Unbeaten British boxer fighting for belt in aftermath of Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou on big weekend for boxing

22/02/2024 13:54

Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou will take centre stage in the boxing world at the start of March.

The two titans will collide in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in a highly-anticipated heavyweight clash following Ngannou’s battle with Tyson Fury in October.

However, because of the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix also happening in the country that weekend, the fight is set to take place on the Friday night.

But a day later on Saturday, March 9, there will be more action back in the UK, live and free to watch on the talkSPORT Boxing YouTube channel.

The show is GBM Sports’ debut Midlands card titled ‘Ice Breaker’ at the Skydome in Coventry.

In the main event, unbeaten rising super-featherweight Danny Quartermaine (10-0) will meet Romania’s Alex Rat (17-6-2) for the IBF European belt.

Quartermaine expects to have more than 400 of his own fans in the arena and has said he is attempting become the 'Ricky Hatton of the Midlands', while Rat is best known for going the distance with Archie Sharp in 2022.

In the co-main event, Midlands Area lightweight champion Scott Melvin (8-1-0) will defend his title against unbeaten local rival Ameen Khalid (7-0-1).

River Wilson-Bent (15-4-1) is back in action too, after previously clashing with the likes of Hamzah Sheeraz and Ammo Williams in big middleweight bouts.

The card is also stacked with a number of other intriguing names who could become big stars for British boxing in years to come.

Bradley Goldsmith (9-0), Nyall Berry (9-0), Musa Moyo (6-0), Callum Singh (4-0) and Minaaz Gurung (2-0) will all look to continue their progression.

Plus there will be pro debuts for Adam Mohammed, Ali Meesam, Roha Hudson and Todd Tompkins.

Promoter Izzy Asif, CEO of GBM Sports, said: "On March 9, we're going to showcase what all of the hype is about.

“We're looking forward to coming to the Midlands. This is somewhere I've always wanted to put on a show and it’s going to be massive.

“We're expecting 3,500 people in a packed out arena.

“We've got two title fights, two undefeated local fighters competing for the Midlands Area title, and some highly tipped debutants on the show."