Felix Cash remained undefeated by stopping former world title challenger Jason Welborn in round five of a scheduled 12-round middleweight bout in Essex, England

In round five, Cash dropped Welborn with a right to the head. About 45 seconds later, Cash ended things when he landed another right to the head that put Welborn down again, and the fight was stopped at 2:48.

Cash, 160 lbs of Wokingham is 13-0 with nine knockouts. Welborn, 159 lbs of Tividale is 24-9.

“It was a good performance,” said Cash. “It took me a round or a round and a half to get my distance on him and see where he was at and see his reactions. I went to work on him. It was a decent enough performance. He wanted me to stand there and start trading with him, but then you’re giving him a chance aren’t you. I took him on the jab, broke him down, down to the body and up to the head.

“I broke him down nice and slowly. Round by round he was getting weaker and getting tired. I knew it was just a matter of time before I got him out of there. He’s a tough lad. There was no point in rushing it and trying to get him out of there early. What a stage to be on. It was unbelievable. The week has been unbelievable. I’ve really enjoyed it. Overall it was a good week. I’m 27 and I’m in the prime of my life. I’m ready for the step ups now. The ring walk was something else! Topping the bill was a bit of history for me.”

Barrett Stops Donovan in 8!

Zelfa Barrett stopped previously undefeated Eric Donovan in round eight of their scheduled 10-round super featherweight bout.

In round seven, Barrett dropped Donovan with a huge left hook to the chin.. Later in the round, Barrett dropped Donovan again after absorbing a hard left-right-left combination. In round eight, Barrett landed another booming left hook hat put Donovan on his back, and the fight was stopped at 1:35.

Barrett, 129.9 lbs of Manchester is now 24-1 with 15 knockouts. Donovan, 129.9 lbs of Altay is 12-1.

“He was catching me with some big shots,” said Barrett. “I was just trying to get my rhythm at first. He was pinging me and catching me with some good quality shots and then I could hear my Uncle Pat say, ‘change up the game plan and put it on him now’. Block, throw and look where the openings are. I pulled it out of the bag. This is what champions do, they find something and pull it out of the bag.

“I had to find it in the bag because he was hitting me with some good shots and I thought, ‘you know what, I’m not letting this guy beat me’. It was just war mode. I timed it perfectly and I couldn’t have asked for anything else. I caught him. Credit to Eric Donovan. I’ve just defeated an undefeated fighter. As soon as I put him down I thought, ‘that’s it, I’m getting you out of here’. He’s a good fighter but I’m going to pull myself together, go back to the drawing board and do what I’ve got to do.

“I knew I was going to catch him, it was just a matter of time. I didn’t want it to be round nine because that would have been too late. I done what I had to do. In myself as a fighter I’m a bit disappointed with my performance. He was catching me a lot but I done what I had to do. I’ve just shown character. I’ve shown I’m a fighter.”

Rachel Ball won a eight-round decision over previously undefeated Shannon Courtnay in a super bantamweight bout.

Ball dropped Courtney with a left hook to the chin in the opening round.

Ball had some swelling under her left eye in round seven, but she was able to hold on for the victory by a 77-75 score.

Ball, 123.8 lbs of Aldridge is 6-1. Courtenay, 126.9 lbs of Watford is 5-1.

“I’m just so happy,” an emotional Ball told Sky Sports. “This means everything to me. It was a closer fight than I would have wanted it to be, but I got the win and I want to move on to big things. I want Eddie to sign me up and put me in front of whoever. I want to be at the top and I want to be at the World Title level and get a World Title. That’s where I want to be more than anything.

“To be honest, when I was in the corner and I threw the shot, she dazed me a bit so I didn’t know what had hit her. I thought, ‘fantastic, this fight isn’t going to last’. She does hit hard. There is a reason why she has been knocking these girls out. I’m happy I got through the fight.

“I’m pleased with myself. I knew I landed the shots because I can feel it in my knuckles. I was just glad to get through it. I don’t think I used all of my technical ability to be honest, but it’s all progress isn’t it. I’ve just got to get back to the gym and progress even further now.”

Kieron Conway won a 10-round unanimus decision over Navid Mansouri in a super welterweight bout.

