Ritson vs Ponce Official Interactive Digital Programme by Hashtag Digital Media

A WELCOME FROM

EDDIE HEARN

ood evening everyone and welcome to the Vertu Arena here in Newcastle for the biggest fight of Lewis Ritson’s life. We should be having the full 9,000 fans in but right now 1,000 is going to feel like a full house and I can’t wait to see you all getting behind your man. Lewis is one fight away from a shot at the Undisputed Super-Lightweight World Championship held by Josh Taylor. Standing in his way of a shot at all of the marbles is undefeated Argentinian Jeremias Ponce who arrives in the UK for the first time full of confidence with 17 knockouts in his 27 wins. I expect this Final Eliminator for the IBF Super-Lightweight World Title to be an all-out war. ‘The Savage’ Alen Babic makes his keenly-anticipated return from a shoulder injury to take on Matthew Hatton-trained Damian Chambers as he looks to make it 7 KOs from 7 fights.

I’m looking forward to the start of former Team GB standout Cyrus Pattinson’s journey in the professional ranks; Thomas Patrick Ward moves up to Featherweight as he hunts for the career-defining fights he craves; Birmingham Heavyweight Solomon Dacres has his second fight in the paid ranks; Tony Bellew-managed April Hunter looks to move to 4-0 and Joe Laws hopes to bounce back from his first loss to Rylan Charlton. As you will all know by now, after more than 25 years of boxing with Sky Sports we have made the monumental decision to sign a new historic, landmark 5 year deal with sports streaming giant DAZN in the UK. This means that our UK shows will now be exclusively live on DAZN along with all Matchroom shows across the world. I want to thank Sky Sports for all of their support over the years and wish them well for the future. Sit back and enjoy the show! ■

Programme Editor: Daniel Barnard Fighter Interviews: Jamie Ward Cover: Adam Insam Design: Hashtag Digital Media (hdmdigitalsales@gmail.com) Photographs: Mark Robinson Master of Ceremonies: David Diamante

THE

SANDMAN

ewis Ritson says the return of fans will help push him on to a vital win when he meets undefeated Argentinian Jeremias Ponce in a Final Eliminator for the IBF Super-Lightweight World Title. ‘The Sandman’ (21-1, 12 KOs) struggled without the backing of his fanatical Geordie support last time out as he battled to a controversial split decision win against Mexico’s Miguel Vazquez behind closed doors at the East of England Arena in Peterborough – an experience the 27-year-old says he has learnt from. “I haven’t really watched it back but a couple of days later I went to my dad’s house and asked him if he’d watched the fight,” Ritson recalled. “He said yes, and I asked him to be truthful about what he thought of it. He was honest and said we got the rub of the green, we got very lucky and we got gifted a decision, but that it is up to me whether to dwell on it or improve on it. “That’s what we’ve done, we’ve gone away and made a few changes in camp. It was just a clash of styles. I think it was probably Vazquez’ best performance in a few years and it was one of my worst to be fair. You live and you learn, there was maybe a few things that we could have done differently in that fight. We know that now and we’ve got the experience in the bank.” Ritson made the decision to part ways with Neill Fannan and return home to Forest Hall to train with his father Dave following the disappointment of the Vazquez performance – a move that he is confident will turn out to be the right one as he closes in on a dream World Title shot in the 140lbs division.

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“I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE FANS TO BE BACK”

“I’m back with my old man. I had a little bit of thinking to do after my last fight. I half hinted that I wanted to come home, and my dad half hinted that he wanted to be back training me. It was the right move for me and we’ve been flying in camp. A happy fighter is a dangerous fighter, it’s probably the first time in a while that I’ve been quite happy. “I’ve got a little girl and I was sick of being away from her in the end. I was down there stuck in a flat, training twice a day and then nothing else to do, especially with the lockdown. I could have been back home with my little girl. I’ve got another little girl on the way so that definitely played a part in it. I can’t wait for fight night now and to show people that the Vazquez fight was a bit of a slip up. I’m going to be back better and stronger.” In his last fight in front of his Newcastle faithful, Ritson produced a career-best performance to beat bitter rival Robbie Davies Jr in an enthralling Fight of the Year candidate. A fight with the newly crowned Undisputed Super-Lightweight ruler Josh Taylor could await Ritson if he earns another memorable win tonight. ■

