Tyne date looming for our likely lads

By Frank Warren

Back when we announced the launch of our broadcasting partnership with BT Sport we revealed our intention revisit some of our old hotbeds and not to just stick to the well-trodden territories.

We have already made a hugely successful return to Leicester and now I am delighted that we are, once again, in a position to deliver a top fight card to the great city of Newcastle.

‘No Ifs, No Buts’ featuring the much-anticipated rematch between Liam Smith and Liam Williams comes to the Metro Arena on Saturday October 28, with the pair seeking to settle the score and a shot at the WBO world title on the line.

It will be a great pleasure for us to be back in Newcastle putting on a top quality show.

As I expected, the announcement has been met with enormous enthusiasm by the North East public, who are just the most amazing fans when it comes to sport and getting behind events in the region.

Apart from the headliner, which would be well received wherever it was staged, our pool of talent from the North East will get the chance to shine in front of their home fans – and none of them will have easy jobs on the night.

We have a clutch of talented young fighters from the area in Josh Leather and his brother Kalam, Tommy Ward, Troy Williamson, Joe Maphosa and Jeff Saunders, who we are now working with.

British champion Tommy, who won the title against Jazza Dickens last time out in May, makes his first defence against Birmingham’s Sean Davis, while there is something of a derby on the cards for Josh in his defence of the IBF European championship against Sunderland’s Glenn Foot.

I am pretty certain that has the makings of a classic.

To say the matches will be competitive would be an understatement and I am sure nobody will feel short-changed when it comes to entertainment value.

The plan is to make Newcastle a regular destination and, if our excellent North East contingent live up the potential we believe them to possess, there will be many more nights to look forward to at the Metro Arena in the future.

I am told that Smith and Williams are already at it on Twitter, stoking the fires for the headliner and I don’t have any issue with them keeping the pot boiling and increasing public interest in the process.

It is one of those fights that doesn’t really need any social media spite thrown into the mix because we all pretty much know what we are going to get on the night, but as long as it doesn’t go over the top I don’t mind the little sideshow.

The bottom line is, we are in for a top night of boxing at a top venue and the North East fight fans are in for a treat.