Reeve lines up British title challenge

Nathan Reeve is weighing up his big-fight options after being handed the date for his next fight.

The British Masters super-flyweight champion is back in the ring on a big show at Wolverhampton Civic Hall on Saturday, March 9.

An injury to his right hand has kept Reeve out of action since his terrific title-winning effort in front of a sell-out crowd at the Park Inn Hotel last September.

His dramatic eight-round stoppage of Terry Broadbent also secured him the Northamptonshire Leisure Trust's Sportsman-of-the-Year award and  No 2 spot in top website BoxRec's ratings.

British champion Paul Butler is currently No 1 and while Reeve could challenge him this year, he could take another route to the Lonsdale belt.

Promoter Frank Maloney hopes  British and Commonwealth flyweight champion Kevin Satchell will move on to box for European and possibly world honours this year and that would create an opening for Reeve in the eight-stone division.

"I want to be mixing with the best this year - and I've got to look at what my options are," said the 23 year-old from Kingsley.

"I'm highly rated at super-flyweight, but I could make flyweight if an opportunity came along. I'm sure I would still be strong at the weight.

"It's been really frustrating since my last fight.

"The physiotherapist  said I had tendon damage and told me to rest my hand. I still went out running, but I'm a fighter, not a runner and it's been hard.   

"I've established my place as one of the top fighters in the country and haven't been able to build on it.

"I've got to keep fighting, keep winning and take my chances when they come my way."

The show at Wolverhampton Civic Hall will mark 70 years of boxing at the Black Country fight venue.

Promoter PJ Rowson is planning a day of celebration and all boxers who fought at the Civic 

Hall are invited to pick up a medal. Northampton welterweight Davey Cox was a winner there three times during his professional career in the 1980s.

Tickets for the show are available from 07725-098499 

Costello now meets Butler for English crown

Thomas 'The Natural' Costello will now meet Danny Butler for the vacant English middleweight championship at Wolverhampton Civic Hall.

Costello had been paired with Tony Hill for the St Georges belt vacated by Nick 'Bang Bang' Blackwell, but the Southampton southpaw has decided to campaign at super-middleweight.

Costello, Butler and undercard fighters including flyweight hope Nathan Reeve will follow in the footsteps of British boxing greats when they box at the famous Black Country fight venue on Saturday, March 9. 

Promoter PJ Rowson's show will celebrate 70 years of professional boxing at Wolverhampton Civic Hall.

The first show there was on March 8, 1943, and was topped by Jack London. The following year, he beat Freddie Mills for the British heavyweight title.

Maurice Cullen won the first British-title fight held at the Civic Hall by outpointing Viv Andreetti in defence of his lightweight title on November 30, 1965, and Maurice Hope, Bunny Johnson, Pat Cowdell, Pat Barrett, Hugh Forde, Wayne Elcock and Enzo Maccarinelli all won British-title battles.

Back in the 1960s, heavyweight hero Henry Cooper recorded a pair of spectacular one-round knockouts at the Civic Hall.

More recently, Elcock kept his British middleweight title with a cuts win over local favourite Darren McDermott and Enzo Maccarinelli outslugged Shane McPhilbin for the British cruiserweight belt in another thriller.

World champions Dennis Andries, Chris Pyatt and Joe Calzaghe all boxed at the venue.  

Calzaghe stopped kickboxing champ Trevor Ambrose in two rounds in November 1994 when Richie Woodhall topped the bill. He defended his Commonwealth middleweight title with an 11th-round stoppage of Art Serwano.

Rowson stages regular value-for-money shows at Wolverhampton Civic Hall and fight fans have seen fight-of-the-year contenders including Steve Saville-Baz Carey and Mark Lloyd-AA Lowe.

The undercard on March 9 also includes Chris Male, back in the ring after losing a terrific English-title scrap to Josh Warrington, and unbeatens Ricky Summers, Redditch's Andrew Robinson, Lance Brooks, Luke Paddock and Cannock ticket-seller Dave Egan, a spectacular knock-out winner in his last fight.

Stourbridge powerhouse Steven Pearce also gets back in the ring following last week's welterweight 'Prizefighter.'

Tickets, priced at £35 and £55, are available from Box Office 0870 320 7000 and more information is available from 07976-283157.