Owen Cooper vs Constantin Ursu – Two major titles on the line in winner takes all welterweight showdown
The vacant British welterweight championship will be on the line alongside the Commonwealth strap when Owen Cooper goes up against Constantin Ursu in ‘Under the Lights’ at Valliant Live, Derby on Saturday February 28, live on DAZN.
The ‘Under the Lights’ card will also feature 10-round action at super lightweight, with Olympian Luke McCormack taking on Kane Gardner, plus at middleweight, with Ben Fail facing Mason Cartwright.
The prize attached to the headline fight also includes the Commonwealth title won by Ursu (14-0, 6 KOs) when he scored a knockout victory over Eithan James in March of last year. The 25-year-old Moldovan, who resides in Plymouth, has since made a successful defence and won the WBO European title with victory over Ryan Amos in November.
Worcester’s Cooper (11-1, 4 KOs) impressively returned to the win column with victory over Chris Kongo last May in Nottingham, having lost out in a thrilling WBO European title against Ekow Essuman in 2024. He won the WBO belt, along with the English title, with his success over Eithan James earlier in the year.
Luke McCormack vs Kane Gardner
McCormack (4-0, 3 KOs), from Sunderland, is taking a significant step up in class by going in with Gardner in just his fifth professional fight, with having previously only taken part in one eight round fight.
Gardner (18-5, 7 KOs) is a known tough customer who in 2023 went the distance with Pierce O’Leary in a WBC International title fight and only lost out by a round in a late 2024 Central Area title encounter with Reece MacMillan, a decision that cost him a multi-title fight against Jack Rafferty.
Ben Fail vs Mason Cartwright
Northampton man Fail (10-0, 5 KOs) will also have his credentials severely tested against Cartwright (23-4, 9 KOs), a two-time British title challenger from Ellesmere Port. Cartwright’s challenges for the Lonsdale belt came against Troy Williamson and Samuel Antwi and the only losses on his record have come in title contention.
Cartwright, known as ‘Nutty’, is currently enjoying a four-fight winning streak.
‘Under the Lights’
“This is a cracking little show and a showcase for our up-and-coming talents,” said promoter Frank Warren. “This is where prospects get to prove themselves as potential contenders and show us all that they belong on the major events moving forward.
“The British title fight between Owen Cooper and Constantin Ursu should be a real banger and it is one I am looking forward to greatly because these fights nearly always deliver the goods and Owen’s fights always do anyway.
“We expect big things from Luke McCormack and Ben Fail and they will both be tested in a big way on February 28.”
A full Championship Undercard full of up-and-coming Queensberry stars will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets for ‘Under the Lights’ – Cooper vs Ursu – at Valliant Live, Derby on Saturday, 28 February can be purchased from ticketmaster.co.uk. The Venue and Queensberry Presales begin at 12pm on Monday, 19 January. The General sale starts at 12pm on Tuesday, 20 January. Don’t miss it!