JERE

eremias Ponce says he will look to secure a “dream” World Title fight with Undisputed Super-Lightweight king Josh Taylor by knocking out Geordie favourite Lewis Ritson in front of his home crowd. ‘Jere’ arrives in the UK for the first time sporting an impressive record of 27 wins and no losses - with 17 of those wins coming by way of knockout - and has two notable wins ‘on the road’ against Rico Mueller for the IBO World Title in Germany and Francesco Lomasto for the IBF Intercontinental Title in Italy. The undefeated 24-year-old from from Buenos Aires, Argentina says the return of Ritson’s fanatical Newcastle support will only serve to spur him on as he looks to become the latest South American to spring an upset against a Brit. “I go all out for the win,” said Ponce. “I try and leave nothing to chance. I always look for the knockout. This is a huge opportunity for me, if not the biggest in my career. I’ve trained with that mindset, thinking about this being the biggest moment in my career. “I think it’s a dream for any boxer to go on and win a World Title, and to face a fighter like Josh Taylor would be a dream come true. I’m 100% confident that I can add myself to the list of South Americans that have caused upsets in the UK. I’m going to go all out to win. “I think Lewis Ritson is a very good boxer. He’s very quick and he has a very high output. We’ve worked hard looking for

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“I ALWAYS LOOK FOR THE KO!”

ways to counter that. I think we’ll be able to do that. Both styles will definitely clash which will mean it will be a great fight. “I think the Miguel Vazquez fight was just a really bad night for him. I have also had bad nights before. I don’t think it takes anything away from him. I think he’s still a really good boxer and it will be a very tough night for the both of us. “Having a crowd in the arena will motivate me even more. I’m used to these types of fights and being the away fighter. I’ve been the away fighter in Germany when the whole of the crowd was against me. I was the away fighter in Naples, Italy when all the fans were against me. I’m used to that and it really will spur me on even more.” ■

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SATURDAY 12TH JUNE

MOVING

homas Patrick Ward faces Edy Mercado over at Featherweight tonight – as the unbeaten County Durham fighter steps up in weight in order to land the massive fight he’s been hunting. Ward is ranked number three with the WBO at Super-Bantamweight, but with slow-moving traffic ahead of him for the World Title fights at 122lbs, the 27-year-old has moved up to Featherweight to land the big one. Ward is aiming to make an immediate impact at 126lbs against Mercado tonight before targeting the big clash he’s been craving for years – and he’s targeting WBO king Emanuel Navarrete “I won the British Title when I was 22; I’m 27 now,” said Ward. “I had a good fight in America against Jesse Hernandez where I was the underdog and I schooled him, I felt that there were big fights around the corner after that, and that is what I am craving, a big fight. “Navarrete is probably the best Featherweight out there right now. The most dangerous. So, the way I see it, beat him and I am the best. So that kind of fight would be better for me because I have got more to gain out of it.

“I’M PUSHING ON FOR THOSE WORLD TITLE FIGHTS” “I do see chinks in his armour, I don’t think he’s unbeatable. I was close to him at SuperBantamweight but I didn’t get to him before he moved up, so a big win tonight could get me that fight. “Edy’s a good fighter, the Mexican’s come and give it all they’ve got. I’m definitely looking to put on a good show, a good statement, move forward and smash up some of these World Champions that don’t want to fight. “I’m not looking past Edy. He is a tough opponent who is going to be coming and giving it his all. I’ve been rated quite highly for quite some time; I’m pushing on for those World Title fights. I want to fight them; do they want to fight me? Let’s see, let’s get it on.” ■

