CINDERELLA BALBOA

The late call-up, the £4,000 prize & the unforgettable night

IN ANOTHER example of boxing reaching the parts that other sports can’t reach, 33-year-old Kirk Stevens

[below], with an unremarkable record of 1-3, was a late-call up for a knockout tournament in Solihull on Saturday night and emerged £4,000 richer after beating three unbeaten boxers to take the crown (see page 26).

“If the Cinderella Man and Rocky Balboa could have a kid, it would be Kirk Stevens,” enthused Jon Pegg, the organiser of the event alongside Tommy Owens. “Even I was writing off Kirk. He did it by sheer will, not skill. He only knew about it on Thursday morning but he didn’t think twice about entering despite being the only boxer of the eight to not have an unbeaten record.

“I wanted unbeaten boxers because I wanted to make sure they were all hungry. Sometimes in these competitions, when you have someone who has a lot of experience, they know how to nick a win, but I wanted this to be fair.”

Matchmaker and trainer Pegg, one of the best at what he does in the country, is keen to see more evenly matched bouts throughout the sport.

Stevens has only been a professional for a year, turning over to earn some extra money for his family. Consequently he was forced to be the away fighter and not get bogged down with the arduous job of trying to sell tickets.

“He’ll be rewarded with a spot in the home corner on a show,” Pegg explained. “Better than that, he will always remember the night he really went for it and always be able to tell his friends and family how he once beat three unbeaten boxers in one night.”