Tag: Marie Eve Dicaire

Claressa Shields open to facing Katie Taylor … for right price

Claressa Shields is open to dropping down in weight to face Katie Taylor for the right price.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on DAZN.com.

***

Claressa Shields likes her curves and to risk losing them by dropping weight to fight Katie Taylor at 147 pounds, she’d need to see a whole lot of money.

“Katie Taylor is not the worry … the 147 is,” a victorious Shields said Friday night after making boxing history by shutting out Marie-Eve Dicaire  to become the first two-division undisputed champion in the four-belt era.

“Katie is a great fighter,” Shields continued. “They gotta pay me a lot of money for me to lose my butt to go down to 147. At the end of the day, I’m a woman and that’s something I love about my body. I might not have no big breasts, but I have a nice butt.

“And I’ll lose that going to 147. So they need to come with that dough, and I’ll be seeing Katie at 147 as long as they come with at least $1 million. Talk to me nice.”

Shields (11-0, 2 KOs) fought at 154 pounds on Friday but she’s a natural 160-pounder. It might difficult for her to drop down to welterweight to take on Taylor. But Shields insists it’s a possibility.

While the self-proclaimed GWOAT (Greatest Woman of All Time) showed respect to Taylor, the undisputed lightweight champion, she didn’t give Savannah Marshall the same courtesy. Marshall outpointed Shields during a 2012 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships matchup, prior to Shields winning her first Olympic gold medal that summer. Shields is irked when Marshall’s name is even broached.

“Savannah Marshall can’t f— with me,” Shields said Friday night. “Let’s keep it real. You won a lucky decision when we were kids. Savannah Marshall knows that she cannot and will not ever be able to f— with me.”

While it remains to be seen whether the dream pairing of Shields and Taylor can ever happen, Shields will make her mixed martial arts debut in June with the Professional Fighters League.

After celebrating her 26th birthday March 17, Shields will fly out to Albuquerque, where she will continue to hone her MMA skills by working with the likes of Holly Holm and Jon Jones at Jackson Wink MMA Academy.

[lawrence-related id=18319]

Claressa Shields open to facing Katie Taylor … for right price

Claressa Shields is open to dropping down in weight to face Katie Taylor for the right price.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on DAZN.com.

***

Claressa Shields likes her curves and to risk losing them by dropping weight to fight Katie Taylor at 147 pounds, she’d need to see a whole lot of money.

“Katie Taylor is not the worry … the 147 is,” a victorious Shields said Friday night after making boxing history by shutting out Marie-Eve Dicaire  to become the first two-division undisputed champion in the four-belt era.

“Katie is a great fighter,” Shields continued. “They gotta pay me a lot of money for me to lose my butt to go down to 147. At the end of the day, I’m a woman and that’s something I love about my body. I might not have no big breasts, but I have a nice butt.

“And I’ll lose that going to 147. So they need to come with that dough, and I’ll be seeing Katie at 147 as long as they come with at least $1 million. Talk to me nice.”

Shields (11-0, 2 KOs) fought at 154 pounds on Friday but she’s a natural 160-pounder. It might difficult for her to drop down to welterweight to take on Taylor. But Shields insists it’s a possibility.

While the self-proclaimed GWOAT (Greatest Woman of All Time) showed respect to Taylor, the undisputed lightweight champion, she didn’t give Savannah Marshall the same courtesy. Marshall outpointed Shields during a 2012 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships matchup, prior to Shields winning her first Olympic gold medal that summer. Shields is irked when Marshall’s name is even broached.

“Savannah Marshall can’t f— with me,” Shields said Friday night. “Let’s keep it real. You won a lucky decision when we were kids. Savannah Marshall knows that she cannot and will not ever be able to f— with me.”

While it remains to be seen whether the dream pairing of Shields and Taylor can ever happen, Shields will make her mixed martial arts debut in June with the Professional Fighters League.

After celebrating her 26th birthday March 17, Shields will fly out to Albuquerque, where she will continue to hone her MMA skills by working with the likes of Holly Holm and Jon Jones at Jackson Wink MMA Academy.