Conway had Mansouri hurt several times during the bout, and was close to getting the stoppage in round seven.

Conway, 153.9 lbs of Northampton won by scores of 99-92 and 98-92 twice and is now 15-1-1. Mansouri, 153.4 lbs of Ritherham is 20-4-2.

“I loved it,” Conway told Matchroom Boxing afterwards. “Apart from having no crowd, I think the whole setup is how all boxing shows should be. The week has been really nice. It’s been really good to be around. Everything just ran so smoothly. Out there it’s unbelievable. Even without thousands of fans, it’s wicked out there. I knew that he would come out fast and I knew that after a few rounds my size and my strength would come out on top. I’m a big lad now. I’m refuelled and everything. I’m big for the weight. It drains people.

“I planned to have a slower first few rounds. The whole fight went exactly how I’d planned, except it went ten rounds. He did really well to get through it to be fair. I was landing a lot of shots with a lot of spite behind them. It was good. I didn’t expect the flicky jab, I expected him to come for me a bit more and really try and stick it on me a bit more. After a few rounds I knew he’d starting messing, trying to smother me because I am stronger than I look.

“As soon as people realise I’m not going anywhere, they start holding. He’s highly-rated and he’s had a few title fights. He had the English title for a long time. Hopefully it pushed me a littler more up there. For my style, I think my size really helps. Over the years a lot of people have said I’m behind them, and then all of a sudden they’re behind me. I’m 24-years-old. Whether it’s now or later, I’m coming.”

John Docherty remained undefeated by stopping Anthony Fox in round seven of a scheduled eight-round super middleweight bout.

In round three, Docherty dropped Fox with a short right hook.

In round seven, Docherty hurt Fox badly with a hard three punch combination. Docherty followed that up with a flurry if punches and referee Howard Foster rescued Fox from further damage at 1:32.

Docherty, 1669.9 lbs of Montrose is 9-0 with seven knockouts. Fox, 166.4 lbs of Westbury is 8-13-4.

“I’m over the moon to have forced the stoppage,” said Docherty afterwards. “I started off a bit slow and I was throwing up my chin in the air, but I got there in the end. I felt him tiring in there in the third and fourth rounds with my body shots, and his power started to go. He was a lot stronger than I thought, and a lot more heavy-handed, but I got the job done.

“I thought he was going to come at me and have a go as he did in his last fight. I think he felt the power quite early on and then he was on the back foot. He was a lot better than I expected. I want titles now. The journeymen, I’m passed them already and my team knows that. Any title next. A British Title Eliminator or a Intercontinental Title, anything. I’d probably give myself an eight out of ten tonight.”

Navid Mansouri believes his ring craft will be too much for Kieron Conway when they meet over ten rounds for the vacant WBA Intercontinental Super-Welterweight Title at Matchroom Fight Camp in Brentwood, Essex, on Friday August 14, live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in the US.

Former English Champion Mansouri (20-3-2, 6 KOs) hasn’t fought in the UK since July 2017 when he decisioned Jordan Grannum over six rounds, his first fight in over two years after an Achilles injury ruled him out of his scheduled British and Commonwealth Title fight with Welshman Liam Williams. 

Rotherham’s Mansouri made the decision to base himself out of Marbella, Spain, where he began to rebuild his career with three wins in 2018. ‘Nav’ lost out in a close decision for the IBF Intercontinental Title to Jorge Fortea in February 2019 before travelling out to Rotterdam to face Stephen Danyo for the WBA Continental belt, where he fell short again.

Despite his losses, 31-year-old Mansouri is convinced he will have too much in the tank for Northampton’s rising star ‘Too Class’ Conway on his big return to UK soil. Since making his pro debut in 2017, Conway has boxed 87 rounds in 16 bouts, compared to Mansouri’s 143 rounds in 25 bouts. 

“I think they’re overlooking me,” said Mansouri. “They think Nav is done, but this fight just brought me back to life. I need this win. I’m desperate to get this win. It puts that little bit extra fire into it. I’m confident. I’m well-schooled and experienced in this game now. We never stop learning. I think I’ll have too much experience for Conway when it comes down to it. 

