Dickens defends his WBO European featherweight title against Walsh in Wakefield

Jazza Dickens feel the extra two months of training has allowed him to reach even bigger heights ahead of his #GoldenContract final with Ryan Walsh.

Dickens (29-3, 11 KOs) defends his WBO European featherweight title against Walsh (26-2-2, 12 KOs) at Production Park Studios in Wakefield on Wednesday 2 December, live on Sky Sports in association with Matchroom Boxing, and on ESPN+ in association with Top Rank.

The two men were originally due to meet in September, before a positive COVID-19 test for Dickens forced the bout to be delayed, but the Liverpool man has remained upbeat throughout and feels having more time to prepare has paid off.

Dickens said: “I’m very blessed and grateful that MTK Global, Sky Sports and ESPN+ rearranged the date so soon.

“It was a testing time but a great time for me in my personal relationship with god. The past two months have been fantastic as I’ve spent a lot of time with my coaches Georgie Vaughan and Derry Mathews.

“We’ve had another brilliant training camp, and I must thank all of my sparring partners for their help over the last few weeks.

“It’s nice to be active, and the continued training camps throughout the year have kept me in great shape both physically and mentally. I can’t wait for this fight.”

The event will be broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports in association with Matchroom Boxing. In the US on ESPN+ in association with Top Rank, and will also feature the light-heavyweight final between Ricards Bolotniks and Serge Michel for the WBO European title.

A belt will also be on the line in the light-heavyweight final, as Bolotniks (17-5-1, 7 KOs) defends his WBO European light-heavyweight title against Michel (11-1, 8 KOs).

Bolotniks progressed to the final with a unanimous decision win over Hosea Burton in the semi-final, and Michel picked up a fourth-round stoppage victory over Liam Conroy.

MTK Global Vice-President Jamie Conlan said: “We are finally at the grand conclusion to our Golden Contract tournament.

“In the light-heavyweight final, we have seen both boxers get better with each progressing round. Both have come in under the radar, with Bolotniks beating the tournament favorite Hosea Burton in Latvia.

“Serge Michel then had a tournament-best performance by destructively stopping Liam Conroy. Both have shown this fight can be explosive and end at any time, so expect fireworks.

“The Ryan Walsh vs. Jazza Dickens postponement has only added to the anticipation of what many in the trade are calling a genuine 50/50 and one of the best all-British fights to be on the 2020 schedule. A fight where the winner will be directly in line to fight for a world title.”

Further news on the #GoldenContract event, including undercards fights, will be announced in due course.