[lawrence-related id=18319]

Claressa Shields makes more history with shutout of Marie-Eve Dicaire

Claressa Shields made more history with a shutout of Marie-Eve Dicaire on Friday in Flint, Mich.

Claressa Shields might want to compete exclusively in mixed martial arts if she cares about challenges. No one in boxing can touch her.

Shields made previously unbeaten Marie-Eve Dicaire look as if she had no business in the ring with her, dominating almost every second of every round to win a shutout decision in a 10-round junior middleweight bout Friday in her hometown of Flint, Mich.

In the process, the two-time Olympic champion also became the first fighter of either gender to become undisputed champion in two divisions in the four-belt era.

Shields’ only disappointment was that she was unable to stop Dicaire, which can be attributed in part to the two-minute rounds forced upon women boxers and the Canadian’s reluctance to trade punches.

“I was trying for the knockout,” Shields said. “That’s what I wanted. And I almost had it a couple of times. … At the end of the day I’m the new undisputed champion at 154 pounds, the first boxer to do it in history. And I did it here in Flint, Michigan.”

Claressa Shields (right) landed punches to every legal portion of Marie-Eve Dicaire’s body. AP Photo / Carlos Osorio

Shields (11-0, 2 KOs) is no stranger to making history.

She became a three-division titleholder in 10 bouts, faster than any other fighter. And she made additional history before she stepped into the ring Friday, becoming the first woman to headline an all-woman pay-per-view card.

The fight itself was almost anticlimactic given Shields’ utter dominance.

Dicaire, who entered the fight as the IBF beltholder, had no desire to mix it up with Shields. And who could blame her? Every time she did, she was greeted with hard, accurate punches that won round after round for Shields.

And when Dicaire (17-1, 0 KOs) did let her hands go, she rarely found the target. One element of Shields’ game that might underrated is her defense.

Dicaire landed 31 of 263 punches thrown, which is an 11.8% connect rate, according to CompuBox. That’s a paltry average of 3.1 punches landed per round. Shields landed 128 or 409 (28.4%).

The only thing Dicaire did well was survive, which she did by holding incessantly and using rough tactics in close quarters. She gave herself almost no chance to win the fight.

Almost. Dicaire did pick up the pace in the final two rounds in a desperate attempt to get something done. However, even then, it was Shields’ who landed the cleaner, eye-catching shots.

Shields was ecstatic to become the first fighter to become undisputed champion in two divisions. AP Photo / Carlos Osorio

The official scoring was no surprise: All three judges had it the same, a 100-90 shutout. Boxing Junkie also scored it 100-90.

Shields retained her WBC and WBO titles, took the IBF belt from Dicaire and captured the recently instituted WBA title.

“I’m just happy to be able to do it here,” Shields said. “I started boxing here at the Dort [Federal] Event Center when I was 11 years old. Never in a million years did I think I’d be on pay-per-view and then be undisputed twice and just be one of the biggest boxing stars in the world.

“I just wanted to win an Olympic gold medal, that’s all I wanted. I won two of them. I got, I think, 12 championships now. I’m undisputed twice. It’s weird to say undisputed twice. It’s weird.”

Shields, who recently signed with the Professional Fighters League, has said she plans to alternately box and compete in mixed martial arts. She said after the fight Friday that she expects to make her debut in the middle of June, although that evidently hasn’t been finalized.

That doesn’t leave her much time to enjoy her victory.

“My birthday is March 17,” said Shields, who turns 26. “Then it’s right back to the gym.”

Claressa Shields makes more history with shutout of Marie-Eve Dicaire

Claressa Shields made more history with a shutout of Marie-Eve Dicaire on Friday in Flint, Mich.

Claressa Shields might want to compete exclusively in mixed martial arts if she cares about challenges. No one in boxing can touch her.

Shields made previously unbeaten Marie-Eve Dicaire look as if she had no business in the ring with her, dominating almost every second of every round to win a shutout decision in a 10-round junior middleweight bout Friday in her hometown of Flint, Mich.

In the process, the two-time Olympic champion also became the first fighter of either gender to become undisputed champion in two divisions in the four-belt era.

