Although Tommy Coyle may be the
star turn at Hull's City Hall on Friday November 2, when he takes
on Portugal's Antonio Joao Bento for the WBC International
Silver lightweight title, the occasion is also a huge night for
another local fighter, Danny Little.
Little, a stable mate of Coyle's,
will make his professional debut on the show and, when the
Driffield native steps through the ropes, he will finally be
achieving a dream he has nurtured since watching his
boxing heroes as a youngster and then lacing up the
gloves.
"I always wanted to be a boxer
after watching Tyson and Rocky Marciano," said Little,
27. "When I was a kid and people asked me what I wanted
to be, I always told them it was to be a professional fighter.
"I just want to go as far as I can
in the sport. Whether that's an English or British
title, I don't mind as long as I put the dedication
in. I'm achieving an ambition I've had since I was 10 so
anything more is a bonus for me."
Danny, a window cleaner by day, is
ecstatic to be getting his first stab at punching for pay on
Coyle's undercard. Tommy, who hopes to eventually become
Hull's first ever British champion, is a huge fan favourite and
Little is pleased to be able to showcase himself in front of a
bumper crowd.
"I train with Tommy every day at
the Stevie Smith Boxing Academy and it's great to have someone like
him in the gym to push you and to look up to," stated Little, who
won 17 of 25 amateur bouts.
"It's fantastic on my debut to be
fighting in front of a lot of people and hopefully I can make a
name for myself. I've been training for five months
straight and I can't wait to get in there and show everyone what I
can do. I'm a come forward boxer and I love to fight and
give the crowd excitement. I really want to put on a
good show."
"We're really excited to be
putting on this show in Hull and giving some of the fighters from
this city the chance to make a name for themselves," explained
Steve Wood, chief at Manchester-based VIP Promotions.
"Obviously Tommy is heading the
card, but we've also got Hull fighters Tom Knight and Danny Little
on the show too. I would love to have had more local
talent on the bill but we haven't had full co-operation from some
of the boxing fraternity in Hull, which is a shame as it's only the
boxers that suffer.
"This will be a great card though
and if it's anything like Tommy's previous appearances at the City
Hall then the atmosphere will be electric. We also have a
couple of prospects from the North West on the show in Luke
Blackledge and Liam Taylor, and hopefully Tommy will pick up the
WBC belt and go on to even greater things."
'City Hall Showdown 4' will
take place at the Hull City Hall on November
2. Tommy Coyle versus Antonio Joao
Bento headlines an undercard that includes Accrington's
British Masters light-heavyweight champion Luke Blackledge;
Grimsby's former British flyweight title challengerWayne Bloy;
Middleton's undefeated 4-0 prospect Liam Taylor;
Lancashire's Isaac Lowe - who has his
second bout after an exciting KO victory on his debut,
while Driffield's Danny Little and Hull's Tom
Knight will both make their debuts.
Tickets, priced at £20 (Gallery),
£30 (General), £45 (Stage/VIP), £60 (Ringside/VIP) are available
from the boxers direct, The Hull City Hall Box Office, The Stevie
Smith Boxing Academy, or online at: www.steviesmithboxing.com and www.vipbe.co.uk
31/10/2012 16:23:27