Want value for money? See big Birmingham card this Sunday by Tom Podmore Apr 7th 2008

Eight years after the last boxing event held at the venue – a Pat Cowdell-promoted Midland Area super-middleweight title fight between Wolverhampton's Alex Mason and Chesterfield's Martin Jolley – Edgbaston's famous Tower Ballroom will host professional boxing once more. That's because Birmingham-based Pugilist Promotions (former pro bantamweight Jon Pegg and pro trainer John Costello) put on their latest professional and amateur card on Sunday (April 13). As with their first one, a 14-fight show at the Custard Factory in November, there will be both amateurs and professionals on show. Twelve amateur contests, involving boxers from the talented Chelmsley Wood Police Amateur Boxing Club, will get the Sunday afternoon show (due to start at 1pm) underway before a short break, 30 minutes, and then seven professional bouts closing the show. Those on the pro side of the bill include Erdington's ‘Sweet' D Mitchell, 7-1 (2), Bartley Green's Eddie ‘Braveheart' McIntosh, 3-0 (1), Ombersley's Alex ‘Sledgehammer' Strutt, 1-0 (1), Atherstone's Danny Coyle, 1-0 (0), Coventry southpaw Llewelyn ‘The Blessed One' Davies, debut, Small Heath first-timer Nasser Al Harbi and Ballymena's Joe Rea, 5-0-1 (4). The addition of 24-year-old ‘Sugar' Rea to the Pugilist Promotions ranks looks an interesting one. The hard-hitting Irish super-middleweight went unbeaten in America, basing himself in Boston, before taking time off after a majority four-round draw with unbeaten Valentino Jalomo in August 2006. Originally coached by former world title challenger Micky Ward, Joe is now settled in Birmingham and being trained by co-promoter John Costello. Rea will see six-threes bill-topping action against sturdy Barnsley southpaw Rob Burton, a former two-weight Central Area boss known for taking good fighters the distance, incidentally. And the Tower Ballroom has been home to some unforgettable fights and fighters over the years. The likes of undisputed world lightweight boss Ken Buchanan, who lost a British title eliminator to Coventry's Steve Early, and former British champions Dick Turpin, Roy Rutherford, Hughie Forde and Rob McCracken have all laced on the gloves there. Countless Midland Area, British Masters, minor ‘world' champions and British, Commonwealth, European and recognised world title challengers (Howard Clarke, IBF light-middle, and Rob McCracken, WBC middleweight) have seen action on the banks of the Edgbaston reservoir. Co-promoter and matchmaker Jon Pegg has himself fought at the Birmingham venue, losing a competitive six-round decision to future Michael Gomez conqueror Danny Ruegg in 1994. Leamington-based Gordon Behan was another regular performer at the Ballroom, making several defences of his Midland Area middleweight belt. The one performance that sticks out is the nine-round cracker against Burton's Matt Galer, who would go on to win the belt at light-middleweight in 2005, in 1999. He also overcame hard-hitting British and Commonwealth title challenger Robert Wright in another barnstormer. The three titanic Midland Area light-heavyweight title scraps between Birmingham's Steve Pettit and Wolverhampton's Nigel Rafferty (one win apiece and a draw) and the Area middleweight fight between Darren Sweeney and Michael Monaghan are other examples of the venue bringing the best out of the protagonists. And the next generation of Midland-based fighters will hope to follow in their counterparts illustrious footsteps. Tickets (£25 for 19 paid and unpaid bouts) are available from Jon Pegg on 07973-635135.

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