THE RISE of small hall boxing has been sudden, almost extraordinarily so, as now seems a perfect time for fans to saunter down to their local, modestly-sized venue.
Gone are the days where each fight card is stacked purely with lopsided matchups, designed to showcase a selection of unbeaten prospects who, well, may or may not be the ‘next big thing’.
Instead, what we are seeing is a greater willingness from fighters, whether undefeated or not, to throw themselves into the deep end, which, quite naturally, has only made for a more compelling string of events over the past year or so.
Take promoter Johnny Clarke’s latest Top Tier show at the Brentwood Centre, for instance.
Boxing News was fortunate enough to sit ringside earlier this month and, while the bill promised to exceed the expectations of a typical small hall show, it most certainly did not fail to deliver.
It had drama, 50/50 clashes and just the right number of bouts, removing the need for someone to stare down at their phone or, worse still, consider an early dash to the car park.
The matchmaking was so bold, in fact, that it even saw Tom Welland, a talented featherweight prospect, suffer a devastating fourth-round stoppage defeat to – you guessed it – a Mexican visitor.
Even away from the main event, though, there was hardly a moment for one to take their eyes off the action, as a particularly absorbing super-welterweight contest saw Muzamiru Kakande emerge with a ninth-round finish over Kevin Reavell while, in another fiercely-contested battle, Tumi Phillips survived an early scare to eventually outpoint his unheralded, but no less ambitious, Spanish opponent.
But in truth, it must be said that each small hall promoter, especially on the London boxing scene, has significantly elevated their game, perhaps due to the increasing competition from the likes of Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren.
It was actually Hearn and Warren, interestingly enough, who inspired Mark Neilson and Jon Trethewey to introduce their ‘Promoters Collide’ phenomenon, based largely on the Matchroom Boxing and Queensberry Promotions 5vs5 event that took place last year.
This weekend, Neilson and Trethewey will once again pit their promotional stables – Neilson Boxing and TM14 Promotions – against one another, only this time around, their showdown has been booked for back-to-back nights at York Hall, Bethnal Green.
On the Friday, a card featuring Lerrone Richards and Jordan Flynn – two fighters looking to get their careers back on track – should set a pulsating tone for the Saturday, when ‘Avenge at York Hall Part 2’ takes centre stage.
Featuring on that show is an especially intriguing battle between Arnie Dawson, an exciting lightweight prospect, and Marley Mason, who is never too far removed from an all-action barnstormer.
Boxing News saw Mason lock horns with Jeff Ofori and Louie O’Doherty in two enthralling battles last year, coming away from both memorable occasions at York Hall with a satisfied grin across his face.
As for Dawson, ‘The Terminator’ engineered a truly stunning first-round finish, while featuring on yet another captivating small hall show at the Stamford Bridge Stadium Conference Suite, back in April.
It must therefore be said that, with the likes of Clarke, Neilson and Trethewey all getting their creative juices flowing, small hall boxing has approached a golden age where, unlike previous events, not every fight is a guaranteed mismatch.
For further details on Neilson and Trethewey’s upcoming shows, which will be streamed live on the Boxing News YouTube channel, click here.
