Woodhall backs Birmingham's Prize Fighters

Former WBC World Super-Middleweight Champion Richie Woodhall has backed Birmingham's current crop of boxing stars to put the city on the fistic map. The Midlands boxing legend now trains a host of talented youngsters including outstanding duo Matt Macklin and Don Broadhurst, while he highly rates Thomas Costello. All three appear at the Aston Events Centre on a Frank Warren promoted card on October 31 live and exclusive on Sky Sports. Broadhurst fights for the Commonwealth super-flyweight title, Macklin is involved in a 10 rounder against dangerous Geard Ajetovic, while Costello continues his ring education in a six rounder. And Woodhall is backing the trio to come through with flying colours. "From what I've seen in the gym, Broadhurst and Macklin have got the potential to go all the way and fight for world titles," said Woodhall. "They are really talented lads and we've so far only seen a fraction of what they can do. Thomas Costello is another one to get excited about. "Cities like Manchester, Cardiff, London and Sheffield have been regarded as strong bases for boxing over the last few years."But Birmingham has always been a fight city as well. "It's always had good fighters but they've gone off and had their big fights somewhere else - until now. "It's great that big cards are coming back to Birmingham. Once the ball starts rolling then we'll get more and more youngsters coming through, and it will be like the Manchester scene of the 1990s. "This a really exciting time for boxing in Birmingham." Promoter Warren added: "I brought Amir Khan to Birmingham in June, and the response from the paying public was absolutely fantastic. "I can't wait to stage the October 31 card, and I'm planning on bringing more big fights to the Midlands over the next 12 months. "The likes of Broadhurst and Macklin - as well as Costello - will be fighting for a lot of titles in the future, and the people of Birmingham are going to play a big part in helping them get there." Tickets for the Aston Events Show are available from the Ticket Factory 0871 945 6000 or Aston Events Box Office 0121 327 1649.