BOXXER Series: Eastside gym mates Tion Gibbs and Melvin Scott to meet in quarters - coin toss decides trainers

April 14, 2022

Gym mates Tion Gibbs and Scott Melvin were stunned after they drew each other in the quarter-finals of the BOXXER Series Lightweights.

Substantial prize money and career-breakout opportunities are on the line at the BOXXER Series event, which showcase the depth of talent in boxing.

The draw means that one of the Eastside fighters will be knocked out of the competition straight away and the other will progress into the semi-finals.

The men will also need to toss a coin before getting into the ring to decide which trainer goes in which corner.

Fights feature three rounds of three minutes and after four quarter-finals, two semi-finals and a final the winner will be crowned.

The action will be live on Sky Sports Action from 8pm on Saturday.

Gibbs watched brother Cori transform his career at the inaugural BOXXER Series event in 2021.

He's one of six unbeaten fighters in the field as he arrives with an 8-0 professional record having beaten Jack O'Keeffe in September after two years away from the ring.

After Gibbs drew gym mate Melvin, both fighters were visibly stunned as they faced-off on the stage during the live draw.

"It's madness..." Gibbs said, before the duo promised to 'figure each other out' on the night.

"It is what it is, man," Melvin said, while shaking his head.

Melvin is the youngest of the fighters at 21 and he comes into the tournament unbeaten after four fights, having defeated MJ Hall at Villa Park in February.

Former kickboxer, Dylan Cheema, is the hometown fighter for the event at the Coventry Skydome Arena as he lives just 10 minutes down the road.

"I'm here to win," Cheema said after drawing Otis Lookham in the quarter-finals. "Look at me, look at the crowd... we're ready to go."

Cheema is just two fights into his professional boxing career, most recently beating Jahfieus Faure on points in December last year.

Lookham has never hidden the fact that boxing saved his life. He was permanently excluded from four different secondary schools growing up, with his reputation leading others to turn him away.

"The life I was living and going down, I'd either be dead or in jail," he said. "The people who know me and know what I've been through, what my life is about, they're all proud of me for where I am now."

Lookham only made his pro debut on March 5, stopping Paul Scaife in the second of their four-round bout at Newark Showground. He's undeterred by facing a fighter with great home support.

"It doesn't bother me," he said "I'm doing this for my family so I'm bringing it all."

Rylan Charlton, nicknamed the Pint Size Powerhouse, enters as one of the more familiar names on the card after fighting on the undercard of Liam Smith's win over Anthony Fowler in Liverpool in October, losing by decision to Luke Willis.

He also took on Florian Marku at Wembley Arena in February 2020, losing via TKO after knocking the Albanian down in the sixth.

Charlton promised to "give it some" against Joe Underwood Hughes, who is undefeated after eight professional fights.

Shaun Cooper (12-3) is the most experienced boxer on the card; he has has alternated wins and losses across his last six fights, coming out on top in his last against Des Newton earlier this year.

After drawing Tilley, he promised to take his opponent to the "deep waters".

Brooklyn Tilley represents Kent with three wins to his name after seeing off Jamie Quinn in Maidstone last month and he assured Copper that he's up for the challenge on Saturday night.

"I've been sparring with some big boys," Cooper said. "I've been sparring with the English champion, Lenny Fuller... a lot of big boys so I've been into the deep waters."

Watch the BOXXER Series tournament from the Coventry Skydome Arena live on Sky Sports Action from 8pm on Saturday.

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