Derry Mathews continued his resurgence with a stunning KO victory over Curtis Woodhouse on Saturday night. The Liverpudlian is one of many claiming bragging rights in the domestic lightweight division - we take a closer look at the pecking order.
Monday 23 September 2013 11:19, UK
The lightweight division is buzzing with talent on both the domestic and international scene. Here we assess the merits of eight British fighters making their name at the 9st 9lb weight limit.
Tommy Coyle Age 23 Stats: 15-2 The Hull youngster has done very little wrong in a 17-fight career and put the cat amongst the pigeons by dominating the experienced Mathews for nine and a half rounds of their vacant Commonwealth title fight. That performance proved Coyle belongs at the top table domestically although things are not about to get any easier. He could be catching Rees at just the right time though, and victory over the former world champion would be a great name on the resume. Should he lose, at 23 Coyle is still young enough to rebuild. Guided by former European champion Jamie Moore, there is surely more to come. Martin Gethin Age 29 Stats 24-4-1 The 'Quiet Man' from the Black Country currently holds the British title but finds himself in the 'who needs him' club. The board has put a mandatory defence against Crolla out to purse bids but it is unlikely the latter will return to British level. Gethin is another to have overcome adversity - in his case a hat-trick of defeats in 2009 followed by career-threatening back surgery. But he has rebuilt and the way he picked apart Ben Murphy earlier this year suggests he can mix it in higher company. Indeed, he took the opportunity to fight Ammeth Diaz in an IBF final eliminator but came up short in what amounted to a 'nothing to lose' fight. But with the likes of Mathews, Crolla and Mitchell having moved on, Gethin may struggle to attract the big names in the division, at least for the time being. Terry Flannigan Age 24 Stats 20-0 Burst onto the scene with wins over Mathews and Gary Sykes in last year's Prizefighter event. However, he has not yet used that victory as a launchpad with just two outings in the interim - with early wins over journeyman Mickey Coveney and 'shot' 41-year-old American Nate Campbell. Set to fight again next month and we can expect to see Terry thrown into the title mix over the next 12 months.
