Birmingham’s battle-hardened Sam Eggington will face teak-tough Mexican warrior ‘King’ Carlos Molina  in a crossroads showdown on Saturday 22 May at the Coventry Skydome Arena, with the vacant WBC silver middleweight championship on the line.

Presented by Hennessy Sports in association with William Hill, Infinitum, Numan, Everlast and King Carlos Promotions, Eggington v Molina will headline the exciting nine-fight card exclusively live and free-to-air across the UK and Ireland on Channel 5. 

Eggington (29-7–0, 17 KO’s) is a former British, Commonwealth and European Champion.

Last in action in December behind-closed-doors, Eggington put on a display of power-punching to take out former British champion and world title challenger Ashley Theophane inside six rounds.

In a 36-fight and near nine year career, the working-class hero has fought everyone; usually away from home at short notice in fights he wasn’t supposed to win and on the end of wrong decisions, but all that suffer and heartache will change with a victory over Molina.

Eggington, 27, will take the risk against dangerman Molina (37-11-2, 12 KO’s), who is a vastly experienced former IBF world super welterweight champion.

Molina has faced a who’s who of champions, including Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. (twice), Mike Alvarado, Erislandy Lara, Kermit Cintron, James Kirkland, Ishe Smith, Cory Spinks and Cornelius Bundrage.

In a near 20 year career with 50 fights and 401 rounds under his belt, Molina, 37, has never been stopped in his eleven losses. His career highlight was defeating Ishe Smith to be crowned IBF world champion in September 2013, but is also well known for highly controversial draws against Lara (March 2011) and Chavez, Jr. (December 2005), both fights that many felt Molina had won.  

Even more controversial was the ending to his fight against Kirkland in March 2012. Molina had outboxed Kirkland up until the 11th round of the 12-rounder, but was disqualified at the end of the round when he was floored by Kirkland and while being counted by the referee, one of Molina’s cornermen entered the ring after the bell had rung to end the round.