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DINAMITA E

dy Valencia Mercado is planning on becoming the latest Mexican fighter to upset a Brit when he takes on Thomas Patrick Ward over ten rounds at Featherweight. The 30-year-old from the city of Culiacan decisioned Jose Ramon Olmeda over twelve rounds last time out in March to earn the vacant Mexican Featherweight Title. ‘Dinamita’, who has only fought outside of Mexico once, has won 17 of his 28 pro fights, with five of those wins coming via knockout – and the 5’6” warrior has never been stopped in his five losses. “It’s a very proud moment for me to be coming here and I really do want to add to that list of Mexicans that have caused an upset here,” said Mecado. “It’s a proud moment to be alongside you Eddie and my rival. I think for the fight I have the tools and mentality to be able to make this work, I think the only winner in this fight are the people watching. “Hopefully, finally everyone can enjoy a good show. Mexican fighters come on the front foot and trade. I’ll wait to see what happens in the fight, I’m able to adapt my style, I have many different styles I can accommodate. Hopefully we can look forward to a great fight.” ■

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RETURN OF THE

SAVAGE

len Babic tonight looks to register his seventh successive KO victory against Matthew Hatton-trained Damian Chambers. Behind closed doors boxing has been good for ‘The Savage’ who burst back onto the scene in August 2020 when he dismantled Chicago’s Shawndell Winters in two rounds before crushing Niall Kennedy two months later. In November last year, Babic collided with Tom Little after an entertaining build-up and dropped the popular Hatfield Heavyweight twice en route to a third-round stoppage to take his professional record to 6-0. The popular Croatian is relishing fighting in front of the Geordie crowd this evening and is adamant he will continue his KO streak in brutal fashion. “It’s going to be a tremendous battle and I think it’s going to be over inside 1-2 rounds”, said Babic. “I am so excited to fight in front of the fans in Newcastle, I have watched videos of the atmosphere and I really can’t wait to be a part of it. I hope they will love The Savage. “I feel blessed every time I’m here. The surgery was bad, I didn’t want to say it to myself, but I knew it was going to go down because that shoulder had been bad for the whole of the last year. I was talking to my inner self just hold on for a few more fights and make a name for yourself. I’ve done that now and my hand is feeling stronger than ever, I’m finally 150% back.

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“I THINK IT’S GOING TO BE OVER INSIDE ONE OR TWO ROUNDS!” Chambers, who has campaigned for his 12-fight professional journey at Cruiserweight, represents a solid test for Babic who will have to be aware of what is coming back the other way. The Dukinfield fighter has registered 7 KOs inside the distance, something Babic isn’t taking lightly. “They offered me so many tournaments and I said no I don’t want someone who’s going to fall because they know they can’t beat me. Chambers is a guy who has a lot of knockouts, 11-1, he’s a very good guy. He’s a puncher but not much of a mover, this guy may be faster or stronger, I don’t know but we’re going to find out.” “As always, I am coming for the knockout, that is my style always. I will give my everything and leave my heart in the ring. The Savage is back!” ■

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CHAMBO

amian Chambers is relishing the opportunity to become the first man to defeat ‘The Savage’ Alen Babic but is all too aware of the difficult task at hand. Naturally a Cruiserweight, the 32-year-old from Dukinfield in Lancashire steps up to Heavyweight to take on the fearsome puncher in a scheduled six round contest – his first since a second round TKO win over James Farrell in March 2020. “I know it’s going to be a tough night’s work,” said Chambers. “I’ve watched him before on shows and he is a tough fighter, he comes forward just throwing punches. We got the call on Sunday, my coach said, ‘we’ve got a fight do you want to take it, it’s against Babic?’. He’s a Heavyweight and I’m usually at Cruiserweight, he’s got the advantage but straight away I said I think it’s a good opportunity for me to showcase my skills. “I can’t wait, I’ve been in the gym anyway training, over the last six days I’ve been in the gym training – sparring Monday and Tuesday. We had a fight coming up anyway at the end of July, I’ve not fought in 16 months so we might as well take the fight. It’s not an easy fight, he’s a tough man, I’m going to have to be on my A game and make no mistakes.” ■

