Two British 140 lb scraps can steal the show at The O2 tomorrow night. John Wayne Hibbert defends faces Tyler Goodjohn while the vacant English strap is on the line between Tommy Martin and Ricky Boylan. The 140lbs division in Britain will have a different complexion once those are compete and with plenty of needle in both clashes, excitement is guaranteed in Greenwich.
In the main event, Kevin Mitchell takes on Daniel Estrada, in a final eliminator bout for a world title shot in the lightweight division.
“Tyler has been saying a lot,” said Hibbert. “The one thing I know is that there’s no way that I am going to lose. True boxing fans know that I am a level above Tyler, he’s come out with a lot of nonsense, there’s no history between us and I like that he’s been chucking banter about, it’s making me train hard and beat him up even more on the night. I’m thick skinned and it goes over my head. He’s improved a lot, don’t get me wrong, I am not underestimating him.
“I know that he is a tough, durable boy and he’ll bring the best of his game as he wants to beat me and get to the top, like all the Light Welterweights in Britain do. But he has never boxed anyone like me and he’s in for the worst night of his life with me. He got schooled in every round by Tyrone Nurse and Tyrone is not the heaviest handed Light Welterweight out there, so I am going to make sure I school him and hurt him into the bargain.”
“There’s a lot of history between John and me,” said Goodjohn. “We were mates for a long time but he has had a lot to say over the last six or seven months, too much really. I went on holiday two days after the Boylan win and I text Pete Sims and said ‘Let’s make this fight happen’. It’s time to put up or shut up for him. He tries to wind me up and stupidly I bit a little bit, but if that’s all he’s got, then it’s a bit sad, he couldn’t look me in the eyes when we went face to face at the first press conference either. He knows I am a step up for him, he might have stopped his last four but a couple of them were Latvians and the Argentinian wasn’t up to much, I am a totally different fight for him, he’s 30 years old and I don’t think he’s going to have the legs for it. We got on before but he’s given me no respect and keeps shouting his mouth, he tried to get in the way of my fight with Ricky and I just want to get him out of the way and he can go back to bricklaying.”
“People have been saying that I am too young to fight for the English title – they are forgetting that I was in an eliminator and stopped Matty Tew,” said Martin. “I only had a two week camp for that fight but I have been in training since early December for this one. Why would I not take this opportunity? To be English champion at 20 years old would be great. It’s a fight Johnny Eames had no hesitation in taking and every day I was going into the gym and asking Johnny to get me this fight or that fight and he was saying no, but the second that Eddie Hearn text him about the fight, he took it in a heartbeat and that says everything about how confident we are for this fight.
“Last year I wasn’t as busy as I would have liked to have been but that was just down to some niggling injuries that I was a bit unlucky with,” said Boylan. “Hopefully a good win tonight will see me kick on and have a really good and injury-free year. My profile is getting bigger thanks to fighting on Sky Sports so there’s a big opportunity for me and one I want to take. Eddie Hearn has been great with me, he’s got me out lots and got me title shots, I can’t ask for more.”
The Light Welterweight tussles are part of a huge night of action at The O2.
There are huge fights for a pair of London favourites as Kevin Mitchell faces Daniel Estrada for the vacant WBC Silver Lightweight title and an eliminator for the World title and John Ryder defends his WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight title against experienced Billi Godoy.
Team GB star Charlie Edwards makes his hotly anticipated pro debut on the bill, as does Cruiserweight Isaac Chamberlain, as Ohara Davies, Ben Hall and Lee Markham make their first appearances in 2015.
5.30pm 6 x 3 mins Super Middleweight Contest
LEE MARKHAM 12st 1lb 3oz v LEWIS VAN POETSCH 12st 2lbs
(Hackney) (Lydney)
6pm 6 x 3 mins Light Middleweight Contest
BEN HALL 11st 3lbs v RYAN TOMS 11st 2lbs 3oz
(Chadwell Heath) (Northholt)
6.30pm 4 x 3 mins Cruiserweight Contest
ISAAC CHAMBERLAIN 14st 3lbs 5oz v MOSES MATOVU 14st 2lbs 8oz
(Brixton) (Belfast)
7pm 6 x 3 mins Lightweight Contest
OHARA DAVIES 9st 9lbs 8oz v LEE GIBBONS 9st 9lbs 8oz
(Hackney) (Barnsley)
7.30pm 4 x 3 mins Super Flyweight Contest
CHARLIE EDWARDS 8st 1lbs 8oz v CRAIG DERBYSHIRE 8st 2lbs 9oz
(Epsom) (Doncaster)
10 x 3 mins Vacant English Light Welterweight Championship
TOMMY MARTIN 9st 11lbs 6oz (137.5 lbs) v RICKY BOYLAN 9st 13lb 9oz (139.75 lbs)
(St Neots) (Carshalton)
Followed by
12 x 3 mins WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight Championship
JOHN RYDER 11st 5lbs 1oz (159 lbs) v BILLI GODOY 11st 5lbs 3oz (159.25 lbs)
(Islington) (Argentina)
Followed by
10 x 3 mins WBC International Light Welterweight Championship
JOHN WAYNE HIBBERT 9st 13lbs 2oz (139.2 lbs) v TYLER GOODJOHN 9st 13lbs 9oz (139.75 lbs)
(Horndon-on-the-Hill) (Ely)
Followed by
12 x 3 mins Vacant WBC Silver Lightweight Championship
KEVIN MITCHELL 9st 8lbs 1oz (134 lbs) v DANIEL ESTRADA 9st 8lbs 3oz (134.25 lbs)
(West Ham) (Mexico)
