Skip to main content

The secret is out as Larry Ekundayo takes Prizefighter crown

Phil D. Jay
WBN Editor

Nigerian-born technician announces himself in London

Larry Ekundayo produced a fabulous display of ring craftsmanship to take a £34,000 jackpot prize from Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn and clinch the Prizefighter crown at the York Hall.

The 30 year-old, who came into the light-middleweight tournament with just two pro outings behind him, dominated every fight, almost from start-to-finish, to come out on top in impressive fashion and score the first ever £2,000 KO bonus.

‘The Natural’ defeated Wildcard protégé Craig McEwan, former British title challenger Kris Carslaw and surprise package of the night Terry Carruthers to lift the trophy, take the £32,000 cheque and significantly enhance his reputation.

“Winning Prizefighter means a lot to me as I have come a long way,” Ekundayo told Sky Sports after the victory.

“I want to thank my whole team and Eddie Hearn for showcasing me on Sky Sports and I am very grateful to showcase my talent.

“My style is natural and I can switch styles, so anybody who comes in, I know what to work on. I just boxed Carruthers, stuck to the game and that’s what I did.”

Ekundayo, under the guidance of manager Spencer Fearon, now boasts a new and improved 5-0 record, with two stoppages and may find it tough to seal his next opponent after a fruitful trip to Bethnal Green.

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

The Tragedy of Billy Collins Jr.

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor  Collins after the fight Williams Ray Collins Jr. or Billy Collins Jr. as he became known, was born to a boxing father in Antioch, Tennessee in 1961. His father William Sr, once fought Welterweight Champion Curtis Cokes and wanted his boy to follow in his footsteps, so decided to train Billy himself. Collins Jr. turned pro in 1981, a welterweight, just like his father before him and impressively won his first 14 professional contests, 11 by knockout with eight inside the first three rounds. It was 1983 and Billy was matched up against Puerto Rican journeyman Luis Resto on the undercard of Roberto Duran v Davey Moore at Madison Square Garden in a ten rounder. Resto wasn’t known for his punching power but Billy took a sustained beating for the full ten rounds, his face, badly damaged and his eyes were almost shut. After the fight, which Resto won on decision, Billy’s father shook Resto’s hand and noticed there wasn’t much padding in his gl...
Read more

Ashley Theophane talks US return, Ricky Burns sparring and future fights

Phil D. Jay  WBN Editor ‘Treasure’ training for August 24 return Former British light-welterweight champion Ashley Theophane is aiming to put the disappointment of his loss to Darren Hamilton behind him when he makes his comeback in Charlotte, North Carolina on August 24. The 31 year-old, who has fought some of the top fighters between 140 and 154lbs, planned to take 18 months out of chasing his world title dream to win a British Lonsdale belt outright and just fell short with points defeat to Hamilton in May after making two defences. The Londoner is now returning to the US to re-establish his headline status on American soil. He fights for the 38th time in his career against an opponent yet to be named at NC Music Factory’s Reelworks Studios and is currently preparing to get back to winning ways. “Training has gone well for this fight. I've been in the gym for nearly nine weeks so I'm in great shape and ready to go,” Theophane told World Boxing News. ...
Read more

Rico Ramos captures world super- bantamweight title with KO

Phil D. Jay WBN Editor ‘Suavecito’ scores 20th straight win over Shimoda Undefeated Californian Rico Ramos produced a world-class left hand in the seventh round of his WBA title challenge against Japan’s Akifumi Shimoda to rip the belt away from the older southpaw in his first defence. The 24 year-old looked far from a world champion in the first five rounds, only gaining a foothold in the fight in round six, but ultimately produced the equalizer in the seventh to take the crown. Shimoda, 26, will be furious with himself as he bossed the majority of the fight and was up five rounds to one on my card going into the seventh round. One lapse in concentration with only thirty seconds left in round seven and Shimoda hit the canvas. The champion tried to get up at the count of nine, but stumbled over and the referee counted him out. The now former champion stayed down for a full minute before being helped to his feet and realising he no longer held the WBA belt. Also on the card i...
Read more