Prizefighter series

Did You Know?

• The first Prizefighter tournament, held at York Hall in April 2008, featured heavyweights Martin Rogan and David Dolan meeting in the final with unbeaten 9–0 records; Rogan won after Dolan was knocked down twice.
• Prizefighter 4, held on 21 November 2008 at York Hall, was part of a Sky Box Office show headlined by the Ricky Hatton vs. Paulie Malignaggi fight.
• Prizefighter 6, the lightweights tournament on 24 March 2009, was held at the Kelvin Hall in Scotland and was won by Ryan Brawley.

Prizefighter 2: The Heavyweights II

The second tournament was held at the Telewest Arena in Newcastle in September 2008. The eight competitors were Sam Sexton, Pele Reid, Luke Simpkin, Dave Ferguson, Chris Burton, David Ingleby, Lee Swaby, and Darren Morgan. Reigning British champion Danny Williams made the draw for the first round. Luke Simpkin, a late substitute for the injured Ian Millarvie, stated that winning could change his life and that his approach was simply to attack. Sam Sexton won the tournament, defeating Pele Reid in the quarter-final, Luke Simpkin in the semi-final, and hometown fighter Chris Burton in the final. After his victory, Sexton said the night went exactly as planned and expressed hope for a future British title shot.

Prizefighter 3: The Welterweights

Prizefighter 3 took place on 24 October 2008 at York Hall, featuring welterweights. The field included former European champion Ted Bami, English champions Nigel Wright and Ross Minter, former ABA champion Michael Lomax, Commonwealth challenger Craig Dickson, Midlands Area champion Mark Lloyd, former IBO light middleweight champion Steven Conway, and Andrew Ferrans. Michael Lomax won the tournament, defeating Craig Dickson, Nigel Wright, and Ted Bami in the final. Lomax had expressed confidence beforehand, stating that no one was as dedicated as him. He called the victory the best night of his career and hoped it would be a launchpad. The result was controversial, as many ringside observers and Sky commentators believed Lomax had lost his semi-final to Nigel Wright. The judges awarded Lomax a split decision. Wright expressed disgust at the decision, saying one judge gave Lomax all three rounds and that he could not remember Lomax landing a clean shot.

Prizefighter 12: The Super Bantamweights

The first super-bantamweight Prizefighter tournament took place at York Hall on 29 May 2010. The initial eight fighters included former world champion Wayne McCullough, former British, Commonwealth and European champion Esham Pickering, former English champion Mark Moran, and undefeated prospects Craig Lyon and Ricky Owen, alongside Josh Wale, Chris Riley, and Gavin Reid. Before the event, McCullough, Lyon, and Riley pulled out, with Jamie Arthur, Willie Casey, and Robbie Turley stepping in. Only the quarter-final between Moran and Casey ended early by stoppage; the others went to split decisions, notably Pickering losing to Wale. In the semi-finals, Casey beat Wale in a frantic three-rounder featuring 532 punches. Owen stayed unbeaten by defeating Arthur but later withdrew due to injury, replaced by Paul McElhinney, who won a coin toss against Ian Bailey. Despite having already fought twice that night, Casey took the final on unanimous points.

Prizefighter 27: The Light Middleweights III

The 27th Prizefighter tournament took place on 3 November 2012 at York Hall, Bethnal Green, featuring light middleweights. The eight participants were Craig McEwan, Navid Mansouri, Curtis Valentine, Terry Carruthers, Kris Carslaw, Ryan Toms, Larry Ekundayo, and Peter Vaughan. Promoter Eddie Hearn introduced a knockout bonus of £2,000 for every stoppage, stating that the incentive would encourage fighters to seek knockouts. Larry Ekundayo, who had only two fights of experience, won the tournament. He earned the £32,000 winner's cheque plus a £2,000 KO bonus after stopping Terry Carruthers in the final. Ekundayo had previously defeated pre-tournament favourite Craig McEwan in the quarter-final and Kris Carslaw in the semi-final. He became his manager Spencer Fearon's second Prizefighter champion.