CONQUEST DEFENDS AGAINST McKENZIE

TONY CONQUEST

Commonwealth Cruiserweight Champion Tony Conquest will now defend his title against hard-hitting Ovill McKenzie on Saturday 12th April at the Copper Box Arena.

Romford ace Conquest makes the first defence of the belt that he won in a tough battle against Australian Daniel Ammann last month and it’s a big step up for him to be facing the experienced McKenzie who was Commonwealth champion at light-heavyweight.

McKenzie, from Jamaica and based in Derby, replaces original challenger Carl Dilks who was declined by the Commonwealth Council. The 34-year-old has been a pro for over a decade mixing with some of the best domestic names at 175lbs. He was stopped last time out against Enzo Maccarinelli in the eleventh round in what was, up until then, a brutal fight between the big punchers.

Conquest has bounced back from his first round loss to Neil Dawson in December 2012, stopping David Vicena in a round; coming back from knockdowns in the first two rounds against Wadi Camacho to win on points, and then outpointing Amman to claim the Commonwealth belt.

The 29-year-old is relishing the fight against McKenzie and believes that it will be a war.

He said, “McKenzie is a real blood ‘n guts warrior. He’s a hard, hard, man, supremely fit and carries that big punch. He’s still dangerous now and was giving and taking big shots against Maccarinelli. He’s definitely a big step up for me, but I’m looking forward to testing myself against him

“It’s going to be hard not to be drawn into a war against him, he continually comes forward throwing bombs and I do the same. He’ll be looking to live up to his nickname ‘The Upsetter’ by beating me in my backyard in front of my fans, but that isn’t going to happen,”

“Winning the Commonwealth title was a dream and I want to go all the way to the top and win the world title. McKenzie’s in my way and he’s not going to end that dream.”

Tony Conquest’s Commonwealth Cruiserweight title defence against Ovill McKenzie features on a title-packed show alongside WBO European Super-Middleweight Frank Buglioni, WBA Intercontinental Welterweight Champion Bradley Skeete, English Super-Featherweight title challenger Mitchell Smith and Vacant WBA International Super-Bantamweight Title Challenger Lewis Pettitt. An action-packed undercard features Chris Eubank Jnr., Eddie Chambers, Hughie Fury, Gary Corcoran, Tom Baker, Georgie Kean and the pro-debut of Simon Barclay.

Tickets for The Power Of London, priced from £40, are available from Eventim on 0844 249 1000 or www.eventim.co.uk

(Photo: BOX REC)