Shields’ only disappointment was that she was unable to stop Dicaire, which can be attributed in part to the two-minute rounds forced upon women boxers and the Canadian’s reluctance to trade punches.

“I was trying for the knockout,” Shields said. “That’s what I wanted. And I almost had it a couple of times. … At the end of the day I’m the new undisputed champion at 154 pounds, the first boxer to do it in history. And I did it here in Flint, Michigan.”

Claressa Shields (right) landed punches to every legal portion of Marie-Eve Dicaire’s body. AP Photo / Carlos Osorio

Shields (11-0, 2 KOs) is no stranger to making history.

She became a three-division titleholder in 10 bouts, faster than any other fighter. And she made additional history before she stepped into the ring Friday, becoming the first woman to headline an all-woman pay-per-view card.

The fight itself was almost anticlimactic given Shields’ utter dominance.

Dicaire, who entered the fight as the IBF beltholder, had no desire to mix it up with Shields. And who could blame her? Every time she did, she was greeted with hard, accurate punches that won round after round for Shields.

And when Dicaire (17-1, 0 KOs) did let her hands go, she rarely found the target. One element of Shields’ game that might underrated is her defense.

Dicaire landed 31 of 263 punches thrown, which is an 11.8% connect rate, according to CompuBox. That’s a paltry average of 3.1 punches landed per round. Shields landed 128 or 409 (28.4%).

The only thing Dicaire did well was survive, which she did by holding incessantly and using rough tactics in close quarters. She gave herself almost no chance to win the fight.

Almost. Dicaire did pick up the pace in the final two rounds in a desperate attempt to get something done. However, even then, it was Shields’ who landed the cleaner, eye-catching shots.

Shields was ecstatic to become the first fighter to become undisputed champion in two divisions. AP Photo / Carlos Osorio

The official scoring was no surprise: All three judges had it the same, a 100-90 shutout. Boxing Junkie also scored it 100-90.

Shields retained her WBC and WBO titles, took the IBF belt from Dicaire and captured the recently instituted WBA title.

“I’m just happy to be able to do it here,” Shields said. “I started boxing here at the Dort [Federal] Event Center when I was 11 years old. Never in a million years did I think I’d be on pay-per-view and then be undisputed twice and just be one of the biggest boxing stars in the world.

“I just wanted to win an Olympic gold medal, that’s all I wanted. I won two of them. I got, I think, 12 championships now. I’m undisputed twice. It’s weird to say undisputed twice. It’s weird.”

Shields, who recently signed with the Professional Fighters League, has said she plans to alternately box and compete in mixed martial arts. She said after the fight Friday that she expects to make her debut in the middle of June, although that evidently hasn’t been finalized.

That doesn’t leave her much time to enjoy her victory.

“My birthday is March 17,” said Shields, who turns 26. “Then it’s right back to the gym.”

Claressa Shields poised to make boxing history again on Friday

Claressa Shields is poised to make boxing history again when she faces Marie-Eve Dicaire on Friday.

Claressa Shields has already made quite a bit of history in her career, winning world titles in three divisions in only 10 fights.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist will be shooting for another achievement when she faces Marie-Eve Dicaire on Friday in Flint, Mich., Shields’ hometown. She is trying to become the first fighter of either gender to hold all four major belts in a second weight class.

Shields (10-0, 2 KOs) and Dicaire (17-0, 0 KOs) on Thursday made weight for their junior middleweight title-unification showdown, Shields weighing 153.6 pounds and Dicaire 152.6. The limit is 154.

“I can’t wait to make history again on May 5,” Shields said. “Fighting in Flint in front of all my fans has been a dream of mine since turning pro. Having the opportunity to make history by fighting for the undisputed title in a second weight division is something I’m very proud of.

“Fighting against undefeated IBF 154-pound champion Marie-Eve Dicaire continues my quest to fight the very best in women’s boxing.”

Of course, Dicaire, a southpaw from Quebec, Canada, has her own opportunity to become an undisputed champion.

“For me, this is a dream come true,” she said. “I will be prepared the best I can be and I am ready to leave everything in the ring to win the fight.”

