Hennessy vs. Boutell

Francesca Hennessy vs. Ellie Bouttell:
Hennessy wins by MD.

Gradus Kraus vs. Boris Crighton:
Kraus wins by TKO in round 2.

Joel Kodua vs. Joe Garside:
Kodua wins by TKO in round 7.

Ergal Elezaj vs. Will Howe:
Elezaj wins by PTS.

Hassan Azim vs. Sean Murray:
Azim wins by TKO in round 5.

Archie Sharp vs. Angelo Dragone:
Sharp wins by PTS.

Derrick Osadolor vs. Ben Vickers:
Vickers wins by PTS.

Saqib Mehmood vs. Engel Gomez:
Mehmood wins by PTS.

Francesca Hennessy (7-0, 1 KO) will headline Saturday night’s boxing event at London’s Copper Box Arena, live on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer, after her world-title eliminator against Ellie Bouttell (7-0-1, 2 KOs) was elevated to the main event.

The all-British bantamweight clash moves to the top of the bill following the postponement of Adam Azim’s light-welterweight fight with Gustavo Lemos, with both fighters sidelined by injuries.

The bout carries major stakes, serving as a final eliminator for the WBC bantamweight title currently held by Australia’s Cherneka Johnson. At just 21 years old, Sevenoaks-based Hennessy enters the contest unbeaten after seven professional outings, knowing victory could place her one win away from a world-title shot. Bouttell, 29, has a record of seven wins and one draw and is now based in China.

The co-main event will feature unbeaten Dutch fighter Gradus Kraus (9-0, 8 KOs) against Scottish light-heavyweight Boris Crighton (13-6, 7 KOs). Kraus, trained by Peter Fury, has stopped eight of his nine professional opponents, while Crighton brings experience from 19 professional bouts, despite suffering six defeats, five of them in his last eight fights.

Boxxer promoter Ben Shalom admitted disappointment at losing Azim as the original headliner but welcomed the reshuffle. He described Hennessy and Kraus as “two of the most exciting young fighters in world boxing,” adding that both have the potential to dominate their divisions and emerge as future pound-for-pound stars.

Saturday’s show also marks a rare moment for the sport on free-to-air television. It will be the third time in more than 20 years that professional boxing has appeared on prime-time linear BBC television, following Jeamie ‘TKV’ Tshikeva’s win over Frazer Clarke in November and Troy Williamson’s stoppage victory against Callum Simpson in December, further cementing the BBC’s partnership with Boxxer.

Fight card:

▪️Francesca Hennessy vs. Ellie Boutell, 10 x 2 rounds, for the WBC Silver bantamweight title and WBC bantamweight title eliminator
▪️Gradus Kraus vs. Boris Crighton, 8 rounds, light heavyweight
▪️Joel Kodua vs. Joe Garside, 10 rounds, welterweight ▪️Ergal Elezaj vs. Will Howe, 6 rounds, heavyweight
▪️Hassan Azim vs. Sean Murray, 6 rounds, middleweight
▪️Archie Sharp vs. Angelo Dragone, 6 rounds, super lightweight
▪️Derrick Osadolor vs. Ben Vickers, 4 rounds, heavyweight
▪️Saqib Mehmood vs. Engel Gomez, 4 rounds, lightweight