Queensberry Promotions' original plan was to be at the Copper Box on Saturday with Hamzah Sheeraz having his credentials tested by Liam Williams. However, a perforated eardrum suffered by the young middleweight resulted in Queensberry switching to Plan B and moving the card to Bethnal Green's York Hall on Friday. The headliner wil now be Sam Noakes, who has eleven stoppages in as many fights as a professional. The young lightweight makes for explosive viewing and he also possesses a cheeky smile and charm in abundance. The 26-year-old will facet Spain's Carlos Perez (19-7-2). Sticking with a lightweight theme, we also have the Queensberry debut of Gavin Gwynne (16-2-1), who is fighting for the European title against Emiliano Marsili.

 

The Italian Marsili is a fascinating case study, what with being undefeated at 42-0-1 and 47 years of age. He’s won the belt twice before including a run of three defenses across 2014-15, while in 2012 he rocked up at Olympia in Liverpool and stopped home favorite Derry Mathews in seven.

 

Gwynne's prospects really took a turn for the better during the lockdown period when he turned the tables on touted prospect Sean McComb and he has moved from strength to strength since, including his capture of the British title.

 

Talking of Liverpool, super bantamweight Brad Strand (10-0) from the Everton Red Triangle Gym takes on Welshman Joshua John (8-1). Strand has flown a little bit under the radar in comparison to his teammates Nick Ball and Andrew Cain, but he is a fighter of considerable ability and more technical than his thrill-a-minute mates. I know Paul Stevenson rates him very highly and is confident in him making a huge impact in the division, in which we are well stocked.

 

The final featured fight involves featherweight Raven Chapman (7-0), who is in against Lucie Sedlackova (15-1-1) before training her sights on world title action next year.

 

Also not to be missed on Friday are appearances by Moses Itauma and Royston Barney-Smith. Both heavyweight Moses and super feather Royston have been afforded a full range of experiences since turning pro, with Moses having his first taste of York Hall straight off the back of fighting over in Riyadh and meeting Mike Tyson into the bargain, along with a host of other heavyweight legends at the Fury-Ngannou event.

 

Royston has put his talents on display at Wembley Arena, Wembley Stadium and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium so far and I am really excited over just how far this young man can go in the sport.