“We shared some rounds a few years ago in Marbella but I can’t take anything from that. I can’t remember too much from the spar. It was a long time ago and he’s come on loads, and I’ve come on loads since then too. I was injured back then as well. He’s a really nice kid but this is business and it’s my chance to shine again in the UK. 

“We kind of box in similar ways. We’ll set traps for each other and it will be an intelligent fight. That’s the way I see it going. It’s all about the timing and speed, and the work rate we’re going to put into it. He’s tough and slick, it will be a great fight to watch. I haven’t boxed in the UK for a few years, now is the time to make a statement.”

Conway vs. Mansouri lands on Week 3 of Matchroom Fight Camp, top of the bill sees Felix Cash (12-0, 8 KOs) put his Commonwealth Middleweight Title on the line for the second time against former World Title challenger Jason Welborn (24-8, 7 KOs), recent Matchroom signing Zelfa Barrett (23-1, 14 KOs) meets Ireland’s undefeated Eric Donovan (12-0, 7 KOs) for the IBF Intercontinental Super-Featherweight Title, Watford Super-Bantamweight Shannon Courtenay (5-0, 2 KOs) faces the toughest opponent of her career in Rachel Ball (5-1) and hard-hitting Super-Middleweight menace John Docherty (8-0, 6 KOs) takes on the tough and durable Anthony Fox (8-12-4).

Kieron Conway will put friendship aside when he takes on former sparring partner and MTK Global stablemate Navid Mansouri for the vacant WBA Intercontinental Super-Welterweight Title on Week 3 of Matchroom Fight Camp in Brentwood, Essex on Friday August 14, shown live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in the US.  ‘Too Class’ (14-1-1, 3 KOs) is in a fiery mood as he looks to land his first professional belt after having to settle for a draw against former British 154lbs Champion Ted Cheeseman in a close battle at the famous York Hall in June of last year.  Two wins against Konrad Stempkowski and Craig O’Brien followed for the Northampton talent who will now look to make his mark in a red-hot Super-Welterweight division that contains the likes of Matchroom stablemates Kell Brook, Scott Fitzgerald, Cheeseman and Anthony Fowler.  “My job is to win and that’s all I’m focused on,” said Conway. “I feel extremely confident. I’m a completely different fighter. I’m coming here to be ruthless. I’m hitting harder, I’m hitting faster and I’m fitter. I just don’t see anything other than me winning this fight.  “I’m here with hard intentions. I’m not here to mess around or make friends. I’m here to win whatever it takes. I’ve watched every fight that I can find of Nav 100 times. I must watch them every day. I never used to watch my opponent’s fights and I think that was a downfall for me. I just went in there with my plan and that was it. “I’ve studied all of his fights. Yeah, he might come in a different guy. You never know what he’s doing but I’ve watched all them fight and I’ve seen mistakes, patterns and everything. I’m really confident with this one. My training camp has gone really well. I believe in my process 100%. “Nav is a nice guy. I remember I went over to Marbella January time a few years ago just before my first pro fight. We did a few rounds. I can’t remember if we sparred once or twice but we got six or eight rounds in. From what I remember he wasn’t in good shape so I can’t take much from it. “Like I say, he’s a nice guy but I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to win and I’m here to completely dominate. I’m young and I’m early on in my career. Nav is older than me and has had a lot more fights than me but it’s come to the point where age isn’t going to be a factor for me anymore. If you’re good enough, you’re good enough.” Conway vs. Mansouri lands on Week 3 of Matchroom Fight Camp, top of the bill sees Felix Cash (12-0, 8 KOs) put his Commonwealth Middleweight Title on the line for the second time against former World Title challenger Jason Welborn (24-8, 7 KOs), recent Matchroom signing Zelfa Barrett (23-1, 14 KOs) meets Ireland’s undefeated Eric Donovan (12-0, 7 KOs), Watford Super-Bantamweight Shannon Courtenay (5-0, 2 KOs) faces the toughest opponent of her career in Rachel Ball (5-1) and hard-hitting Super-Middleweight menace John Docherty (8-0, 6 KOs) takes on the tough and durable Anthony Fox (8-12-4).

