Tyler Denny out to prove he is up for the challenge
Tyler Denny will contest the British Challenge middleweight title with Mike Byles next week with the winner likely to go on and land a Midlands title shot.
Denny’s first battle for a belt headlines the pro boxing show called ‘Ruthless Rising’ at the Venue in Dudley on Friday, June 9, writes Craig Birch.
The unbeaten 25-year-old from Rowley Regis, who is nicknamed ‘Ruthless’, steps to eight rounds for the first time after coming through six at the same venue last time out.
He whitewashed tricky campaigner William Warburton on points to make it seven paid bouts without defeat and now faces another step up.
Byles, aged 29 and boxing out of Coventry, has twice been due to challenge for the area crown against then-champion Craig Cunningham but the fights didn’t happen, due to respective injuries.
He’ll see the scalp of Denny as a route back to contention and a strap to claim before resuming his hunt for the now-vacant Midlands honours.
The undercard will provide four-round action for Les Byfield, Kane Baker, Shaun Cooper and CJ Challenger.
Hometown hero Byfield steps through the ropes after a seven-month absence to resume his campaign in the super featherweight division, although he may yet drop down to feather. The 30-year-old, who has been dubbed ‘the Minefield,’ has six wins from seven and hasn’t dropped a round since losing on his debut, a points setback to Reece Smith in March 2015.
Brummie Baker, from Bartley Green, goes for a fourth victory over reply after an entertaining four-round success over Yaddollah Ghasemi at the Venue in April.
Baker, 26, showed a good chin and forceful punches but couldn’t get his first TKO as a pro, a situation he’ll again look to address, like Byfield, next time out.
Cooper debuted as a lightweight on the same bill and impressed with a points decision over Qasim Hussain, who was among those who were complimentary about his performance.
‘The Scorpion,’ just 20 and a graduate of Walsall Wood Boxing Club, has Jon Pegg, who coaches Cunningham and the new European welterweight champion Sam Eggington, in his corner.
Challenger, first names Courtney Jerome, travels across the Midlands from Leicester having made progress under Frank Warren’s banner. He’s managed by Jason McClory.
The 22-year-old, a distant relative of Showaddywaddy drummer Romeo Challenger, took out Danny Little in just 110 seconds on the BoxNation show at the Leicester Arena last month.
A first pro stoppage in the first round came after two points wins and one of those was in the Black Country, defeating Michal Voyska at the Venue last November.
Tickets, priced at £35 and £50 ringside, are available by calling 07976 283 157.
