Local fighters chase titles

Darren Stubbs

LOCAL boxers Darren Stubbs and Shinny Bayaar will be aiming to punch their way to titles later this month.

Stubbs and Bayaar will both be in action on Sunday, November 16 at Tara Sports and Leisure Centre, Shaw, where they will have tilts at vacant International Masters belts.

Shaw-based Stubbs, the British Masters champion, moves up in class as he takes on Sale’s Mark Nilson for the International Masters light-heavyweight title.

And it is testimony to the desire of the HGV class one lorry driver as he is 37 years of age.

Stubbs did not turn to boxing until the age of 30 after quitting playing local football.

After a handful of amateur fights he turned professional and has a record of 16 wins and four losses from 20 bouts.

“I started boxing late and what I have achieved means everything to me. My dream would be to have a crack at a British title before I call it a day,” he explained.

Bayaar, meanwhile, boxes for the International Masters super-flyweight title, though his opponent has yet to be confirmed.

Mongolian-born Bayaar has been based in Oldham for the last seven years, but has been given indefinite leave to remain here. He is also hoping to gain citizenship in 2009 which would enable him to fight for British, Commonwealth and European titles.

Stubbs and Bayaar are members of Jack Doughty’s Shaw-based Tara stable and two more of his boxers will be making their professional debuts on the same bill.

Limeside’s Alan Winterbottom will have his first pro bout at the age of 35. Featherweight Winterbottom fought as an amateur, but only returned to action last year after a lengthy break.

Rochdale’s Anser Hussain, also a featherweight, gets his chance in the paid ranks having had over 20 bouts as an amateur.

Tickets for the show are priced at £35 ringside and £20 elsewhere.

WBF featherweight champion Choi Tseveenpurev, another member of Doughty’s stable, has been busy as he waits for his next fight.

He has been in Belfast sparring with IBC super-bantamweight champion Bernard Dunne and in Hartlepool doing likewise with Michael Hunter, the British and European super-bantamweight champion.