STALKER STARTS COMEBACK ON HUGE ECHO ARENA SHOW

Liverpool favourite Tom Stalker makes his big return to the ring on Friday 6th March at the Echo Arena as he looks to get back to winning ways.

Stalker suffered his first career loss to rival Jack Catterall in a brutal battle last October, but has vowed to return stronger than before when he features on the undercard of Liverpool’s biggest ever boxing show.

The 30-year-old light-welterweight makes his comeback in an eight-rounder on the show headed up by Mathews’s challenge for the WBA World Lightweight title against champion Richar Abril and Ellesmere Port’s Paul Butler taking on Zolani Tete for his IBF World Super-Flyweight, live and exclusive on BoxNation.

His eight-round war with Catterall saw him floored in the opening two rounds, but he fought his way back into the fight and looked at one point to be turning it around when he caused Catterall’s right eye to swell grotesquely before the Chorley southpaw landed a huge left that rocked Stalker and the referee stepped in moments later to halt it.

Despite losing his unbeaten record and challenge for the WBO European title against Catterall, Stalker says Mathews, who’s lost nine times in his career, is ideal inspiration to get his career back on track towards championship honours.

“Watching the fight back again, the referee was right to stop it when he did, although at the time it was hard to swallow the decision as no fighter wants to be stopped, it’s not in our nature,” said Stalker.

“Going into the fight it was a genuine 50-50 between me and Catterall.  Unfortunately for me it was the night that it all went wrong, I came up short, but my team at the MGM have done a great job and stuck by me and I believe that I’ve got a very bright future ahead of me,”

“I hadn’t lost as a pro and hardly lost as an amateur so it was very hard to take, but there’s no shame in it, it happens in boxing and the main thing is that you stick at it and come back stronger and now I’m looking to the future,”

“Just look at Derry, he’s had an incredible career, he’s lost and come back, he’s stuck at it and now he’s fighting for the world title in our home city which is fantastic.  If that’s not inspirational for any fighter who’s lost I don’t know what is,”

“Frank Warren rang me up the day after the fight and promised he’d get me back out on the next show in Liverpool and he’s done that and look at the show that I’m on, it’s massive, it’s the biggest night in Liverpool’s boxing history, it’s going to be amazing and it means the world to me.”

World title fights Tete v Butler and Abril v Mathews headlines Mersey Boys that also features Liam Smith’s Vacant WBO Intercontinental Light-Middleweight title challenge;Kevin Satchell’s defence of the European Flyweight Championship; Jazza Dickens v Josh Wale for the Vacant British Super-Bantamweight Championship; Jack Catterall’s defence of the WBO European Light-Welterweight Championship; plus the return of Tom Stalker in an eight-round contest and Stephen Lewis in a six-round contest.

Tickets, priced at £40, £50, £75, £100 and £150 are on sale on now from the Liverpool Echo Arena Box Office on 0844 8000 400 or www.echoarena.com and Eventim on 0844 249 1000 or www.eventim.co.uk

BoxNation will televise live and exclusive on Sky 437/HD 490, Virgin 546 and Talk Talk 525.  Subscribe at www.boxnation.com  Or watch online at Livesport.tv and via iPhone, iPad or Android.