By Terence Dooley

As previously confirmed by Matchroom, the promotional company reached an agreement to stage the meeting between the British cruiserweight holder Matty Askin and Lawrence Okolie.  The fight will take place on 22 September at Wembley Stadium on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight title defence against Alexander Povetkin.

In other BBBoC news, the Board have reiterated the winner of the rematch between middleweight holder Jason Welborn and former Champion Tommy Langford will be ordered to defend against leading contender Mark Heffron ‘when called upon to do so’.  To that end, they have submitted the fight to purse bids and they are due to close on September 12, with the contest to take place by the end of this year.

British welterweight Champion Bradley Skeete endured a torrid time when challenging Kerman Lejarraga for the EBU title in Spain, a two-round KO loss, and will look to bounce back when  he meets Gary Corcoran on a Frank Warren show on October 20 at ‘a venue as yet to be advised’.

Lightweight holder Lewis Ritson meets the ever-reliable TBA on an Eddie Hearn-promoted bill in Newcastle on October 13.  In the meantime, the Board have approved an eliminator contest between Andy Townsend and Atif Shariq, which will take place at the Barnsley Metrodome on October 5, Stefy Bull will promote the contest.

Super featherweight holder Sam Bowen must defend his belt against Ronnie Clark by the turn of the year, with purse bids due in by noon of Wednesday September 12.  Anthony Cacace and Zelfa Barrett have also been matched against each other in a final eliminator for the belt, with the same critera as previously for the submission of purse bids.  Leon Woodstock’s eliminator against Jordan McCorry is now a moot point after Woodstock withdrew from a proposed eliminator.

As previously reported, featherweight Champion Ryan Walsh will meet Isaac Lowe in October 27 at London’s Copper Box Arena on a Hearn-promoted show.  Promoter Richard Poxon has won the right to stage a final eliminator between Leigh Wood and Jordan Gill, with the date and venue TBA.  The vacant English title will also be in the line.

The Board also revealed that they are waiting on news of a new date and venue from promoter Dennis Hobson for the fight between Martin Ward and James Dickens for the vacant Super bantamweight title following Ward’s withdrawal from the original date due to an injury sustained in training.

The bantamweight belt is also currently vacant, but not for much longer as Iain Wilson will stage a fight to decide the title between Ukashir Farooq and Jamie Wilson at the St. Andrews Sporting Club in Scotland.  Kyle Williams and Iain Butcher were ordered to fight an eliminator but ‘No Purse bids were received for the above eliminator contest’.

The Super flyweight title remains up in the air after Bradley Watson and Kyle Yousaf withdraw from final eliminators against Ryan Farrag and Jay Harris respectively, prompting the Board to declare that: ‘This division will be considered at the next meeting’.  At flyweight, Andrew Selby remains the holder yet is still AWOL and does not have an opponent or fight date on the horizon.

In English title news, light-heavyweight holder Liam Conroy withdrew from a defence against Miles Shinkwin, which means that Shinkwin will meet Joel McIntyre for the vacant belt on an Amey Sinfield-promoted show the York Hall on September 15.  The Board are still waiting on a new date and venue from Warren for the meeting between Super middleweight holder Darryl Williams and Lennox Clarke.  Luke Crowcroft will meet Cello Renda in an eliminator on September 1 at the Doncaster Dome, Stefy Bull to promote that one.  

The vacant middleweight title should have a new owner when Reece Cartwright fights Tyler Denny at the Walsall Town Hall on September 29 after promoter Errol Johnson won the right to stage the contest.  The light-middleweight ttitle will be decide the week before when Adam Harper and Billy Bird clash in Ipwich on a Mervyn Turner bill.

Promoter Scott Calow has won the right to put on Adrew Keates against Ekow Essuman for the vacant welterweight title, they meet on October 20 at the Harvey Hadden Sports Village in Nottingham.  Light-welterweight holder Sam O’Maison could meet either Kayamba Prospere or Cassius Connor down the line as promoter Steve Goodwin will stage an eliminator between the two on his September 22 show at the York Hall in London. 

Goodwin also won the right to pitch Josh Kennedy and Michael Ramabeletsa against each other in a defence of Kennedy’s Super bantamweight belt, date and venue TBA.  In the meantime, Razaq Najib and Robert Jenkinson will clash in a final eliminator on Bull’s September 28 bill at Rotherham’s Magna Centre.  Bantamweight holder Kyle Williams will have to wait for news of a defence after no bids were tabled for a fight against Mark Leach.

Finally, the vacant flyweight title will be decided on Bull’s October 5 show in Barnsley when Kyle Yousaf and Conar Blackshaw vie for the belt.

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