Sam Eggington has his sights set on becoming a record breaker after entering the line-up for the Betfair Prizefighter Welterweights III at the Civic Hall in Wolverhampton on January 19, live on Sky Sports.
The 19 year old will be the youngest ever winner of the eight-man, one night tournament in the 28th edition, beating the record set by Patrick Mendy in June 2010 by 180 days. Eggington (3-0) is one of an unprecedented six unbeaten fighters in the line-up, and he hopes to capitalise on Al Harbi’s misfortune of being stranded in Mexico on honeymoon, stepping up from being a reserve to take a shot at the trophy and £32,000 winner’s cheque.
“The chance to be the youngest ever winner of Prizefighter is definitely an incentive,” said Eggington. “On top of the money and where winning Prizefighter can land you, being the youngest winner would be a prize in itself.
“It is a big opportunity but I have only had three fights so even if I did win them all I would still only be a six-fight novice. It would boost my career but it wouldn’t do what it could do for some of the others who could get a bigger title. It couldn’t do that for me, I would still have to do a few more fights.”
Eggington turned pro in September and has three points wins to his name so far, and having lost his job as a fork lift truck driver the timing is perfect for him to grab this golden chance live on Sky Sports with both hands.
“Getting a late call hasn’t affected me,” said Eggington. “I had been in the gym over Christmas because I knew about Prizefighter, I knew I was down as a reserve so I was always keeping fit and was ready to jump in. I am just glad that I did get a chance.
“I got made redundant before Christmas so I need to stay as active as possible. I have a son with my girlfriend and we have just moved house, so the money would be good.
“[Not having a job] has helped because I can get up in the morning and go for a run. I used to do six ‘til six shifts but now I can do as much as I want. But in another way it means that if I don’t box I don’t have a wage, so it kind of balances out.”
Eggington is joined by fellow undefeated fighters Calum Cooper, Steven Pearce, Glenn Foot, Dale Evans and Chad Gaynor, with the final eight completed by Rob Hunt and Mark Thompson, as Kal Yafai tops the bill in Wolverhampton in his first fight of 2013.
VIP and Ringside tickets for Yafai and the Betfair Prizefighter Welterweights III are sold out with a limited number of £40 unreserved tickets available – tickets can be bought online at www.matchroomboxing.com or on 01277 359900.