Maloney wins purse bids

FRANK MALONEY has won the purse bids for Matthew Marsh's British super-bantamweight title defence against Liverpool's Mark Moran. His bid in excess of £31,600 means Moran (11-0-1) who Maloney co-promotes with VIP Promotions will have crucial home advantage. The eagerly awaited clash between Britain's top 8st 10lb fighters will take place at Leigh Indoor Sports Centre on Friday April 17. Maloney said: "This is what is known in the trade as a pick 'em fight and home advantage could be crucial so it is a big bonus to win the purse bids. "Both fighters sell a lot of tickets but Mark's fans could swing the fight in his favour. "I think Moran will win, but the only guarantee I can make is that it'll be a candidate for domestic Fight of the Year." Southpaw Moran turned professional in October 2003 and his finest win came last May when he stopped Danny Wallace to become English champion in front of 58,000 fans at City of Manchester Stadium. Moran, 26, was a team-mate of Marsh (11-1) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and won a bantamweight bronze medal. Marsh, also 26, captured the British title last June outpointing Esham Pickering and in his only defence won a majority decision over Rocky Dean. The cockney boxer's only professional loss came when stepped up to featherweight in October 2007 and was stopped in 11 rounds by Derry Matthews in a WBU title challenge. Marsh didn't fare as well as Moran when then Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester getting knocked out by South African flyweight Nzimeni Msutu when he was clearly weight drained. An action packed undercard will be revealed shortly, but will feature the best young talent from Liverpool and Manchester.