Denny set to battle for European crown
Tyler Denny…if the rumours are correct, his biggest fight is next
SOUTHPAW craftsman Tyler Denny looks set for a European title fight on Birmingham’s major May 6 Resorts World show.
Nothing has yet been officially announced, but rumours swirl of the big fight on the televised Boxxer bill.
As the Rowley Regis 31-year-old put it: “Nothing has been signed and sealed.”
Frankly, it looks like happening. And if so, Denny richly deserves his chance. With more than one European title out there, it’s a question of who will be in the opposite corner.
He has now won three fights on the spin against unbeaten prospects. Coventry’s River Wilson-Bent was outpointed for the English middleweight belt and successful defences followed against Bradley Rea, in Manchester, and Brad Pauls at Wembley. Both were widely outpointed in front of TV cameras.
A British title fight seemed to be within touching distance for Denny – and he was more than miffed to discover the British Boxing Board of Control had ordered him to fight in a final eliminator.
The winner between Denny and Kieran Conway would get the shot. Tyler, understandably, felt he’d earned a straight crack at the crown: “A lot of fighters have done a lot less to earn a British title fight,” he told me.
Denny vowed to take a different path to glory. It appears he has done just that.
Talking to ESBR Boxing youtube site, Tyler said of the European chance: “I think that’s the aim, but nothing is official yet. I’m hoping so, I’m hoping they can get that over the line in the next couple of days.
“I’ve been chasing the British title and getting knocked back, told to do eliminators. I feel like I’ve earned my shot.
“Thanks to Boxxer, if they can steer me in another direction, even better. It’s even better than the British, if that’s the case.
“I’m buzzing to fight in a local one for once rather than being in everyone’s backyard. Birmingham is perfect for me, if I could pick one place in the UK it would be Birmingham. It’s a reward for my fans who have been travelling all over the place.”
And Denny revealed of the trio of hot prospects put to the sword, the victory over Bradley Rea – 14-0 going into last November’s contest – gave him the most satisfaction.
“I wasn’t too pleased with the Brad Pauls one, even if I was dominant in it,” he said. “It was a bit scrappy, but I’m my own worst critic.
“The Bradley Rea fight was in Manchester, Manchester Arena. The guy’s from Manchester. It was great, it even had that bit of drama in the ninth round when I took a body shot.
“That’s definitely the best performance of my career so far. He was signed by Boxxer and at the press conference before they were building him up to be the next Ricky Hatton – a lot of pressure to put on the guy, that was.”