New Home For Crolla’s Club

New Home For Crolla's Club

Anthony Crolla has finally found a new home for his amateur club after fire destroyed its former building.

Working in partnership with Maverick Stars, the new Fox ABC is taking shape within the clubhouse of AVRO Football Club in Limeside, near Oldham.  It's been a frustrating search for a new property since the fire rendered the club homeless in March. But now, the former WBA lightweight world champion is delighted that young people will soon have a new gym to head to.

"It's a great location on the estate," Anthony said. "it's a great location for a boxing gym. There'll be a lot of kids that'll get great use out of it. There are classroom facilities which we can use for some of the kids in the area - honestly, I can't wait for it. With the backing of Maverick Stars as well, I'm really excited for the future."

It's nearly a year since Anthony retired from the ring to concentrate on the next chapter of his career as a boxing coach. He's also managed to find time to help out with the refurbishment of the room which will house the new gym - although someone should probably take the heavy tools off him!

Click the link below to find out more......

 

Downtime – But Not For Long

Down-time - But Not For Long

Chantelle Cameron's been enjoying the spoils of her recent world title triumph, but insists the party will soon be over and the job of unifying the belts will begin.

The Maverick Stars ambassador was sublime in defeating Adrian dos Santos Araujo to claim the WBC super-lightweight title on October 4. It's been something of a whirlwind for the Northampton fighter since achieving one of her many goals.

"It's been unbelievable," Chantelle said. "Last week I was on a massive high and this week I'm in bed because I'm absolutely exhausted - a massive comedown! But I'm still so happy I got the win."

The new champ made the most of her first week with her new title - socialising with friends and showing the shiny green WBC belt off at local schools. Chantelle's been enjoying the down-time, but that will all change soon as she gets back to business.

"I've got the carrot now and I can dangle that carrot. People want the WBC belt and I have it. I'm not the one on the chase anymore, the [other] world champions, if they want the WBC they've got to come through me and I'm absolutely buzzing with that," she explained.

Although Chantelle believes she's a natural lightweight, the plan to unify the belts means she'll stay in the higher weight division for the time being. While the WBA belt is currently vacant, American Mary McGee holds the IBF version, while Christina Linardatou of Greece is the WBA champion.

"Katie Taylor has got the belts at lightweight," added Chantelle. "I can't be hanging around, wasting years waiting for Katie to fight me. I need to grab belts where I can so the next step is [staying] at super-lightweight."

Gallagher’s View

Joe Gallagher is expecting another Vasiliy Lomachenko masterclass when the Ukrainian takes on fellow world champion Teofimo Lopez this weekend.

The Manchester trainer was in the opposite corner when his fighter - and Maverick Stars ambassador - Anthony Crolla endured a painful early stoppage at the hands of the three-weight world champion back in April 2018.

"It's a very good fight," Joe said. "Loma is an unbelievable fighter, so skilful, but he makes it look so easy. It's not as easy as it looks!  You've seen what he did to poor Anthony - no-one's ever done that before and Anthony's been in with some great fighters. Loma is something else."

Unbeaten, hard-hitting, brash and at 23 nearly a decade younger than Lomachenko, Lopez holds the IBF lightweight title and is out to make his own statement.

"He's young, ambitious and carries serious power," said Joe. "Maybe Loma has got old overnight, but he will have had to have got old overnight to lose this fight. I just feel when somebody comes with a bit of trash talk and a bit of an edge, you just see a better Lomachenko."

Regardless of events in Las Vegas, Joe will be focussed on his fighter Paul Butler who returns to the ring this weekend. The former world bantamweight champion takes on Ryan Walker in Wakefield. It's the start of what could be a busy spell for Joe's stable with Callum Smith, Callum Johnson and Natasha Jonas all angling for fights before the year is out. For Jonas, who's recent world title fight with Terri Harper ended in a controversial draw, Joe has a clear vision.

