London, UK (11 May 2019) Derrick Osaze was crowned winner of Ultimate Boxxer III: The Middleweights in a thrilling night of action at The Indigo at The O2 in London last night, exclusively live on BT Sport.

In the Final, the Punching Preacher, who was MansionBet 10/1, defeated the resilient Grant Dennis to win the Gold Robe and a large share of the £50,000 prize money.

The 25-year-old from Peckham, now based in Nottingham, who is a Minister at his local church, said before the tournament that he had the most powerful support from God to take him to victory and he proved it by defeating his UB III rivals.

In the Quarter Final, Osaze was drawn against Grays’ Tey Lynn Jones and produced a dramatic knockdown in the second round before going on to win on points.

He then caused the biggest shock of the tournament in the Semi-Final by defeating the MansionBet favourite Northampton’s Kieron Conway in a very close fight by split decision.

On the opposite side of the draw, Dennis had a great run to the Final with a third round TKO of Joe Hurn in the Quarters and then in the Semis he floored Sean Philips twice in the opening round and had to get up from a knockdown in the third to win by one point.

The final was a very close and intense with so much on the line for both men but Osaze dropping Dennis in the third round clinched it for him with judges’ scores of 29-27, 29-27, with one judge scoring 28-28. Osaze was presented with the Golden Robe by former World Heavyweight Champion Shannon Briggs.

An emotional Osaze said afterwards, “It’s unbelievable to win Ultimate Boxxer, but I always believed that I would win. There was never any doubt in mind that I wouldn’t come out the winner. It’s my self belief and pure hard work. All the other boxers wanted to win but I wanted it more. I know how hard I trained for this and how much I believed in myself so there was never any doubt in my mind. I was never coming here for one or two fights, it was always for the three fight and I was going to leave the Ultimate Boxxer. I said it and I achieved it. Now I want to push for an English title and then the British title. Ultimate Boxxer has given me a fantastic opportunity and I grabbed it and I hope that this will be an inspiration for other boxers.”

On the undercard, Manchester lightweight Sean Fennell defeated Lithuanian Simas Volosinas 40-36; Birmingham’s undefeated light-heavyweight talent and UB II winner Shakan Pitters made a welcome return and defeated Dmitrij Kalinovskij 60-54; Birmingham middleweight and Love Island star Idris Virgo saw his fight against Rene Molik end in a technical draw after an accidental clash of heads in the second round.

ULTIMATE BOXXER III FULL RESULTS

Quarter-Final 1
Kieron Conway WUD3 (27-30, 27-30, 27-30) Kaan Hawes

Quarter-Final 2
Derrick Osaze WUD3 (27-29, 27-29, 27-29) Tey Lynn Jones

Quarter-Final 3
Sean Philips WTKO1 Josh Groombridge

Quarter-Final 4
Grant Dennis WTKO3 Joe Hurn

Semi-Final 1
Derrick Osaze WSD3 (29-28, 29-28, 28-28) Kieron Conway

Semi-Final 2
Grant Dennis WUD3 (28-27, 28-27, 28-27) Sean Phillips

Final
Derrick Osaze WMD3 (29-27, 28-28, 29-27) Grant Dennis

London, UK (1 May 2019) Gritty Gravesend gunslinger Sean Phillips is the youngest entrant in the field when eight middleweights collide for Ultimate Boxxer III glory at The Indigo at The O2 on Friday 10th May, and only Derrick Osaze has boxed fewer pro rounds. However, the undefeated 22 year old Kent clouter claims only the foolish will dismiss him.

UB III, sponsored by MansionBet, is exclusively live on BT Sports, BT Sports’ You Tube channel – available to anyone to watch for free – and the dedicated boxing channel BoxNation.

‘I want them all to underestimate me. They’ll get a big shock! I’m not in this to play about,’ claims ‘The Captain’ who, at 6ft 1in, is the tourney’s joint tallest competitor.