Shields won the WBC and WBO 154-pound titles with her unanimous-decision victory over Ivana Habazin on Jan. 10 of last year, her most-recent fight. Dicaire captured the IBF title by outpointing Chris Namus in December 2018, after which she has successfully defended three times.

They will also be fighting for the vacant WBA title, which was recently instituted.

Only seven fighters have held all the major titles in a single division in the four-belt era. They are (in alphabetical order) Cecilia Braekhus, Terence Crawford, Bernard Hopkins, Shields, Jermain Taylor, Katie Taylor and Oleksandr Usyk.

Shields and Dicaire are the first women to headline a pay-per-view show since Laila Ali fought Jacqui Frazier-Lyde in 2001.

[lawrence-related id=18269,18235,17176]

Claressa Shields poised to make boxing history again on Friday

Claressa Shields is poised to make boxing history again when she faces Marie-Eve Dicaire on Friday.

Claressa Shields has already made quite a bit of history in her career, winning world titles in three divisions in only 10 fights.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist will be shooting for another achievement when she faces Marie-Eve Dicaire on Friday in Flint, Mich., Shields’ hometown. She is trying to become the first fighter of either gender to hold all four major belts in a second weight class.

Shields (10-0, 2 KOs) and Dicaire (17-0, 0 KOs) on Thursday made weight for their junior middleweight title-unification showdown, Shields weighing 153.6 pounds and Dicaire 152.6. The limit is 154.

“I can’t wait to make history again on May 5,” Shields said. “Fighting in Flint in front of all my fans has been a dream of mine since turning pro. Having the opportunity to make history by fighting for the undisputed title in a second weight division is something I’m very proud of.

“Fighting against undefeated IBF 154-pound champion Marie-Eve Dicaire continues my quest to fight the very best in women’s boxing.”

Of course, Dicaire, a southpaw from Quebec, Canada, has her own opportunity to become an undisputed champion.

“For me, this is a dream come true,” she said. “I will be prepared the best I can be and I am ready to leave everything in the ring to win the fight.”

Shields won the WBC and WBO 154-pound titles with her unanimous-decision victory over Ivana Habazin on Jan. 10 of last year, her most-recent fight. Dicaire captured the IBF title by outpointing Chris Namus in December 2018, after which she has successfully defended three times.

They will also be fighting for the vacant WBA title, which was recently instituted.

Only seven fighters have held all the major titles in a single division in the four-belt era. They are (in alphabetical order) Cecilia Braekhus, Terence Crawford, Bernard Hopkins, Shields, Jermain Taylor, Katie Taylor and Oleksandr Usyk.

Shields and Dicaire are the first women to headline a pay-per-view show since Laila Ali fought Jacqui Frazier-Lyde in 2001.

[lawrence-related id=18269,18235,17176]

Video: Claressa Shields discusses battle for parity for women in boxing

One reason Claressa Shields agreed to fight Marie-Eve Dicaire in the main event of an all-woman pay-per-view card Friday is to demonstrate that women can – and do – generate viewership comparable to men. It’s all part of her battle for parity for …

One reason Claressa Shields agreed to fight Marie-Eve Dicaire in the main event of an all-woman pay-per-view card Friday is to demonstrate that women can — and do — generate viewership comparable to men.

It’s all part of her battle for parity for women in boxing, in which she has built a sizeable following.

“When you have the numbers to prove what you are worth, nobody can take that away from you,” she said.

In this episode of Boxing with Chris Mannix, courtesy of DAZN, the host interviews Shields about her unusual battle and more.

Here’s what she had to say.

[jwplayer 8Ye7rlf4]

 

 

Video: Claressa Shields discusses battle for parity for women in boxing

One reason Claressa Shields agreed to fight Marie-Eve Dicaire in the main event of an all-woman pay-per-view card Friday is to demonstrate that women can – and do – generate viewership comparable to men. It’s all part of her battle for parity for …

One reason Claressa Shields agreed to fight Marie-Eve Dicaire in the main event of an all-woman pay-per-view card Friday is to demonstrate that women can — and do — generate viewership comparable to men.

It’s all part of her battle for parity for women in boxing, in which she has built a sizeable following.