THE PRO

DEBUT

yrus Pattinson is expecting a “lively” professional debut when he locks horns with Yoncho Markov over six rounds. The former Team GB amateur standout inked promotional terms with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom last month and is set to begin his journey in the paid ranks at SuperWelterweight under long-time coach Graeme Rutherford. “I went as far as I was going to go for Team GB,” said Pattinson. “I wasn’t getting the opportunities that could have led to major tournaments. I just feel like now is the best time to turn professional – I’m not getting any younger. I’ve got a lot to give in the pro game, so I’ve just got to commit and go. “The last opportunity that I could have got for qualifying for Tokyo was taken away through the pandemic. There was no way of me going to the Olympic Games anymore, so it was just wasted time. I felt that I’d done as much learning as I could have done. “I feel like if I’d have maybe gone to the 2016 Olympics, I would have turned professional sooner. I wouldn’t have been as ready as I am now to turn pro. I feel mature and I’m a man now. I feel like I’m ready more than ever. It’s finally

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“THIS IS THE START OF A GREAT JOURNEY” time to get my professional journey underway. “We’ve just been putting the work in at the gym, getting the rounds in, sparring fresh opponents. I got some good rounds in with Martin J Ward not long ago. We’ve been making good progress. I’m going to bring an exciting style to the pro scene. “Me and Graham both said we didn’t want to do a four rounder for my pro debut. It’s six rounds and I wanted a lively opponent that’s going to bring the fight to me. I think that will help show the best of me. It’s going to be a lively fight.” ■

THE REAL

DEAL

irmingham Heavyweight Solomon Dacres is aiming for a knockout when he takes on Spain’s Alvaro Terrero. The former Team GB amateur standout, now trained by Max McCracken, won his first professional fight on points by battering Bulgaria’s Mladen Manev for six rounds on the Buatsi vs. Dos Santos undercard at Manchester Arena last month. The 6ft 5ins 27-year-old, who is managed by Adam Morallee and Sam Jones of S-JAM Boxing, says he is reaping the rewards from sparring with undefeated British, European and Commonwealth Champion Joe Joyce ahead of tonight’s clash. “It’s good to get regular sparring with Joe,” said Dacres. “He’s in big fights now and he’s at the top level of the game. It’s good to come down here regularly and get good quality rounds. Joe has got the engine and it’s a high pace. It’s good to keep sparring with the top guys. No disrespect to opponents, but early on in your career you’re not going to face the top guys in the game, so it’s good to keep that level of boxing in the sparring. “Manev came to survive. Sometimes those guys just tuck up and they prepare themselves to take punishment. He was prepared to take shots and didn’t open up much. I kept my patience and I got the six rounds in. It was more about me showing I could keep up the work rate. I thought my punch selection was good. There are certain things to work on of course – we want to sit down on the shots more, but he didn’t open up for us much. It wasn’t much of a boxing contest. It was more of a war of attrition really. It was good to get in there and get the rust off.

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“WE WANT TO GET KNOCKOUTS” “I’m a Heavyweight. Heavyweight boxing – you want to get knockouts at times. Sometimes you do want to pace yourself when it’s the right time to do so. We’re working on things in the gym as well – sitting down on our shots and we want to get knockouts. It’s Heavyweight boxing – people want to see knockouts. I’m definitely coming for one. “We’ve had one World Champion from Birmingham. We’re the second city and we’ve had one World Champion! We’ve never had a Heavyweight Champion, so that’s something I’m aiming to achieve. if I can bring that to Birmingham, big shows to Birmingham, it’s going to be huge for the city and hopefully they can get behind me and we can look forward to some big nights. I’ve boxed all around the world internationally for Team GB but boxing in my home city would make me massively proud.” ■

THE

HUNTER

ewcastle’s April Hunter is back fighting in her home city for the second time as a professional tonight fresh from a tough fought victory in Barcelona in April. ‘The Hunter’, 26, came through a tough four rounds with the durable and tough Elsa Hemat who did have success in the fight, but after moving down to Liverpool to take her training and preparation to the next level - Hunter says we can expect a more disciplined showing in tonight’s first fight on the live Sky Sports and DAZN broadcast. “I’m made up to be back fighting in Newcastle!” Said Hunter. “I’ve moved down to Liverpool to start taking things seriously but being back in Newcastle is really exciting. Having 1000 fans in the arena will sound like 20,000 and hearing Lewis’ ringwalk, it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. “Since I’ve been down in Liverpool I feel like I’ve grown up. The mindset has changed and everything has been perfect. This is definitely going to help take me to the next level.

