PATIENCE PAYS OFF
Skeete and Singleton will meet after numerous hurdles, writes George Gigney
‘SINGLETON IS A GOOD FIGHTER BUT I BELIEVE I’M A LEVEL ABOVE’
BRADLEY SKEETE has been preparing to defend his British welterweight title against mandatory challenger Shayne
Singleton for a while now. The fight was first ordered by the British Boxing Board of Control last year and it didn’t take a long for a date to be set.
It was originally going to land in Cardiff last October and since then has been rescheduled four times for various reasons, including an injury to Singleton last year.
Now – bar any freak last-minute issues – the pair will meet this weekend ( June 2) at the Brentwood Centre in Essex. WAM Boxing promote and Boxnation air in the UK.
In March 2016, Skeete earned the best win of his career when he handily outpointed British and Commonwealth champion Sam Eggington, travelling to his foe’s hometown of Birmingham to do so.
Having been pipped by Frankie Gavin for the same titles in 2014, Skeete proved himself one of the top dogs domestically (bar Kell Brook and Amir Khan) at 147lbs. This reputation was furthered when Eggington went on to stop Gavin.
A stoppage win over Alexandre Lepelley followed, though Skeete’s British title wasn’t on the line. The purpose of the fight was to retain Bradley’s top 10 ranking with the WBO. He is also in the IBF’S top 10. After that was when Skeete was ordered to make his mandatory defence against Singleton, and when that was
postponed Bradley was matched with John Thain. Despite the disappointment of the Singleton fight falling through, Skeete remained professional and earned a convincing win over Thain on points.
Colne’s Singleton has also faced Eggington, back in 2015, but was dropped and stopped in the fifth round. Prior to that he had earned a solid points win over Curtis Woodhouse in 2013 for the English title.
Last May Singleton was matched with Adil Anwar, who he stopped in eight rounds to prove his credentials as a top domestic challenger.
“I’m a bit sick of hearing his name, it’s all I’ve heard since October!” Skeete noted to Boxing News about the postponements. “It’s been frustrating at times, it’s been a long old camp but we’re here now and I’m glad we’re all set. Singleton’s a good fighter but I believe I’m a level above so I’m looking to put in a good performance here.”
The Penge man has always had a passionate fan base in London, who travel well, but now topping his second consecutive bill in Essex, Skeete is appreciative of the support he receives.
“It’s a really nice feeling, we’re getting somewhere,” he said. “I can’t thank those fans enough, it’s not that easy getting to Essex on a Friday night but I know I’ll have a lot of support there and I’m really grateful.”
Should Skeete beat Singleton, he will be one successful defence away from winning the British title outright – something he has always wanted to do.
“Winning the British title was a massive achievement and something I’d set out to do. When I won it, I said that I had to win it outright, that’s been my goal. It’s set me back a bit I guess but that’s boxing. I’m not overlooking Singleton at all, but hopefully I get through this fight with no injuries and I can box on the July 8 show at the Copper Box [topped by WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders].”
Singleton, though not a huge puncher, picks his shots well and gets decent pop behind his lead left hook. He usually likes to stand off opponents, probing with a solid jab before throwing heavier shots as they move in. However, he will be in for a long night if he adopts such tactics against Skeete, a remarkably tall and rangy welterweight. As he showed against Eggington, “Super” Skeete is an excellent tactician who uses sharp, accurate straight shots to shut opponents down and dictate the pace and range of a fight. Alarmingly, Singleton was dropped by journeyman Evaldas Korsakas in October and came away with a draw over four rounds.
Skeete has a decent chin and the conditioning to go the championship distance. He should retain his belt on the scorecards and look toward progressing – most likely to a defence against Dale Evans, who the Board have said the winner must face.
Chief support on this bill is an intriguing rematch between Lee Markham, 17-3-1 (7), and Joe Mullender, 9-2 (4), for the former’s English middleweight title. Markham outpointed Mullender for the vacant title in May of last year on a David Haye undercard at the O2 Arena in London. It was a gruelling, topsy-turvy affair during which both men had their moments. Markham produced the cleaner, more eye-catching work but the scorecards were too wide. Since then, Markham has fought just once when he beat Andrew Robinson on a 10-round decision while Mullender has remained inactive. Their styles should gel for another exciting fight, and Markham is likely to once again win on points. Other fighters on the bill include Lewis Pettitt, Sanjeev Sahota and Boy Jones Jnr.
THE VERDICT Skeete can see off his mandatory challenger and push on to higher levels.