BOXXER today confirmed its final, bonus fight on the televised card which will air live on Sky Sports from Paris, France next month as part of its blockbuster co-promotion with French promotion All Star Promotions.
Joining previously announced bouts which include Dan Azeez battling Thomas Faure for the vacant European light-heavyweight championship and the eagerly-anticipated ring return of Lauren Price MBE, Joe Gallagher protege Macaulay McGowan (17-3-1, 3 KO’s) will face the undefeated Farrhad ‘The Professor’ Saad (8-0-1).
McGowan – who counts Natasha Jonas among his stablemates training under the decorated Gallagher at his training centre in Manchester, England – rides a three-fight win streak into what will be his second bout on European soil.
The previous WBC International Super-Welterweight title challenger fought and won in his home city of Manchester earlier this month and now aims for his second win of the new year as he faces the undefeated Saad.
“‘Have gloves, will travel’ – Macaulay McGowan is a proper throwback fighter. A year ago he went to Spain to challenge Sergio Martinez in Madrid and now here he is again hitting the road for a huge opportunity to cause the upset in Paris,” said his trainer, Joe Gallagher.
Also on the card: ‘Super’ Dan Azeez (18-0, 12 KO’s), the only light-heavyweight fighter in history to win the English, British and Commonwealth titles, takes the next step on his own mission to become a world title contender as he challenges for the vacant EBU European Light-Heavyweight Championship.
Standing opposite him in the 12-round contest will be former European light-heavyweight champion and former French national champion Thomas Faure (21-4-1, 2 KO’s), who rides an eight-fight undefeated streak heading into the bout.
Last December, Azeez defeated Rocky Fielding in Bournemouth – making for four stoppage wins in his last five outings – to complete his ascent from English to British and Commonwealth champion. Set on taking a methodical route on his inexorable rise to world championship contention, Azeez sees the European title as the next crucial stepping stone.
Having last appeared on the historic BOXXER: Legacy show in front of a sold-out crowd at The O2 in London last October, when she impressively stopped Timea Belik in four rounds, Olympic gold medal heroine Lauren Price MBE (2-0, 1 KO) kickstarts her 2023 campaign in Paris against Germany’s Naomi Mannes (6-1, 4 KO’s),
The event is headlined by two Olympians as reigning European heavyweight champion Tony Yoka (11-1, 9 KO’s) faces the heavy-handed Cameroonian Carlos Takam (39-7-1, 28 KO’s).
The event takes place Saturday, March 11 and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK and Republic of Ireland and on Canal+ in France.