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“I WANT TO BE MORE DISCIPLINED AND LOOK GOOD WINNING!” “Barcelona was a good learning fight for me, I learnt a lot that’s for sure. I want to be more disciplined in this fight and look good winning. I will stick to my boxing and try and not engage with the crowd and focus on myself. “Savannah boxed Klaudia Vigh and we’ve been chatting about what I can expect so things couldn’t have been better. If Lewis is successful it can only mean good things for the Newcastle fighters, the future is exciting!” ■

BENWELL

BOMBER J

oe Laws has picked himself up from a chastening defeat last time out – and he’s back against Chris Adaway on home turf to show he’s learned his lesson. Laws was stopped in three rounds by Rylan Charlton in Peterborough in October, a first pro defeat and a sore one for the ‘Benwell Bomber’ to take after the larger-than-life Laws had been vocal in his confidence of victory in the build-up. The 26-year-old contemplated walking away from the sport as he ballooned up in weight after the fight, but after giving himself a talking to over the festive period, Laws got back on track and the journey gets back on track tonight. “That wasn’t me in there against Rylan,” said Laws. “Mentally and physically, I am in a much better place now and I can’t wait to fight again. I’m not scared of getting beat or testing myself, the Joe Laws that got knocked out wasn’t the Joe Laws that shows up in the gym.

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“I PICKED MYSELF UP AND I’M BACK” “Life is about ups and downs, you are always going to get setbacks, but you need to use those setbacks as fuel to try and grow from them. I won’t let setbacks determine my future. At Christmas, I didn’t want to box again. I asked myself if I really wanted this, and now here I am and come tonight, the fans are back, big events are back, and I am buzzing to be part of it. “I got some stick about losing, but that’s just social media. It was a low point at Christmas but I’m a man, I picked myself up and I’m back. Mentally and physically, I feel great, I’m 26, I’m a young pup in this sport. The past 18 months have been hard for boxing but tonight it’ll be a clip of what’s to come. The show will be electric. “I know Chris, I’ve seen him fight loads and he’s a game competitor. He’s as game as they come, he never gets soft, he goes in there and gives all his prospects one hell of a go. I’m feeling good myself, I’m back in the best city in the world, I can’t wait to go out there, put a show on and get back to winning ways.” ■

12 X 3 MINS IBF SUPER-LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD TITLE FINAL ELIMINATOR

LEWIS JEREMIAS vs RITSON PONCE

(FOREST HALL, ENGLAND)

(BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA)

10 X 3 MINS INTERNATIONAL FEATHERWEIGHT CONTEST

THOMAS EDY VALENCIA vs PATRICK WARD MERCADO (WEST RAINTON, ENGLAND)

(CULIACAN, MEXICO)

6 X 3 MINS INTERNATIONAL HEAVYWEIGHT CONTEST

ALEN BABIC

(ZAGREB, CROATIA)

DAMIAN CHAMBERS (DUKINFIELD, ENGLAND)

6 X 3 MINS INTERNATIONAL SUPER-WELTERWEIGHT CONTEST

CYRUS PATTINSON

(ALNWICK, ENGLAND)

YONCHO MARKOV (SOFIA, BULGARIA)

6 X 3 MINS INTERNATIONAL HEAVYWEIGHT CONTEST

SOLOMON DACRES

(BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND)

ALVARO TERRERO (CADIZ, SPAIN)

4 X 2 MINS INTERNATIONAL SUPER-WELTERWEIGHT CONTEST

APRIL HUNTER

(WALLSEND, ENGLAND)

KLAUDIA VIGH (BUDAPEST, HUNGARY)

6 X 3 MINS WELTERWEIGHT CONTEST

JOE LAWS

(BENWELL, ENGLAND)

CHRIS ADAWAY (PLYMOUTH, ENGLAND)