BBN preview the ‘Battle of the Baggies’ card this weekend in Walsall
Both Brummies, both Baggies, both brilliant boxers – it all adds up to a tantalising British middleweight title fight this Friday night at the Walsall Town Hall between champion Tommy Langford (20-1) and challenger Jason Welborn (22-6).
Black Country Promotions have titled the event the ‘Battle of the Baggies’ due to both locals being ardent West Bromwich Albion FC fans.
Tensions are already running high with the warring pair arguing over who can lay claim as the better Albion fan.
Welborn, 31, believes the Baggies should back him in this British middleweight championship fight for living just a stone’s throw away from the ground and having grown up in the area.
Langford, 28, originally hails from Bideford in Devon but has family located in the Black Country, where his dad grew up, and relocated to Birmingham as a teenager to study for a university degree.
The ulterior motive behind the move was train alongside Britain’s first ever world amateur champion, Frankie Gavin, who Tommy met during an England training camp at Crystal Palace, aged 17.
The former England amateur captain made regular trips from his coastal home to Hall Green ABC to continue to spar with Frankie, eventually becoming stablemates for many years, and to train under history-making coach Tom Chaney.
Tale of the Tape
Form
Tommy Langford last five fights:
WIN vs Jack Arnfield – UD 12
WIN vs Miguel Aguiler – PTS 6
LOSS vs Avtandil Khurtsidze – TKO 5
WIN vs Sam Sheedy – SD 12
WIN vs Timo Laine – TKO 7
Combined record of 100-47-3
Jason Welborn last five fights:
WIN vs Christian Haskins Gomez – PTS 6
WIN vs Marcus Morrison – UD 10
WIN vs Casey Blair – PTS 4
LOSS vs Craig Cunningham – PTS 10
LOSS vs William Warburton – PTS 6
Combined record of 57-144-12
These 160-pounders have sparred countless rounds together due to their shared weight and locality.
The British champ at 160lbs has just the one loss on his ledger to Avtandil Khurtsidze (32-2-2).
The Georgian known as the ‘Mini Mike Tyson’ is now incarcerated, facing serious RICO charges in America, forfeiting his WBO world title shot at Billy Joe Saunders as a result.
He has recently been accused in the media of doping, so it’s possible that Langford was very likely cheated in that fight by the suspected criminal linked to a Russian crime syndicate in New York.
Challenger, Welborn, has six losses on his record, most notably to former world champion Liam Smith and world title contender Frankie Gavin. Both bouts were for the British belt, first at 147lbs against Gavin and, secondly, at 154lbs against Smith – both ended during the middle rounds courtesy of crippling body blows.
Twice a Midlands Area champion – welter and super-welterweight – and twice a failed British title challenger at the same weights could cause fight fans to favour Langford in this grudge match.
However, the two-time British title contender is coming into the fight off the back of a WBC International Silver middleweight title win against an unbeaten opponent who boasted 10 knockouts from 14 wins.
Joe Gallagher’s highly-touted prospect, Marcus Morrison (14-0), allowed Welborn to come forward and was regularly trapped on the ropes and rocked by the underdog.
Welborn’s confidence will be sky high and his determination mesospheric in his third – and possibly his last – attempt at a Lonsdale belt.
There will be early storms for Langford to weather as Welborn’s game plan will likely be to sit in his pocket and not allow the titleholder any space. Langford will be aiming for the opposite – to use his superior reach to his advantage and to outbox the challenger for the duration.
Langford retained his title in his first defence when he comfortably defeated the No.1 mandatory opponent, Jack Arnfield (25-2), who severely underestimated the champion’s work rate and stamina in their meeting last February, live on ITV Box Office.
The titleholder, arguably, has the better boxing ability, technique and engine, but Welborn’s confidence, toughness and determination will be a hard match for him to overcome on the night.
Chief Support
Twitter sensation and Commonwealth title contender Dave ‘White Rhino’ Allen (12-3-2) will provide heavyweight action on the night.
The social media enthusiast, who spends every moment outside the gym engaging with fans on Twitter, will face an opponent yet to be confirmed over four three-minute rounds.
With nine stoppages from 12 wins, Allen, 26 from Yorkshire, is hard-hitting and has only conceded defeats at the top level to WBC Silver heavyweight champion Dillian Whyte (17-1) and former WBA world heavyweight champion Luis Ortiz (26-0). His most recent loss was a split decision to Commonwealth champion Lenroy Thomas (20-4) last May.
Undercard
Langford’s stablemate Shaka Thompson (3-0) is sharing the bill with his work colleague, searching for his fourth straight win.
The super-middleweight, real name Jordan, is an unbeaten southpaw from Selly Oak, aged just 22.
To have Langford as a regular sparring partner, who also corners him in fights, is going to put the prospect in good stead and will definitely be one to watch out for.
Tyler Denny (7-0-2), 26 from Rowley Regis, has his first fight back since beating top prospect Tom Stokes (9-0) last September at the very same venue to land the Midlands Area middleweight title.
The southpaw takes on Latvian Raimonds Sniedze (12-38-2) over six-rounds and will be keen to up his win record to challenge for bigger honours, such as Elliot Mathews’ English middleweight championship, and will be encouraged by Welborn’s career, who landed British title fights shortly after each of his Midlands Area title triumphs.
Unbeaten female featherweight Rachel Ball (2-0), 27, trained by Gavin Burrows, has her third professional boxing fight in under five months, since making her debut last December.
The former three-time world kick-boxing champion, 27 from Aldridge, was inspired to turn pro by Katie Taylor’s success.
Ball tackles Polish featherweight Monika Antonik (1-10) over four two-minute rounds in what will be the travelling fighter’s second appearance at the Walsall Town Hall, having lost to debutant Lauren Johnson (now 2-0) at the same venue exactly 14-months ago.
Swadlincote’s Ross Hollis (1-0) is pitted against 191-bout veteran Kevin McCauley (15-164-12) from nearby Stourbridge.
Former soldier ‘Rossy’ is a 24-year-old middleweight who won almost half of his 63 amateur bouts. He got his pro career off to a flying start by dropping his opponent Sean Gorman (2-19-1) twice in the final round of his debut in March.
Kane Baker (6-3) has his 10th professional contest in just his 22nd month in the paid ranks.
The busy 27-year-old from Birmingham has only lost to unbeaten fighters in Conor Benn (7-0), Gary Cully (2-0), and Sanjeev Sahota (10-0) in his eventful two-year career, and has another undefeated prospect to face in June in the shape of British Challenge super-featherweight belt champion Ryan Wheeler (12-0-1).
The super-lightweight boxer tackles the tricky Ibrar Riyaz (6-136-4) over four three-minute rounds.