"I do think Katie Taylor and Natasha Jonas is a huge fight for next year for St Pat's [night]. Whether that's in Dublin, London or Liverpool or over in New York or Boston.  I think Natasha's profile is good at the moment."

To hear more from Joe, click below......

 

Quigg’s Next Challenge

Quigg's Next Challenge

Former world champion Scott Quigg has joined forces with Maverick Stars for the next chapter of his career - helping to guide young people down the right path in his hometown, Bury.

The ex-WBA super-bantamweight champion decided to hang up the gloves after his last fight against Jono Carroll in March, and is now looking forward to his next challenge.

"I've achieved a lot in my career and I've enjoyed it," Scott explained. "People know I didn't finish school, I had no education but I was very fortunate I had a mum and dad that supported me. I had people that offered me help and direction and they helped me create a path to go on and achieve something. I know how difficult my life would have been without those people around me.

"I want to create opportunities for teenagers who are at a crossroads and might be getting into a bit of bother. Also, I want to help teenagers that are excelling in school - give them opportunities to go even further."

Scott will be spearheading Maverick Stars 'Sting Like a Bee' initiative in Bury. The programme, which helps to tackle anti-social behaviour by providing boxing training and employment opportunities, has proved to be a big success in the nine other boroughs of Greater Manchester and is now being delivered in other parts of the UK.

"I've seen what Maverick Stars has done - through a mutual friend we were connected," Scott said. "The town of Bury has done so much for me - boxing was banned in Bury but the council overturned that so I could fight in my home town. I think we can do really good things with help from Maverick Stars."

 

Free ‘Mental Health First Aid’ course for England qualified coaches

Free 'Mental Health First Aid' course for England qualified coaches

In honour of World Mental Health Day, Maverick Stars Trust is joining forces with ‘Body & Mind First Aid Training’ to offer two of their ‘Mental Health First Aid’ courses to Level one and two England Boxing coaches.

The two separate courses are free to attend, and will be held in December at a venue yet to be decided in Manchester (date tbc).

It will take a whole day to complete, and candidates will achieve their FAA Level 2 Award in First Aid for Mental Health (RQF).

This one-day course covers the content of the level one course but also expands on the effects of drugs and alcohol, incorporates the ‘First Aid for Mental Health Action Plan’ and covers ways in which a positive mental health culture can be supported within the workplace.

Please get in touch if you are interested - places are limited so it will be on a first-come first-served basis

Fiaz moves to 5-0

Fiaz moves to 5-0

Aqib Fiaz continued his unbeaten run with a points victory over Kane Baker as part of Sunday night's Matchroom Boxing card.

Maverick Stars coach Fiaz featured live on Sky Sports for the first time, and impressed those watching on from home.

“I’d say in this particular fight it probably helped me boxing without fans because I had to stay calm, with a crowd sometimes I’m guilty of getting involved and playing up to them,” Aqib said.

“On the night, I wasn’t that happy with my performance. But watching it back I felt I did really well to stay composed and box off the jab.”

Being shown on television for the first time is always daunting for a young prospect, but Aqib seemed to take it in his stride throughout the week.

“To be fair before the fight had even started, I was thinking to just treat it like a spar because obviously nobody’s here, there’s no pressure,” he said.

“You couldn’t really hide from the pressure because of the cameras and everything else. I definitely missed my fans though.”

Sunday night's fight signified a step up in opposition for Fiaz, one he was happy to take at this stage of his career.

“I believe I will go to the top of the sport and I want to be a world champion,” Aqib said.

“In terms of fights, I need the right fights at the right times, I feel like Sunday was the right fight for me. It’s up to Steve [Wood], Jamie [Moore] and Eddie [Hearn] who I fight, where I fight, when I fight."

“I just get in there and do my job and that’s get the win, no matter who they put in front of me.”

Away from the ring, Aqib does regular coaching sessions with Maverick Stars for children across Greater Manchester.

“I’ve always enjoyed teaching  young kids and showing them something new,” he said.

