THERE will be another spectacular first for professional boxing in Jersey when the Island hosts an International Boxing Federation world title eliminator at the end of next month.

And again it will be Island resident Dennis Hobson’s Fight Academy that will be putting on the bill, with former IBF world champion Clinton Woods, now ranked fourth in the world, taking on American Elvir Muriqi as the top of the bill contest.

Clinton, one of Britain’s most popular pugilists, lost his world crown in April, on points, to Antonio Tarver.
But a win over the highly-rated Muriqi – who himself lost a split-decision fight against Tarver – would put him in line for the IBF crown again against another American Tavoris Cloud, as current champion Chad Dawson is expected to relinquish his crown to chase a fight against Joe Calzaghe or Bernard Hopkins.

Jersey roared onto the big-time professional boxing scene in October at the Hotel De France, when Fight Academy’s Femi Fehintola lost his English super featherweight title, in front of a crowd approaching 600, in dramatic fashion when London’s Ryan Barrett knocked him out in the third round.

Pictured: Clinton Woods