Sports Features

Dreams of a big summer of Norfolk boxing are in tatters after injury and boxing politics saw an end to two bouts involving Norwich fighters.

Jon Thaxton's latest defence of the British lightweight title was scheduled for an August bout with Graham Earle at the Norfolk Showground, but Earle has withdrawn.

Thaxton has wanted to fight Earle for a number of years, but the Luton fighter has pulled out stating that the terms of the bid were not satisfactory.

Sam Sexton's debut under Franks Warren's Sports Network promotion has been called off after the 22-year-old heavyweight injured his right hand in a sparring session.

Sexton was due to fight on the undercard of Amir Khan's Commonwealth Lightweight Title fight with Willie Limmond at London's O2 Arena, the re-named Millennium Dome, but will now look to return to the ring some time in September.

While the injury is no doubt a blow for Sexton, time is on his side and the three-year deal he's signed with Warren means there will be plenty of chances to fight on the big stage.

Political games?

Thaxton's setback is a more complicated one, and looks like it could be a case of the so-called 'politics of boxing promotion' getting in the way of the sport.

The fight was due to take place under the promotion of Hennessey Sports, who Thaxton is contracted to, but the fact that Earle fights for Sports Network may have got in the way of this bout.

While Jono is gutted the fight isn't going to happen, he knows the people losing out are the fans.

"It's a massive let down, this was a big fight that everyone was looking forward to," he said. "It's not going to happen now and I think that's bad for boxing."

"My promoter Mick Hennessy has gone out there and tried to stage a genuinely big fight and it seems Earle doesn't want to play ball, the reason he has given doesn't make any sense to me," he added.

If Thaxton can't get a fight with Earle, it seems even more unlikely that he'll be allowed into a ring with Warren's star attraction Amir Khan, but there could be a remote chance of a WBO world title fight with Australia's Michael Katsidis.

Katsidis recently hinted that he'd welcome the chance to fight the winner of Thaxton v Earle.