Sheffield's brightest boxing prospects set to fight it out for bumper cash prize

Six Steel City-trained fighters will be out to impress in front of 1,200 people at the Magna Centre in Rotherham on Friday night and claim the £1,000 bonus on offer for the most impressive performance.

The show has been organised by former professional boxer Izzy Asif, from Sharrow, who now runs management and promotions company Global Boxing Management and is believed to be the UK’s first British-Pakistani boxing promoter.

"Once you have been in the ring fighting never leaves you,” said Izzy.

"I want to produce world champions, I wouldn’t be in this game if I didn’t think I could.

"I know exactly what the fighters are going through, they are risking their lives, that’s why I gave them a good platform. They are the stars of the show."

Amir Khan’s Bolton-based cousin Abdul will also feature on the card.

Abdul, aged 19, is managed by former Olympic silver medallist Amir and has won all of his three professional fights to date.

Joe Jenkins, from Arbourthorne, is one of three fighters making his professional debut.

The 24-year-old dad-of-two is continuing a family tradition by getting into the ring.

He is one of five boxing brothers – including two former professionals, Jamie Sampson and Scott Jenkins – and is trained by his step-father Roger Sampson at Manor Boxing Academy.

"I came out of the womb and put some gloves on,” he said, “I had no choice.”

Joe claimed an impressive scalp over Tokyo silver medallist Ben Whittaker as an amateur but has not boxed for almost seven years after walking away from the sport in his late teens.

"If not now I’m never going to do it,” he added.

"I want to win titles.”

Liam Bell, from Ecclesfield, is also set for his professional bow.

“It’s the most relaxed I've felt for any fight in my career,” he said.

"I have put the work in so there’s no reason to worry.”

Liam, 24, who studied nutrition at Sheffield Hallam, just missed out on a gold medal at the 2018 British University Boxing Championships, losing to Macauley Owen – who is now signed to Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions – on points.

He plans to balance boxing with a career in the Royal Marines and will begin basic training in May.

"It’s going to be torture but the feeling when I finish is going to be something else,” Liam said.

"I’ll be a professional boxer and a marine, not a lot of people can say that.”

Ex-semi-professional footballer Sheldon McDonald, from Wybourn, is mentored by former cruiserweight king Johnny Nelson and also fights on Friday’s show along with Heeley-based super-featherweight Frak Ali – nicknamed ‘El Fraco’ because of his ‘exciting’, Mexican-inspired style.

El Fraco, 27, said: “I’m married, I have got kids and a full-time job but there’s something inside me that says I can win a title.

"I one-hundred per cent believe it.”

Rotherham’s Junaid Bostan is the third debutant in action and is trained by Grant Smith – Dalton’s dad – at the Steel City Gym in Darnall.

Doncaster’s Danny Murrell, who trains at the Ingle Gym, is also set for his second professional outing.