Lewis Sylvester, Ted Jackson and Harry Powell have all been tipped as future British champions, but who will get there first?
From left to right; Harry Powell, Lewis Sylvester, Curtis Woodhouse and Ted Jackson (Image: Liam Ford, 3156 Boxing )
Friendly rivalry is spurring Hull’s new generation of boxers on as the race to secure their place in local sporting history intensifies.
No boxer from Hull has ever been crowned British champion, with Tommy Coyle and Samir Mouneimne both losing out in their Lonsdale belt bids, while Luke Campbell jumped the domestic scene in a bid to chase world titles.
None before Hull’s leading trio of the 2010s had ever achieved the feat, and now a new trio of rising stars is emerging 10 years on from Hull’s golden age in the professional scene, hoping to get their hands on the famous belt.
There’s genuine hope all three of Lewis Sylvester, Ted Jackson and Harry Powell can do just that, with the big question being, who gets there first?
“I want that British title and getting a shot at it has to be the aim for the next year or so,” says Sylvester, the most senior of the trio.
Aged 28 Sylvester is the oldest of the three and by far the most experienced. Preparing for his 19th pro bout on Saturday night at the Rumble on the Humber show promoted by a British champion himself in Curtis Woodhouse, the man known as “The Thrill from Gypsyville” is starting a new chapter in the super-featherweight division.
Already an English champion, he’s fought once for the British crown but found Sam Noakes to be too big, and also a world level boxer masking as a domestic fighter at that time. Down at super-featherweight Sylvester has the ability and commitment to earn that British shot, which should in theory come before middleweight rising stars Powell and Jackson get their shot.
From rival camps with different promoters and managers, the duo are friends and share an identical 5-0 win record.
Powell, 25, has been on the quicker ascent of the pair with his five wins all coming in just the last nine months since his debut, with Jackson, 24, two years on from starting his journey.
Woodhouse’s opinion of Powell, who he manages, is pretty clear. He says of the man he calls Hull’s Top Dog; “This kid’s a handful, he’s six foot six or whatever he is, he’s a freak, he’s a genetic freak to be that big and down at middleweight. He can box and he can really punch as well.”
Powell’s own assessment is a little more considered; “I’m just gonna go for it and see how we get on with it,” he says.
“I’m ready to put in a good performance on Saturday. I’ve trained hard, very hard, and I know what I need to do on Saturday night to show everyone what I’ve been doing in the gym.”
Three successive stoppages have underlined Powell’s punch power, now the focus is on seeing how he copes with being tested, which is the same plan for Jackson.
“I think you’ll see a different me on Saturday night, the work I’ve been putting in the gym is different, so expect a different fighter a little. I expect my best performance on Saturday. Then we’re looking to step it up as well so we’ll see where it goes.”
Where they all hope it goes is to a British title shot, but first there are important steps to be taken, starting Saturday night.