Sheffield promoter heads into 2025 with booming boxing stable

Not all of the shocks involved the actual bouts, though.

Izzy Asif's GBM Sports demonstrated their growing reach in boxing by showing off a parade of new signings to their stable.

One of the four new recruits was Sheffield lightweight Donte Dixon, who had disappeared off the scene nearly 18 months ago after a routine six-rounder win in Oldham.

As a Manor Boxing Academy super featherweight, the Pitsmoor fighter was once dubbed ‘the real deal’ by sparring partner and former IBF world champion Kid Galahad, but his promising career stalled.

However, his potential, and seven unbeaten fight record, appealed to Asif, who introduced him back into the limelight on Saturday night's show.

Nicknamed, 'The Problem,' Dixon now has to make up for lost time.

Pundit and GBM commentator Adam Smith said: "I saw Donte a few weeks ago and had a long chat with him, and I just said you've got so much talent if you don't do this now it's never going to happen and you're going to regret it.

"So I'm really pleased he looks like he wants to do it.

"Izzy's going to keep him busy, and he could be the dark horse, the secret."

Another newcomer to GBM's books is Doncaster's Jimmy Joe Flint, who grabbed national attention recently by twice beating Ricky Hatton's son Campbell.

He said: "I'm really excited to be signing with GBM and hopefully myself and GBM can bring big time boxing a little closer to home."

The Park Arena saw Doncaster "farm boy" Edward Hardy made easy work of his opponent Sean Jackson.

The fight handed him the first stoppage loss of his career.

The now 2-0 professional who trains under Pearce Gudgeon at Steel City gym, scored two knockdowns in the second round and found the stoppage in the third.

Hardy: "I didn't expect to make the fight look as easy as it did, I know Sean's a really tough opponent, he's never been stopped so I knew he was durable, but I've been sparring eight rounds in the gym, and we were just ready for it."

Calvin Moyo trained by Dave Allen in Doncaster made his successful professional debut in a four-round contest against 51 fight veteran Paul Scaife.

Moyo put on a very calm and calculated display to win every round on the referee's scorecard.

Moyo assessed his performance saying: "I'm just absolutely over the moon in terms of the fight it went perfect. I've had 13 months out of the ring I looked good, I looked sharp, everyone's said that.

"Obviously I've got to watch it back I'm my harshest critic, so I'm sure I'll find something I'm not happy about, but that's the key to improvement."

Rotherham's Taz Nadeem moved to 4-0 as a professional boxer when he put on a powerful display of boxing.

Both the co-main event and main event ended in draws, with Leeds' Qais Ashfaq and Grimsby's Levi Giles putting on a thrilling fight, one in which both men gave everything they had, however after ten rounds the pair couldn't be split on the lone scorecard of judge Steve Gray who scored the contest 95-95 even.

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The crowd certainly got behind 20-1 Jack Bateson when he made his ring walk, however they wouldn't get to see him in action for long.

This was because both Jack and his opponent Leamington's Danny Quartermaine would suffer horrendous cuts due to a clash of heads which saw the fight prematurely stopped after only two rounds.

This resulted in referee Howard Foster ruling the contest a technical decision draw.

Other card results

Amar Akbar 7 0 Batley bt Mykhailo Sovtus 5 39 1 Ukraine welterweight

Kieran Molloy Galway, Ireland 9 0 bt Robin Zamora 21 34 welterweight

Nyall Berry West Midlands 11 1 bt Tampela Maharusi 11 9 4 Tanzania super bantamweight

Muhammad Ali Leicester 5 0 1 bt Yin Caicedo 10 27 4 Colombia/Spain super bantamweight.