Evans tops the bill in Cannock hometown

Zach Evans…fights at Excelsior Sporting Club on Thursday

CANNOCK’S Zach Evans fights in his hometown for the second time in under a month when he steps through the ropes at the town’s plush Excelsior Club next Thursday, May 23.

And the light-middle will hope to repeat the fireworks he produced at the same Premier Suite venue when he fought on Scott Murray’s first public show, staged on April 28.

On that Sunday afternoon, Zach looked one to watch as he demolished usually durable Iliyan Markov in two rounds. A right uppercut-left hook combinations spelt curtains for the Bulgarian.

This time the 26-year-old makes his first bow on Scott’s black tie sporting club, a venue that harks back to the ‘70s and ’80s days of red carpet, fine dining fight evenings.

Among the VIPs watching Zach in action will be Ohio’s former lightweight great Ray Mancini, a personal friend of the promoter.

Zach looks for his sixth straight win against Connor Meanwell, an honest, aggressive boxer who comes to win.

He’s never been stopped, but two wins in nine outings reveal the Newark, Nottinghamshire, boxer’s defensive deficiencies.

The bout is over six rounds and should be entertaining. Zach’s incentive will be becoming the first to prevent Meanwell hearing the final bell.

Scott, the man, along with Jon Pegg, now guiding Evans’ career, was full of praise following last month’s demolition job.

“Zach looked fantastic,” said the former heavyweight, “he came out throwing punches from the start. He’s out again on my show in June and the plan is to get him a Midlands title fight by the end of the year.”

Evans, who works as a scaffolder by day, said: “I know Meanwell comes to win, which I’m very happy about.

“The trouble with journeymen is that if they’re not throwing anything back you can’t look good against them.

“As I’m settling into the pro game, the power is developing. I knew Iliyan was going to be hard to stop, so I wanted to make that statement.

“I’ve been training at Eastside and sparring with Kaisee Benjamin which has really brought me on.”

When Evans turned pro, he probably didn’t dare dream of headlining in his own patch – then Cannock’s Scott Murray burst on the scene.

Zach added: “Scott’s a fantastic promoter, very enthusiastic. When I saw what he was doing at the Excelsior, I thought, ‘no way am I missing out on fighting in my hometown.”