‘Forget my age, my heart will set me apart from all the others. I’ll also be the fittest. I’ve always loved my running – I was training for the London marathon before this opening cropped up – so I can sustain a very high work rate. And I’m aggressive. I guarantee pure excitement.’

The Reigate born redhead has been fine tuning his fighting skills for over a decade now and even passed through the famous Fisher Downside facility in Bermondsey, south London, which previously produced world champions Sid Smith, Terry Downes and Lloyd Honeyghan.

‘When I was 12, my dad took me down the local Nemesis gym because I had too much energy. I later moved to the Fisher but I was a hopeless amateur, to be honest. All that darted in and out just didn’t suit me,’ states Phillips who still triumphed in 15 of his 20 unpaid bouts.

After shedding his singlet in July 2017, the then 20 year old was restricted to a share of the spoils against Wiltshire’s wily Anthony Fox on his paid bow.

However, sharpshooter Sean – who is trained and managed by Martin Bowers at The Peacock Gym in Canning Town, east London – has not conceded a single round in five subsequent starts and will land at Indigo haemorrhaging confidence.

‘I’m not in boxing to turn down good opportunities like this,’ says Phillips who has been drawn against Uttoxeter action man Josh Groombridge in a salivating quarter-final.

‘Groombridge is a decent lad. Like me, he’ll come and have a go and we’ll find out who’s better on the night.

‘There’s some very good fighters on the other side of the draw. I see Osaze meeting Conway in the other semi. Derrick’s very strong whereas Kieron’s a good counter puncher so whoever comes through will be a worthy finalist.

But I’m gonna prove that I can dig deepest, bite hardest on my gumshield. Winning this should lead to titles, Southern Area, English…then I’m on my way.’

Ultimate Boxxer III is on Friday 10th May at The Indigo at The O2 and starts off with the exciting showdowns:

Quarter-Final 1: Kaan Hawes v Kieron Conway
Quarter-Final 2: Tey Lynn Jones v Derrick Osaze
Quarter-Final 3: Sean Philips v Josh Groombridge
Quarter-Final 4: Joe Hurn v Grant Dennis

For Ultimate Boxxer III MansionBet odds CLICK HERE

An action packed undercard will see the return of the highly-rated and undefeated Light-Heavyweight talent and UB II winner Shakan Pitters and unbeaten super-middleweight prospect Idris Virgo who is out to prove to critics he is more than just a reality star.

Remaining tickets are available from ticketmaster.co.uk AXS.com and ultimateboxxer.com priced at:

£30 Balcony Standing (General Admission)
£35 Floor Standing (General Admission)
£55 Upper Balcony Seats
£70 Outer Ringside
£100 Inner Ringside
£200 Kings Row (Padded Balcony seats, separate bar, VIP entrance)

For all VIP & Corporate Packages please contact www.sportandmusic.co.uk

London, UK (24 April 2019) South London scrapper Derrick Osaze launches himself into next month’s spectacular Ultimate Boxxer III: The Middleweights on Friday 10th May at the Indigo at The O2, bolstered by the strongest support network in the sport, The Lord Almighty, no less!

UB III is exclusively live on BT Sports, BT Sports’ You Tube channel – available to anyone to watch for free – and the dedicated boxing channel BoxNation.

After surviving an austere early life on the maligned streets of Southwark, determined ‘Del’ now earns his crust as a youth pastor at God’s Vineyard Ministries in Nottingham whilst simultaneously forging a career as a prizefighter.

‘Growing up, I had some anger issues; fighting in school, a few red cards playing sports. I wouldn’t say I was especially violent but I certainly had a short fuse,’ confides the 25 year old ‘Punching Preacher, who has won six straight since first punching for pay 18 months back.

‘So I started attending a boxing gym in Charlton, in an attempt to keep out of trouble. Gradually, my hobby became my passion, then my lifestyle. Boxing changed my life, helped me deal with my aggression, instilled self-discipline.’

