Shakan Pitters challenges European light-heavyweight champion
Plus – Shakiel Thompson defends IBF and WBO titles; Tysie Gallagher faces Ebanie Jones in title triple-header for British, Commonwealth, and WBO European Super-Bantamweight Championships
The world title dreams of Birmingham skyscraper Shakan Pitters take a giant step closer to fruition in February as he faces reigning European light-heavyweight champion Daniel Dos Santos (22-1, 10 KO’s) in the main event of GBM: A New Dawn at the Canon Medical Arena, Sheffield, airing live and exclusively worldwide on DAZN.
The towering technician – who at 6’6 is one of the tallest fighters in the division – has maneuvered himself into the mandatory challenger position for the Frenchman’s title and will make a strong case for himself as a world-level contender if he can capture the EBU title in style on Friday, February 7th.
But former military man Dos Santos has walked a hard road to get where he is. Born and raised in one of France’s most notorious ghettos, he spent nearly four years in a prison cell before boxing and the army provided him with pathways out of the street life.
His status as reigning European champion means everything to him and – given his sole career loss being to interim WBO world champion Joshua Buatsi – he harbours world title ambitions of his own. Dos Santos aims to make a statement against Pitters (19-2, 6 KO’s) when they go to war in Sheffield next year.
“2025 will be the year I cement myself at the top of the light-heavyweight division, starting in February with this European title challenge against Daniel Dos Santos. He’s tough, experienced, and has a military background, so you know he’s ready for war. Beating him on February 7th and taking his title will be a big statement and a major step toward world title contention.” said Pitters.
Joining Pitters on the February card is surging super-bantamweight Tysie Gallagher, who squares off against Ebanie Jones in a triple-title clash with her British, Commonwealth, and WBO European Super-Bantamweight Championships on the line.
Defending champion Gallagher has a history with Jones from their amateur days and the bragging rights from this professional showdown will be almost as important to the winner as the belts they will walk away with.
Rising middleweight Shakiel ‘Dr Steel’ Thompson (13-0, 9 KO’s) also returns to the ring on February 7th, where he will make his second defence of his IBF European Championship and WBO Global Middleweight Championship titles.
GBM promoter Izzy Asif said, “Every year gets bigger and bigger for us. 2024 has been huge and we’re carrying that momentum straight into 2025 with two big fights already confirmed for our first event of the new year. Shakan Pitters is a fighter we believe has the potential to go all the way. He’s got a very tough test here against European light-heavyweight champion Daniel Dos Santos and if he passes it then it will make a strong statement about his level and his ability to achieve his world title dreams.
“The triple-title battle between Tysie Gallagher and Ebonie Jones is going to be exceptional as well. They really respect each other outside the ring but they’ve got a history from their amateur days, they’ve had some previous tear-ups, and this one is going to be a really explosive encounter now they’re meeting in the professional ranks for the first time with so much on the line.
“Our February 7th event is airing live on DAZN once again and we couldn’t be happier with DAZN as our exclusive worldwide broadcast partner. They’re investing so much in boxing, they’ve been great for the sport and with GBM being the UK’s fastest-growing professional boxing promotion, we think we’re in the best place we could be with the best partner we could have.”
Adam Smith, GBM Head of Broadcast, said, “GBM starts the new year with a bang! Shakan Pitters is ready to show the world his potential in this crucial headline clash against a real warrior in Daniel Dos Santos who is really going to bring the firepower on fight night. Before that, we’ve got this mouthwatering clash between two real rivals in Tysie Gallagher and Ebonie Jones when they set out to claim top-girl status. And of course the return of ‘Dr Steel’ Shakiel Thompson. It’s a brilliant start to the year and I am very much looking forward to calling the action live on DAZN from the Canon Medical Arena on February 7th in Sheffield.”
The Friday, February 7th event is the first event of an expected ten-event 2025 calendar for GBM, the fastest-growing professional boxing promotion in the UK. Further bouts for the card will be announced in the near future, along with additional event dates for the first half of 2025.
Tickets for the event will be on sale soon, with prices and details to be announced in the near future.