and I can box as well as fight. He can't fight, he can only box, so I just feel like I'm a better all-round fighter.”
Bennet: “I can't wait, I'm happy I got him in the drawer because he's got a big mouth and I am looking forward to shutting his mouth for him. I don't like him, he's an idiot, and on Saturday night he's getting his mouth shut. He's talking about how he's going to break my jaw – I hope he brings that same energy to the ring.”
Tom Farrell (18-4, 5 KO’s) (Liverpool) vs. Ben Fields (Digbeth) (10-10, 2 KO’s)
Farrell: “It's straight into the fire pits isn't it? He's a tough lad, he's really good and he brings it but I'm prepared and ready for it. Got to face him at some point so let's get him out the way early when I'm still sharp and fresh. It's three three-minute rounds, you've got to start fast and finish faster. You can't afford to let a round slip, so I'll be bringing it from the first bell.”
Fields: “This format plays into my hands. This is what we do, all 22 of my fights, so we've just been working on what we normally work on. I come into this tournament thinking I'll fight anyone, so whichever fighter got drawn [as my first opponent] I was going to be happy. It's going to be exciting, I can't wait. I hope everyone tunes in to Sky Sports on Saturday night. If you're a boxing fan, do not miss out.”
Lee Appleyard (Rotherham) (17-6-1, 5 KO’s) vs. Levi Kinsiona (Sheffield) (8-1, 1 KO)
Appleyard: “He keeps coming out with all this bullcrap about how he's sparred hundreds of rounds with me and he's filled me in all these rounds. Me and Levi have sparred once, for six rounds. But now he's talked all that rubbish so he has to back it up. Let's see if he can. He will try dancing about and I'll be right there in his face, smashing him.”
Kinsiona: “If you look at my Instagram you'll see photos I've put up from all the different times we've sparred at different gyms. I must have punched him up that badly, he can't even remember! There's a little animosity there but that's just because it's a Yorkshire derby – he's from Rotheram, I'm from Sheffield and we're both proud of where we come from. But we both know who has the top spot here.”
Weigh-In Results
Sean Dodd (Birkenhead) 10st 1lb
Cori Gibbs (Birmingham) 10st
Kane Gardner (Manchester) 10st 1lb 13oz
Nathan Bennett (Liverpool) 10st 2lb
Tom Farrell (Liverpool) 10st 2lb
Ben Fields (Digbeth) 10st 1lb 7oz
Lee Appleyard (Rotherham) 10st 1lb 12oz
vs. Levi Kinsiona (Sheffield) 10st 2lb
The BOXXER Series Liverpool: Super-Lightweight Tournament takes place this Saturday, November 6 at Space M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool and airs live and exclusively on Sky Sports from 8pm.
Fast, action-packed and unpredictable, BOXXER Series tournaments utilize the short-form boxing forma of 3 x 3-minute rounds.
Expect explosive encounters as boxers look for decisive wins to guarantee their passage to the next stage, with the action and drama inside the ring complemented by a unique BOXXER Series live event experience.
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