Martin Gethin to headline Walsall bill

Boxing returns to Walsall Town Hall next month with hometown hero Martin Gethin at the top of the bill in an England versus Scotland clash.

The 28-year-old will take part in a 10-round main event on May 12 against the formidable Stuart Green, with both fighters proven at national level.

Gethin is a former two-time English lightweight champion who never lost the belt the second time around, while Green holds the Scottish title.

Both are chasing British champion Anthony Crolla, who will have defended his crown against Derry Mathews by the time they step into the ring.

Walsall's Christopher Keane will join Gethin on the show, as the former ABA amateur champion takes in his sixth contest as a pro at cruiserweight.

Tipton's Lee Glover will box for the first time this year in the chief support bout, against an opponent with form at the venue.

Londoner Dan Naylor took the undefeated record of Halesowen's Zak the Ripper - real name Saquib Amir - at Walsall Town Hall last October.

Now Naylor is back to face 'the Tipton Slasher,' who will be looking to put Prizefighter behind him at the scene of his greatest glory as a pro.

Four months before Choi Tseveenpurev ended his Prizefighter dream in less than two rounds, Glover won his first title last June.

The 24-year-old outpointed Dougie Curran for the International Masters featherweight crown but his goal now is to get back on track.

West Bromwich's Marcus Portman is another attraction as he steps back through the ropes for just his second fight in two-and-a-half years.

But the 31-year-old light middleweight boasts pedigree, as a former WBF world champion and challenger for the British and Commonwealth titles.

Filling out the card will be Stafford's Grant Cunningham, Dudley's Dean Anderson, Stourbridge's Steven Pearce and Brierley Hill's Kyle Spencer.

Cunningham made his TV debut on the BoxNation bill at Wolverhampton Civic Hall last month and overcame another road block in Ryan Clark.

The undefeated middleweight from Moss Pit has three straight wins and now waits to see who will be in the other corner for his next contest.

Anderson also boxed in front of the cameras on that Civic bill after a 15-month break from boxing but has picked up another win since.

The 24-year-old featherweight followed up a two-round blowout of 'Rockin' Robin Deakin with a points win over Andrejs Podusovs a week later.

If 'Deano' can make it a hat-trick against Scot Michael Stupart, it would completely erase the memory of his first pro defeat to Sid Razak.

Pearce and Spencer are both from Shaun Cooper's gym in Brierley Hill and have boxed alongside each other in both of their pro contests.

Both will come in at welterweight and Pearce takes on another Scot, Mark Bett, on the back of a stoppage, over Matt Seawright on the Civic bill.

Spencer shut-out Rick Boulter in a points win on the same show but faces a test in Birmingham's Andrew Patterson, who comes to upset the apple cart.

Patterson is another who has tasted success from the away corner at Walsall Town Hall, halting hometown fighter Danny Clews last February.

Tickets are available from Walsall Town Hall or by calling the box office on 0845 111 2900.