HALLOWED HALL

York Hall stages two events with worthwhile encounters on each

ON Friday night at the famous Bethnal Green venue, Ramez Mahmood (13-2) and Jordan Purkiss (5-0) contest the vacant English bantamweight championship. The fight was pushed back two weeks after the Alex Dilmaghani-liam Dillon British-title bill topper fell through.

The following night, there are two Southern Area belts up for grabs. Plymouth’s Connor Adaway (5-0) can outpoint Oxford’s Lewis Frimpong (6-0) for the 130lbs strap and up at 175lbs, Paul Brown (7-0) should have too much for Bromley’s hittable Jack Owen (5-0-2) and take the belt back to Ramsgate.

The undercard features the return of colourful 12-1-1 Derby puncher Arfan Iqbal, now up at heavyweight.

He started out as a lightheavyweight in 2011, but he had the punch to win English honours at 200lbs and spar Tyson Fury.

The punch that brought him the St George’s belt was a righthand counter that crashed on to Wadi Camacho’s jaw, but when they met again for the vacant Commonwealth title in November 2018, Iqbal was ruled out in the seventh after injuring his back.

Family commitments have kept Iqbal out since then but, now 31, he can ease back by outpointing Jake Darnell (1-13).

BEST OF THE REST

ON Saturday night in Leicester, Kyle Haywood, a 31-year-old southpaw who grew up in the city before moving to the village of Earl Shilton, defends his Midlands Area superwelterweight title against Ryan Amos (9-0-1) in a rematch.

They drew over 10 rounds in September, but expect Haywood (10-1-1) to use the ring more this time and win on points.

Meanwhile, at the Bradford Hotel on the same night, evergreen 41-year-old Jimmy First, 14-0 (4), defends his Central Area lightweight title against Amthorpe’s Josh Padley, 9-0 (1), over 10 rounds. Padley, only 27, might have been the favourite before First upset Cori Gibbs in December, so what we have here is exactly what we like – a 50/50 scrap that looks certain to be heartily contested.