“For them to come away from the session having learnt something, it feels as good as a win to me and fills me with great pride."

Mayor visits

First week of ‘Sting Like a Bee’ relaunch a success

First week of 'Sting Like a Bee' relaunch a success

Maverick Stars restarted its ground-breaking 'Sting Like a Bee' initiative across Greater Manchester last week.

The programme, designed to provide opportunities for young people through boxing gyms, relaunched at Moss Side Fire Station Boxing Club in Manchester, Hamer ABC in Rochdale and Bridgewater ABC in Salford.

The programme engaged with 17 children and young adults in week one, and this number will continue to rise over the next few days with two other gyms joining the scheme.

Timperley ABC in Trafford and Tameside Elite Boxing Academy will welcome new faces to their gyms as part of the programme.

Aimed at tackling anti-social behaviour and the knife-crime epidemic, 'Sting Like a Bee' will see a series of boxing and leadership programmes rolled out in boxing gyms throughout the region, helping hundreds of young people (aged 8-25) to get fit, stay safe and up-skill.

Each of Greater Manchester's ten boroughs now has at least one designated 'Maverick' gym which has received funding and support from the charity to help engage and inspire the most 'at-risk' young people.

Special guest speakers, mentors and external visits to places including: Safety Guide, Challenge4Change and Street Doctors, will be organised for each gym. Other planned initiatives for participants include training camps at home and abroad, and plans are also in place for a 'Greater Manchester Box Cup'.

(The picture was taken before the Coronavirus pandemic, at the launch of the programme.)

Chantelle Cameron can create her own legacy, says Moore

Chantelle Cameron can create her own legacy, says Moore

Jamie Moore believes a win tonight can set Chantelle Cameron up to create a legacy in women’s boxing, similar to the one Katie Taylor has made for herself.

Cameron fights Adriana Dos Santos Araujo for the vacant WBC world super lightweight title later on today, live on Sky Sports.

“Chantelle’s been in a position over the last twelve months where she’s a lot of risk and not a lot of reward for people to fight her,” Jamie said. “When she wins a world title, she puts herself in the frame as a potential opponent for Katie [Taylor].”

“It does open a lot of doors for her but to be honest with you, I don’t think Chantelle needs Katie Taylor,” he said. “I think Sunday will be a coming out party, a lot of people will stand up and take notice of her and then she’ll set her own path.”

Jamie then quickly added: “I think in time she’ll set her own legacy and people will look at Chantelle in two or three years time in the same light as Katie Taylor.”

Because of Coronavirus protocols there will be no fans in the arena, but that is of little concern to Team Cameron.

“It is a shame but in years to come it won’t matter,” he said. “It’ll always be down on paper in the record books that Chantelle was WBC world champion and I’m sure she’ll be able to have a homecoming fight when crowds can come back in, and we can celebrate her becoming a world champion and fill an arena in Northampton.”

Elsewhere on the bill tonight, another of Jamie’s fighters Aqib Fiaz takes a big step up.

“He’s boxing Kane Baker,” Jamie said. “that’s a little bit of a grudge match because of what happened last time.”

During midweek, Steven Ward (again trained by Jamie) stepped up to cruiserweight and won convincingly.

“Steven has always fundamentally been really good, nice solid base, great feet, good mobility for a big guy and a good jab,” Moore said. “When he sticks to what he does well instead of getting dragged into a fight he’s such a difficult fighter to beat.”

He added: “It’s definitely the right division for him and I think he’s going to be involved in some good fights over the next twelve months.”

Word from the bubble – Chantelle Cameron

Word from the bubble - Chantelle Cameron

Chantelle Cameron believes her professional experience will be enough to win the world title on Sunday night.

The Maverick Stars ambassador fights Adriana dos Santos Araujo for the vacant WBC super lightweight title live on Sky Sports, and she spoke to Dom McGuinness from her hotel room yesterday.

“She [Araujo] has got a really good amateur pedigree but I feel like in the pros I’m more experienced,” Chantelle said. “I think I’m a better pro fighter, so I’ve just got to take that into the ring with me.”

