By Nathan Orr

The North East of England is often considered the “sleeping giant” of British boxing.

A little over a year ago, promoter Steve Wraith—who heads Relentless Promotions—along with his business partner Danny Cox traveled to London, in a pursuit to convince Eddie Hearn to bring his Matchroom bandwagon to the region. 

“It was a bit like a job interview, we went down and I thought we would have five minutes to sell North-East boxing, but Eddie gave us 45 minutes of his time,” Wraith recalls. “His knowledge of boxing in the North East really amazed me, I’m not talking about the likes of Jon Lewis Dickinson and Glenn Foot of this world, but he knew about the lesser-known fighters of the region, such as Anthony Nelson and Peter Cope.  He was fully aware of these fighters and their records.  

“We left that meeting with Eddie’s word—that when he was ready to come to the North East, we would be the people to call.”

A year has passed; true to his word, the call finally came. Hearn’s “Matchroom Fight Pass” will air a show live this Saturday, February 7 from Gateshead Leisure Centre in Tyne and Wear, England. 

The card will showcase Jeff Saunders in his pro debut, serving as the event’s headliner. His older brother, Bradley Saunders signed with Matchoom, which was formally announced at a press conference held at St James Park, with the promise of the top promoter taking the North East boxing scene by storm. 

Bradley Saunders will headline a show slated for April 4. 

“I don’t think there has been a professional show in the North East or many other places, where someone making their debut has been top of the bill,” notes Wraith. “With Jeff having such a good amateur career, and being Bradley’s brother there is a lot of expectation there. It’s an exciting opportunity for him and for me as a promoter.

“I think he will get off with a bang, he’s a slightly different character to Bradley, but he’s equally as good in the ring.” 

Ahead of Saturday’s show, Relentless Promotions have cooperated with several North East promoters and their fighters, including Fighting Chance pair Andrew Buchanan (7-1-2, 2 KOs) and Paul O’ Hagan (4-2, 2 KOs)

Exciting prospect Basi Razaq (3-0, 3 KOs) of Mark Clauzel’s gym will feature on the undercard, and with three knockouts in as many fights is expected to step up a level in terms of opposition. 

Meanwhile, Abdon Cesar (2-4, 0 KOs) will return to the North East after causing a huge upset back in November against Atif Shafiq (13-1, 3 KOs)

While Jeff Saunders is already expected to sign with Matchroom in the near future, Wraith insists that there are opportunities up for grabs for the fighters of the North East. 

“This is a huge opportunity for the fighters involved in these Matchroom Fight Pass shows. They can showcase their talents in front of the right people. 

“Matchroom Fight Pass acts as a breeding ground for the stable of Matchroom Boxing—which is great for North East fighters, as they can potentially go on to work with one of the big promoters in the sport of boxing.” 

Rising Stars takes place at Gateshead Leisure Centre on February 7. Doors open at 5pm, and the first bout is scheduled for 7pm.