Greaves honoured by his fellow boxers

0:00am Fri Oct 03, 2008

Newarks Carl Greaves was named as the “boxer of the past” at the Midlands Area Council awards at the Eaton Hotel in Birmingham.

The former WBF world superfeatherweight champion is the youngest to win the award at 32. Greaves, who now trains, manages and promotes fighters out of Newark, admitted that he was too emotional to make a speech after the award.

“It was a great honour, and there were some kind words said about me, but I had to give the microphone back because I was too emotional about it all,” said Greaves.

Greaves has got a busy month ahead of him, both as a trainer and a promoter, with Amir Unsworth headlining the next Greaves promoted card next month in Sleaford as he fight for an International Masters title against reigning champion Paul Holborn from Sunderland.

Greaves will have a busy month as he will be promoting a dinner at the Newark Showground on November 1.

The show will feature former WBC heavyweight champion Frank Bruno, former Mike Tyson sparring partner “Big” Joe Egan, and Cass Pennant, a former football hooligan and now a successful author, publisher and producer of the hit film “CASS”.

Greaves is also now training a rising star from Ghana at his Newark stable, with the number one contender for the Commonwealth and WBC international titles in Greaves’s old super featherweight division, Yakubu Amidu.

Greaves said: “It’s great to have a fighter like Yakubu in my camp, and he’s living in Newark and training with me.

“He’s 16-1-1 with 16 knockouts, and his only loss is on a majority decision to the world- rated Ali Funeka in a lightweight contest.

“It’s great for Newark to have a world-class fighter here, and we’re aiming for the WBC world title in the long-term but want to get our hands on the Commonwealth first.

“We’ve gelled together well in training and we’re going to hopefully go all the way to the top.”

Esham Pickering, the former British, Commonwealth and European super bantamweight champion, will return to the ring on November 7 in Wigan when he takes on reigning champion Mark Moran from Liverpool in an English title fight.

“If he wins we’ll be looking at lining up a fight with Rendall Munroe,” said Greaves, “but if he loses it will be the end of the road.

“He’s feeling a lot more positive in himself at the moment, but he knows that his career is on the line in this one.”

Britain’s boxing star Carl Froch will fight for a world title on prime time ITV1, as part of a new deal announced with Hennessy Sports.

The former RHP ABC man will meet Canadian star Jean Pascal for the WBC Super middleweight world title in his home city of Nottingham at the Trent FM Arena on December 6, with both fighters going into the contest unbeaten.