Eales and Abubaker in Sky Blue title fight
Abubaker with manager Anthony Manning (right)
THE blue touchpaper has been lit. Now it’s a question of waiting for the explosion when Ashlee Eales and Amir Abubaker collide in an all-Coventry barnstormer.
On the line will be Eales’ Midlands light-middleweight belt and sky blue bragging rights.
The pair are scheduled to meet at Birmingham’s Eastside Rooms on December 15 after Abubaker’s manager and promoter Anthony Manning won the purse bid. Both will squeeze in a fight before the big night.
It is a bull and matador battle, pitting Eales footwork and sublime skills against the wrecking ball power that Abubaker possesses. And let’s not forget, Eales is also very heavy handed.
It is a fight that has already sparked debate in gyms. Will unbeaten Amir, who has stopped four of his six opponents, still carry that ferocious power at 11st, a weight he has never made in the paid ranks? He’s never really been close to making it.
A barber by day, Amir has cut down every fighter put in front of him.
Will Eales, one of the game’s true showman, still possesses that same all-consuming self belief after losing his unbeaten record last time out?
After racking up 10 straight wins and taking the title with a superb away victory over favoured Stanley Stannard, Ashlee was surprising outpointed by Omir Rodriguez on GBM’s mammoth June show at Coventry Skydome. He suffered a broken hand in that bout: fragile fists have been a reoccurring problem for the KO artist.
Abubaker, who arrived here from war-torn Iraq as a four-year-old, fought on the same bill. The 24-year-old demolished usually durable Serge Ambomo with one mighty uppercut.
Anthony Manning said: “The fight is signed, sealed and delivered and it won’t go the full 10 rounds.
Ashlee Eales...one of the game's true showmen
“Amir is a throwback fighter, they don’t produce fighters like him anymore. Amir is an old-school fighter. He will be in big fights and big nights.”
Making weight won’t be a problem, Manning pledged.
He added: “He made 70 kilos (11st) as an amateur 18 months ago, he walks around at 74.”
Abubaker burns with the ambition to be Britain’s first Kurdish champ. He may not yet be a household name in this country, but enjoys near sporting superstar status in Iraq.
He recently flew over for a headline interview on kurdsatnews tv.
Abubaker certainly looks a very intimidating character. He told me: “I want to be the first world champion from Coventry, I want to represent my city.
“When the **** hits the fan, that’s when I really fight. Some can’t, I can. I find another gear – maybe it’s because I’m from Kurdistan.”
Former dancer Eales is boxing Marmite. You either love his brash, swaggering style and comments or you hate them.
Either way, you’ll buy a ticket to his fights. The man knows how to sell a show.
In a recent interview, he said: “I’m the bandit boy of boxing, I’m always gambling on myself, always looking to hit the jackpot.
“I’m going to show my skills, people are going to say, ‘he should be in big fights’. They are going to see something sensational.
“From the start, people have looked down on me and said I couldn’t do the things I’ve done. Everything I’ve said I’d do, I’ve done.”
Make no mistake, December’s contest is about much more than the Midlands title. It’s about being crowned the boxing king of Coventry.