The BOXXER Series is an exciting new concept which demands “courage” and suits fighters with “the most power”, says promoter Ben Shalom.

It is a one-night tournament featuring eight super-lightweights, live on Sky Sports on Saturday in Liverpool, and is the brainchild of BOXXER founder Shalom.

The fighters are:
Sean ‘Masher’ Dodd
Nathan Bennett
Tom Farrell
Ben Fields
Kane Gardner
Levi Kinsiona
Lee Appleyard
Cori Gibbs

• There will be four quarter-finals, two semi-finals and a final on the same night.
• Each fight is three rounds of three minutes
• The winner must win three times in a single night

Shalom explained: “It is a sport within a sport.

“It is fast. You have to start quickly and on the front foot. There can be no messing around.

“Fighters who try to grow into a fight will struggle.

“It suits some fighters, it doesn’t suit others.

“It is like the T20 of boxing. You have great players in Test cricket and great players in T20.

“This is a different discipline which requires great bravery and courage to go straight onto the front foot.

“You also need stamina to fight three times in one nights. It is a very intense tournament.

“The winner is usually the fittest one with the most power.”

Dodd is a former Commonwealth champion whereas Fields has lost 10 fights but insists he has never been given a fair opportunity – Shalom believes the BOXXER Series can create upset results.

“You have to make an impact early and get a knockout early,” he said.

“It lends itself to fitness but there is a skill to this. We see it in the amateurs and Olympics too.

“Four or six-rounders can be very meaningless. This is a format which is needed. It is competitive, it produces upsets, and all boxers can get excited about this.”

Shalom said about the uniqueness of Saturday’s event: “We believe in short-form boxing. We love the sport but sometimes the belts, the governing bodies, the long-winded undercards and 12-round slogs can put off new fans who are getting into the sport.

“We have seen fans come into the sport through YouTubers but we want to bring new fans to the professional sport.

“We are creating an environment which gives boxers huge opportunities and also appeals to a wide audience.

“It will be ‘next generation’ in the way it will be presented.

“This is a way of growing the sport and growing opportunities for fighters.

“This is something that we are very passionate about.

“After a tough period for boxers, through Covid-19 with no support, it is unbelievable to be giving so many boxers, particularly in the north-west, an opportunity to earn a lot of money and to catapult their careers.

“It is impossible to choose a winner because it has been matched so evenly.

“I expect knockouts and a huge amount of action.”

Sky Sports Boxing schedule

November 6 – Top Rank in Las Vegas
Mikaela Mayer vs Maiva Hamadouche – IBF and WBO super-featherweight titles

November 6 – BOXXER in Liverpool
Super-lightweight tournament

November 20 – BOXXER in London
Richard Riakporhe vs Olanrewaju Durodola
Caroline Dubois professional debut
Florian Marku vs Jorick Luisetto
Hosea Burton vs Dan Azeez – British light-heavyweight title

November 20 – Top Rank in Las Vegas
Terence Crawford vs Shawn Porter – WBO welterweight title

December 11 – BOXXER
Savannah Marshall
Claressa Shields

December 11 – Top Rank in New York
Vasiliy Lomachenko vs Richard Commey
Jared Anderson vs Oleksandr Teslenko
Nico Ali Walsh
Xander Zayas

December 17 – Top Rank in Montreal
Artur Beterbiev vs Marcus Browne – IBF and WBC light-heavyweight titles

February 26 – Top Rank in Glasgow
Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall – undisputed super-lightweight title