Scott Quigg will defend his WBA Super Bantamweight title against Diego Silva on November 23 at the sold-out Phones 4u Arena Manchester, with an undercard packed full of Britain’s hottest talent.
Quigg’s gym-mate and resurgent Lightweight star Anthony Crolla challenges Martin Gethin for the British title on a busy night for trainer Joe Gallagher, who will also have unbeaten Super Middleweight sensation Callum Smith in action and unbeaten Lightweight talent Scotty Cardle.
There’s also a late spot on the bill for St. Helens’ Middleweight star Martin Murray, who is back in action after his controversial loss to Sergio Martinez in his second World title challenge in April. The 31 year old will now box in Manchester after his December fight in Australia fell through, with an opponent to be announced soon as Murray looks to secure a third World title shot in 2014.
Unbeaten Quigg held onto the title with a draw against highly rated Cuban Yoandris Salinas at The O2 in October, and the dazzling Bury fighter now faces the Argentinian as the chief support to Carl Froch’s blockbuster WBA and IBF Super Middleweight title defense against bitter British foe George Groves.
Silva is the current Latino Super Bantamweight champion and unbeaten in his last six fights, with his last defeat coming at the hands of three-weight World champion Fernando Montiel for the interim WBO belt. With 15 stoppage wins from 29 victories and 35 fights, the 30 year old promises to provide Quigg with another tough title challenge in Manchester.
Crolla is riding high after beating Gavin Rees in Bolton in June for the WBO Inter-Continental title and is aiming to be the British champ for the second time. Gethin travels to Crolla’s backyard for the first defence of the vacant title he claimed in January in his hometown of Walsall, where four months later he took on Ammeth Diaz in an IBF World title eliminator, with his brave challenge ending in the seventh.
Rocky Fielding defends his Commonwealth Super Middleweight title against Guyana’s Lennox Allen, with the unbeaten Liverpool favourite winning the belt on home turf in September and facing a tough task against the unbeaten New York-based Allen, who boasts an 17-0-1 record with 10 wins inside the distance.
Olympic Gold medal heroes Anthony Joshua MBE and Luke Campbell MBE are both in action in their fourth pro contests, as Heavyweight star Joshua takes his first significant step in the paid ranks against Hector Avila, who took Dereck Chisora nine rounds in April, while unbeaten Super Flyweight Kal Yafai continues his comeback from injury.
