Dave Ryan will defend his Commonwealth Light Welterweight title against John Wayne Hibbert on the huge May 30 bill at The O2 in London.
The show already boasts two World title clashes plus a huge fight for Heavyweight favourite Anthony Joshua MBE, and fight fans will be licking their lips as the in-form Ryan and Hibbert clash.
Derby’s Ryan landed the Commonwealth crown by taking talented Tyrone Nurse’s unbeaten record in Leeds in October, a result that followed his win over former World title challenger Paul McCloskey. Hibbert’s confidence is sky high after two great wins at The O2, landing the WBC International title in October with a fifth round stoppage of Leonardo Gonzalez and then defending it in style in January by stopping Tyler Goodjohn in eight rounds.
It’s also a revenge mission for Hibbert as the pair met in March 2013 in Essex, with Ryan edging that English title eliminator by just two points on the referee’s scorecard – a decision that Hibbert believes should have gone his way.
Mitchell challenges Jorge Linares for the WBC Lightweight title and Selby is looking to rip the IBF World Featherweight title from Evgeny Gradovich as Joshua meets former World Heavyweight title challenger Kevin ‘Kingpin’ Johnson on a bumper night for fight fans.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing this rematch,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “Both fighters have come a long way since the first fight and get the opportunity to do it again in front of a packed crowd at The O2. John has a huge fan base so I think most of Essex will be there on the night. It’s going to be a wonderful atmosphere and it’s a true 50-50 scrap for the title.”
Tickets are now on general sale for the bumper night of boxing at The O2 with tickets priced £40, £60, £80, £100 and £200 available from www.theO2.co.uk and on 0844 856 0202. The £400 VIP packages are exclusively available through www.matchroomboxing.com.