On Saturday, June 22, at CSU’s Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Douglasville, Georgia-based contender Brad “King” Solomon (28-1, 9 KOs) will step up on short notice to face the United Kingdom’s Navid “Nav” Mansouri (19-2-2, 6 KOs) in a 12-round battle for the WBC United States (USNBC) Super Welterweight Championship.

An arm injury to undefeated Canadian Cody Crowley has opened the door for Solomon, whose fight with Mansouri will serve as the main event of Bigger Than Life Entertainment and Mo Entertainment’s (in partnership with six-time World Champion Miguel Cotto’s Miguel Cotto Promotions) “Making A Champion” event and be televised live on CBS Sports (11 pm ET/8 pm PT) along with super flyweight Dewayne “Mr. Stop Running” Beamon (16-1-1, 11 KOs) of Goldsboro, North Carolina, facing Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina’s Lucas Emanuel Fernandez (12-2-1, 9 KOs) in the 10-round co-featured bout.

Remaining tickets for “Making A Champion” are priced at $65, $80 and $100 and are on sale now at wolsteincenter.com or Wolstein Center Box Office on CSU campus.

“I feel good,” said Solomon. “I was already training for something else, but this came along first and an opportunity like this is what I’ve been waiting for. I’m ready to show my talent and show I’m still here. After I do what I do to this guy, that will put me back in the eyes of everyone.”

Solomon, who says he’s had some bad luck with missed opportunities and contract disputes, doesn’t know much about his last-minute opponent, but isn’t worried.

“I’ll find out what he’s got when I get in there. I can adjust to anything, so I’m not too worried about it. I just want to use this win to springboard me into bigger opportunities. I was number one in the world and getting ready for a title shot, but it didn’t work out. I want to get back out there and get my title shot I deserve. It feels like my luck is changing now.

30-year-old Mansouri from Rotherham, Yorkshire, United Kingdom, is a former BBofC English Super Welterweight Champion and is currently living in Los Angeles and training at the legendary Wild Card Gym.

Mansouri says the move has given him a wealth of new experience.

“Training is going really well. I’ve moved down to Los Angeles for this camp. I’ve even left my family to do this camp. It’s hard, but you have to sacrifice for this game. I’m training with (former Peter Quillen and Paulie Malignaggi trainer) Eric Brown at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood. I like working with him. I’ve got a strength and conditioning coach I’m working with as well, Taylor Ramsdell. The gym has a great atmosphere to it. I’m being exposed to a lot of different styles.

With a goal of becoming a known commodity in the US, Mansouri is hoping this fight provides the launching pad.

“This is a great thing to come to America to train and fight. I always wanted to fight here and this one is on two networks, so it’s a way to put myself out there in the American market. A lot of people will be watching this fight and I’m ready to show what I’m capable of doing.”

The exciting five-fight undercard, featuring Cleveland’s Montana Love (11-0-1, 5 KOs) taking on Kenya’s Michael Odhiambo (15-11, 12 KOs) in a six-round welterweight bout and Cleveland’s comebacking former contender Miguel Angel Gonzalez (24-4, 16 KOs) going against Mexico City’s Mario Perez (20-7-5, 12 KOs) in a lightweight six-rounder will be streamed live on www.fite.tv (7:30 pm ET/4:30 pm PT).

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Ray Leonard Jr., son of six-time world champion, Sugar Ray Leonard will provide the CBS Sports commentary. World renowned clothing designer, Karl Kani will be providing outfits for the ring girls.

The Wolstein Center is located at 2000 Prospect Avenue in Cleveland. On fight night, the doors open at 7:00 pm and the action starts at 7:30 pm. Making A Champion is sponsored by B&M BBQ.

About Bigger Than Life Entertainment

BTLE is a full-service entertainment company specializing in Boxing Promotions, Public Relations and Artist Management. They place Sports and Entertainment celebrities at major events worldwide and offer sports tickets and packages in Las Vegas, across the U.S., and internationally.

About Miguel Cotto Promotions

MCP stems from the vision and passion of Miguel Angel Cotto Vazquez with the premise of giving the boxer what boxing gave his family. Emerging in 2005, MCP has since established a great rapport with the community with over 13 years in the industry solidifying its spot as one of the leading sporting firms in Puerto Rico.