Sam Eggington-Frankie Gavin tops Oct. 17 Birmingham bill
English welterweight contender Sam Eggington will face countryman Frankie Gavin at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham on Oct. 17.
The clash between the Brummie pair tops a Matchroom-promoted show that includes the latest outing at junior middleweight for another local favorite, Matthew Macklin. The 33-year-old Macklin (33-6, 22 knockouts) faces Jason Welborn (17-3, 6 KOs), from the West Midlands.
Eggington (16-2, 9 KOs) puts his British and Commonwealth belts on the line against Gavin (22-2, 13 KOs), who is back in action for the first time since May when he was stopped in the sixth round by IBF titleholder Kell Brook.
Stourbridge star Eggington, only 21, has been making waves on the domestic front for the past 18 months and Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn is impressed that both he and Gavin are so keen to square up. Hearn is also buzzing at the prospect of staging his second major show in Birmingham.
“To be honest I’m still in shock that this fight and this card has come together like this,” Hearn said Tuesday. “I have to take my hat off to Frankie and Sam. Frankie is straight back in the war zone after his defeat to Kell and Sam is putting all his hard work on the line at only 21.
“These are the kind of fights that ignite a city, and add the local derby of Macklin versus Welborn, plus Khal Yafai versus Doncaster’s Jason Cunningham for the British strap – Birmingham has a night on October 17 to get very excited about.”