“When you have the numbers to prove what you are worth, nobody can take that away from you,” she said.

In this episode of Boxing with Chris Mannix, courtesy of DAZN, the host interviews Shields about her unusual battle and more.

Here’s what she had to say.

[jwplayer 8Ye7rlf4]

 

 

Fight Week: Claressa Shields vs. Marie-Eve Dicaire headlines PPV card

Fight Week: Claressa Shields-Marie-Eve Dicaire headlines a pay-perv-view card on Friday.

FIGHT WEEK

Three-division titleholder Claressa Shields returns to the boxing ring against Marie-Eve Dicaire in an all-woman pay-per-view show Friday night in Shields’ hometown of Flint, Mich.

***

SERHII BOHACHUK (18-0, 18 KOs)
VS. BRANDON ADAMS (22-3, 14 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAdxDXZrpEs

  • When: Thursday, Feb. 27
  • Where: Municipal Boxing Gym Felix Pagan Pintor, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
  • TV/Stream: NBC Sports Network
  • Division: Junior middleweight (154 pounds)
  • At stake: No titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Danielito Zorrilla vs. Ruslan Madiyev, 10 rounds, junior welterweights
  • Prediction: Bohachuk UD
  • Background: Bohachuk couldn’t have had a better start to his professional career, having stopped all 18 of his opponents in six rounds or less since turning pro in 2017. However, Adams, a former title challenger, represents a step up in opposition for the 25-year-old Ukrainian. The Los Angeles resident, a solid boxer-puncher, lost a wide decision to middleweight titleholder Jermall Charlo in June 2019 but bounced back to stop Sanny Duversonne in two rounds this past December. Bohachuk was last in the ring last September, when he knocked out Alejandro Davila in six rounds in Mexico. Bohachuk is ranked by two of the four major sanctioning bodies, Adams by one.

***

CLARESSA SHIELDS (10-0, 2 KOs) VS.
MARIE-EVE DICAIRE (17-0, 0 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1P0kH0_w_U

  • When: Friday, March 5
  • Where: Dort Financial Center, Flint, Mich.
  • TV/Stream: Pay-per-view (FITE TV)
  • Division: Junior middleweight (154 pounds)
  • At stake: Shields’ WBC and WBO, Dicaire’s IBF and vacant WBA titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Raquel Miller vs. TBA, 10 rounds, junior middlweights; Danielle Perkins vs. Monika Harrison, six rounds, heavyweights; Nadia Meknouzi vs. Samantha Pill, eight rounds, light heavyweights
  • Prediction: Shields UD
  • Background: Shields and Dicaire are the first women to headline a pay-per-view card since Laila Ali outointed Jacqui Frazier in 2001. The fight was originally set for May but was postponed multiple times, which accounts for Shields’ long layoff. She last fought in January of last year, when she defeated Ivan Habazin by a near-shutout decision to capture two vacant junior middleweight titles. DiCaire, who has been out of the ring since November 2019, will be making the fourth defense of her title. Shields is thrilled to be in the featured fight of a pay-per-view event. She told ESPN: “I’m super excited to be having my first pay-per-view card and I’m hoping that everybody who has been waiting on me to fight, everybody that supports me, that they all get behind me and get behind the women athlete movement and just join us because not only are we yelling equal pay, equal opportunity, equal TV time, we’re also working just as hard. We’re equally working.” Shields has begun training for her MMA debut.

[lawrence-related id=18160,17176,15949]

***

TONY YOKA (9-0, 7 KOs)
VS. JOEL DJEKO (17-2-1, 8 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1MsVzZHudU

  • When: Friday, March 5
  • Where: H Arena, Nantes, France
  • TV/Stream: ESPN+
  • Division: Heavyweight (unlimited)
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Estelle Yoka Mossely vs. Verena Kaiser, 10 rounds, lightweights
  • Prediction: Yoka UD
  • Background: Yoka, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist, is looking to take another step toward his first shot at a world title. The 6-foot-7 Frenchman is coming off a shutout decision over Christian Hammer this past November, also at the H Arena. The 28-year-old Parisian has yet to fight outside his native country. Joel Tambwe Djeko is a 31-year-old Belgian who is based in Essex, England. He’s coming off a first-round knockout of John Cortez in January of last year, his eighth consecutive victory.

