Innovative new boxing promotion, The Box Off, confirmed on Monday that former WBO cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson MBE will join as the Leeds Captain to complete its star-studded line up, with Ricky Hatton, Tom Skinner, and Jaykae leading teams from Manchester, London and Birmingham respectively.

The Box Off 2023 will see the four city-based teams compete head-to-head in an exciting knock-out competition, which will pit some of the country’s best up and coming talent against each other.

The Box Off confirmed its three captains last week, promising fans a huge name would be announced to lead the team from Leeds, with British boxing icon Nelson charged with leading his prospective champions into the knockout competition format.

Nelson reigned as WBO cruiserweight titleholder for seven years. Photo courtesy of Sky Sports

Nelson, who is the longest-reigning world cruiserweight champion in history, will be captaining Leeds ‘The Armoury’. Nelson said:

“It’s a real honor to be representing the city of Leeds through this revolutionary new tournament. As a proud Yorkshireman, I’ll be giving everything to ensure we’re recognized as THE home of boxing in the UK.

“I was fortunate enough to have Brendan Ingle mentor me through my career and if I can pass on any of his legacy to my team, then I’m certain Leeds will be victorious in Telford next month.”

Razi Hassan, Managing Director at The Box Off commented:

“We’ve worked so hard as an organization for the past three years to deliver an exciting new product to the boxing world, and we couldn’t have asked for better captains to help execute our vision.

“Johnny is one of the most recognizable figures in British boxing thanks to his punditry following a stellar career as cruiserweight world champion. I can’t wait to see how he gets on alongside Ricky Hatton, Tom Skinner and Jaykae.”

Photo courtesy of Sky Sports

The teams will be matched in two semi-finals, deciding which individual fighters will go through to the final. The format sees fighters from London and Birmingham face off in one half of the draw, with fighters from Leeds taking on Manchester in the other.

The Box Off’s first event will take place in Telford at the Telford International Centre on Saturday September 16.

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