‘I grew up a Catholic and weekends were always spent in Church. Once I got to uni, living on my own, I wavered a bit before rededicated my life to The Lord in my final year. Today, as a pastor I give sermons and lead prayers at a Pentecostal Church, and I mentor young people.

‘My faith in God keeps me grounded and reassures me that nothing I face can break me. There’s a big misconception that just because you go to church, life is plain sailing. It’s not. Christians too face challenges and tests but The Lord guides us through. Something good comes out of each challenge which makes us stronger.

‘My faith certainly helps with the mental side of the sport. Above all, it gives me peace and serenity and a happy boxer is a dangerous boxer.

‘Before fights, I pray that neither my opponent or myself sustain any life-threatening injuries but there’s no conflict. Boxing’s like a martial art, hit and don’t get hit. It’s competition. God understands I’m just doing my job.’

The Jimmy Gill managed minister, who owns a BA (Hons) degree in Business Management and a Masters in Sport Psychology, has unleashed plenty of fire and brimstone inside the ring since first dipping between the ropes at the Phoenix ABC (alma mater to Carl Froch), aged 19.

‘Officially I only won 13 of my 19 bouts but, in reality, I only lost two. Let’s just say, there were a few mysterious decisions,’ claims Osaze who is now coached by ex-pros Barrington Brown and Mark Howell at the Dreams Come True (DCT) facility in Nottingham’s Hyson Green district.

‘But the amateurs was great experience. I attended a few England camps without winning a vest and was approached by Nigeria to try out for the 2016 Rio Olympic qualifiers but couldn’t make it.’

With God in his corner, dazzling Derrick is confident of scaling the sport’s highest peaks.

He states: ‘It’s my ambition to go all the way, to be world champion. I don’t want money, I want to achieve. In addition to Ultimate Boxxer, I’d like a title this year, maybe Area or English, then British, European…..

‘On May 10th, fans are going to witness the very best version of me, in the best possible physical condition.

‘The three round UB format will suit me because I always start fast. I’ve a counter aggressive style. I’m adaptable, can go front foot or back. I pose different challenges to every opponent, do whatever is necessary to win. Expect the unexpected!’

Osaze is one of five runners and riders who’ll be risking their unbeaten tag at the sizzling UB shootout – the other three entrants have each lost just once – but his faith is such that he is fearless of the competition.

‘I love the concept of all the best young prospects in a category coming together because it forces match-ups that wouldn’t be made outside such a tournament,’ concludes the middleweight minister.

‘I’m not into all the razzamatazz of unbeaten records. So many are padded. If you want to get somewhere in the rankings, you have to take risks, test yourself. This is ‘nothing to lose, everything to gain’. It’s a perfect launch pad that can provide great exposure.

‘They’ve all got two eyes, two fists, two legs so they’re all an equal threat but it’s my time to shine and God is on my side!’

Ultimate Boxxer III features Tey Lynn-Jones, Derrick Osaze, Kieron Conway, Grant Dennis, Sean Phillips, Josh Groombridge, Kaan Hawes and Joe Hurn as they battle it out to become Ultimate Boxxer on Friday 10th May at The Indigo at The O2.

An action packed undercard will see the return of the highly-rated and undefeated Light-Heavyweight talent and UB II winner Shakan Pitters and unbeaten super-middleweight prospect Idris Virgo who is out to prove to critics he is more than just a reality star.

Tickets are available from ticketmaster.co.uk AXS.com and ultimateboxxer.com priced at:

£30 Balcony Standing (General Admission)
£35 Floor Standing (General Admission)
£55 Upper Balcony Seats
£70 Outer Ringside
£100 Inner Ringside
£200 Kings Row (Padded Balcony seats, separate bar, VIP entrance)

For all VIP & Corporate Packages please contact www.sportandmusic.co.uk

WATCH THE ULTIMATE BOXXER III TEASER VIDEO

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