Fight Week: Claressa Shields vs. Marie-Eve Dicaire headlines PPV card

Fight Week: Claressa Shields-Marie-Eve Dicaire headlines a pay-perv-view card on Friday.

FIGHT WEEK

Three-division titleholder Claressa Shields returns to the boxing ring against Marie-Eve Dicaire in an all-woman pay-per-view show Friday night in Shields’ hometown of Flint, Mich.

***

SERHII BOHACHUK (18-0, 18 KOs)
VS. BRANDON ADAMS (22-3, 14 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAdxDXZrpEs

  • When: Thursday, Feb. 27
  • Where: Municipal Boxing Gym Felix Pagan Pintor, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
  • TV/Stream: NBC Sports Network
  • Division: Junior middleweight (154 pounds)
  • At stake: No titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Danielito Zorrilla vs. Ruslan Madiyev, 10 rounds, junior welterweights
  • Prediction: Bohachuk UD
  • Background: Bohachuk couldn’t have had a better start to his professional career, having stopped all 18 of his opponents in six rounds or less since turning pro in 2017. However, Adams, a former title challenger, represents a step up in opposition for the 25-year-old Ukrainian. The Los Angeles resident, a solid boxer-puncher, lost a wide decision to middleweight titleholder Jermall Charlo in June 2019 but bounced back to stop Sanny Duversonne in two rounds this past December. Bohachuk was last in the ring last September, when he knocked out Alejandro Davila in six rounds in Mexico. Bohachuk is ranked by two of the four major sanctioning bodies, Adams by one.

***

CLARESSA SHIELDS (10-0, 2 KOs) VS.
MARIE-EVE DICAIRE (17-0, 0 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1P0kH0_w_U

  • When: Friday, March 5
  • Where: Dort Financial Center, Flint, Mich.
  • TV/Stream: Pay-per-view (FITE TV)
  • Division: Junior middleweight (154 pounds)
  • At stake: Shields’ WBC and WBO, Dicaire’s IBF and vacant WBA titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Raquel Miller vs. TBA, 10 rounds, junior middlweights; Danielle Perkins vs. Monika Harrison, six rounds, heavyweights; Nadia Meknouzi vs. Samantha Pill, eight rounds, light heavyweights
  • Prediction: Shields UD
  • Background: Shields and Dicaire are the first women to headline a pay-per-view card since Laila Ali outointed Jacqui Frazier in 2001. The fight was originally set for May but was postponed multiple times, which accounts for Shields’ long layoff. She last fought in January of last year, when she defeated Ivan Habazin by a near-shutout decision to capture two vacant junior middleweight titles. DiCaire, who has been out of the ring since November 2019, will be making the fourth defense of her title. Shields is thrilled to be in the featured fight of a pay-per-view event. She told ESPN: “I’m super excited to be having my first pay-per-view card and I’m hoping that everybody who has been waiting on me to fight, everybody that supports me, that they all get behind me and get behind the women athlete movement and just join us because not only are we yelling equal pay, equal opportunity, equal TV time, we’re also working just as hard. We’re equally working.” Shields has begun training for her MMA debut.

[lawrence-related id=18160,17176,15949]

***

TONY YOKA (9-0, 7 KOs)
VS. JOEL DJEKO (17-2-1, 8 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1MsVzZHudU

  • When: Friday, March 5
  • Where: H Arena, Nantes, France
  • TV/Stream: ESPN+
  • Division: Heavyweight (unlimited)
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Estelle Yoka Mossely vs. Verena Kaiser, 10 rounds, lightweights
  • Prediction: Yoka UD
  • Background: Yoka, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist, is looking to take another step toward his first shot at a world title. The 6-foot-7 Frenchman is coming off a shutout decision over Christian Hammer this past November, also at the H Arena. The 28-year-old Parisian has yet to fight outside his native country. Joel Tambwe Djeko is a 31-year-old Belgian who is based in Essex, England. He’s coming off a first-round knockout of John Cortez in January of last year, his eighth consecutive victory.