Every fighter dreams of winning a world title in front of their own fans, but that is something that won’t be possible on Sunday night due to Coronavirus restrictions.

“I’m only down the road [from home] so it’s a bit of a disappointment but at the end of the day I want to win a world title and I’ve got the opportunity now so I’m going to take it with both hands,” she said. “I don’t feel like I need a crowd.”

Fighting for the world title has been long overdue for the Northampton born fighter, but a win on Sunday could open the door to some big fights.

“As long as I win, it could be the start of something special,” she said. “I’ve just got to get the win. I feel like it will be a carrot dangling in front of me for people to come and fight me.”

Having been in isolation for the week in her hotel room, it has given Chantelle the luxury of no distractions on fight week.

“It’s not that bad because you can stay focussed on the fight and what you’ve got to do,” she said, before glancing out of her window.

“The hotel is actually really nice to be fair, there’s a McDonalds across the road!” which swiftly prompted her trainer Jamie Moore to intervene.

“That’s the motivation!” he said. “Not winning world titles or financially securing yourself, it’s to get out of this hotel and out of the bubble and into McDonalds!”

Outside of the ring, Chantelle has been doing invaluable mentoring work for Maverick Stars with ten-year-old Leah Paylor.

Chantelle smiled at the mention of Leah, saying: “I’ve been speaking to Leah and they’re going to be watching back home.”

Chantelle weighed in earlier at 9st 11lbs 7oz, whilst her opponent missed weight significantly (5lbs 7oz over the 10st weight limit) meaning only Cameron can win the world title tomorrow.

Life in the boxing bubble – Nigel Travis

Life in the boxing bubble - Nigel Travis

The Maverick Stars ambassador spoke to Dom McGuinness from his hotel room as he prepares for ‘The Quiet Man’ to return to the ring this evening after his first round defeat to Ricards Bolotniks last time out.

“It’s a really good opportunity for Stevie to fight a decent opponent, someone who is not going to come and tie up, run away and survive,” he said. “He’s got a guy in front of him who’s coming to win.”

“Volau will believe Stevie is fragile because of his last loss. That fight in my eyes was all about the scales and not actually thinking about the opponent,” Nigel added.

“Now Stevie looks comfortable. He didn’t have to train to do the weight, he’s now training thinking about the boxing. He looked ill and now he doesn’t, he looks fantastic.”

Having been in isolation since Monday, Nigel described the new normal for professional fighters and their team.

“It’s strange being in a bubble and being isolated, but it’s just a game we’ve got to play,” he said, before he went on to describe his room.

“I’ve got a window looking at a dual carriageway, I’ve got a mirror so I can look at myself all day, a tv, a bed, a bathroom and a Stevie Ward tracksuit!”

Tonights main event was scheduled to be between Jazza Dickens and Ryan Walsh, but the former has had to withdraw from the contest after testing positive for COVID-19.

“It’s a real shame because I was excited about it,” Nigel said. “I picked Jazza just because of what I’ve seen [in sparring]. It’s difficult to pick against Ryan though because he’ll always bring his A-game.”

Elsewhere on the bill, Ohara Davies and Tyrone McKenna get the chance to settle their long standing feud, whilst Liam Conroy looks to overcome Serge Michel to reach the light-heavyweight ‘Golden Contact’ final.

“I think Ohara is rightly the favourite just because of his punch power and I believe Tyrone gets dragged in a little bit,” he said. “I think that if Tyrone can not get involved for the first three/four/five [rounds], it will be interesting.”

Talking about the fight between Conroy and Michel, the head coach of Moss Side Fire Station Boxing Club added: “When we got here, I believe Liam was the underdog and now he’s the betting favourite. I would edge Liam to win, although it seems Michel can fight, but you can’t gauge how good he is from his last performance.”

He finished by saying: “my betting double would be Ohara to win on points and Liam to win on points as well.”