GBM Sports will launch 2024 with a card in Sheffield on Friday 9th February at the Canon Medical Arena that will feature two of Britain’s top boxers, Shakiel Thompson and Thomas Essomba. The event will also feature a 50/50 English super bantamweight title showdown between Stevi Levy and Ebonie Jones which will be streamed free on Talk Sport YouTube Boxing Channel.
Promoter Izzy Asif follows up on his ‘Clash on the Court’ event last October that officially opened the brand new Canon Medical Arena, the new home to the basketball teams the Sheffield Sharks and Hatters.
Thompson (10-0-0, 6 KO’s), who features on the card via Sky Sports and promoter BOXXER, will face a competitive test against a former European Kick Boxing champion in Gino Kanters.
Sheffield based Cameroonian, Essomba (12-8-1, 4 KO’s) who made headlines around the world when he and his teammates from the Cameroon boxing team walked out of the athletes’ village at London 2012 and defected. Just over a decade later, Essomba was crowned European Champion in May when he dethroned Italian Alessio Lorusso in Monza. Now calling Sheffield his home after being granted full citizenship in 2020, Essomba will make the first defence of the title on home turf against the tough Frenchman Konki (14-1-0, 1 KO).
Essomba said, “I’m just so happy to be defending my EBU title at home and looking forward to putting on a show for my Sheffield people.”
Levy (9-2-0), Norfolk’s first ever female professional boxer, and Portsmouth’s Jones (4-0-1), a former soldier in the Royal Engineers, will collide in a real 50/50 battle with the Vacant English super bantamweight title on the line.
Unbeaten super featherweight Faraqat ‘Frak’ Ali (8-0-0) defeated Mexican Christian Lopes Flores last time out and is now on the edge of contention to challenge for the first title of his career.
On February 9, Sheffield will be the setting for a night of remarkable boxing action that should not be missed. Fans can watch the fight on Talk Sport YouTube Boxing Channel for free.
