JUST under three years since Sanigar Events promoted a domestic title triple-header in Swansea, Welsh boxing is making a return to terrestrial television, writes Kailem Lowe.
A major show is set to take place live on BBC Wales in early 2025 at the Vale Sports Arena in Cardiff.
Sanigar Events, a promotional company that has been holding boxing events for well over 30 years, has confirmed that it has agreed on a partnership with BBC Sport Wales.
Plans for their next television show are well under way and set to be announced very soon.
Father and son duo Chris and Jamie Sanigar have both played massive roles in the development, progression, and title-winning journeys of some of Wales' and Bristol's biggest boxing names, including Lee Selby, former IBF world featherweight champion, and Lee Haskins, former IBF bantamweight champion.
Sanigar Events' current crop of fighters includes an array of promising Welsh and English boxing talent, including Port Talbot's Joshua John, Newport's Nathan Howells and Bristol's Anton Haskins and Aaron Sutton.
John, who has challenged for both the Celtic featherweight title and WBO European super bantamweight title, will be hoping he can earn himself a spot on the show, with another title shop looming on the horizon.
The Vale Sports Arena, a short journey from Cardiff city centre, has become Sanigar Events' Welsh boxing venue of choice and has played host to a number of their shows over the last three years, making it the ideal location for their televised show which is expected to take place in either February or March next year.
The last time Sanigar Events promoted a show that was televised on BBC Wales was back in May 2022 at the LC2 in Swansea, where there was a domestic title triple header featuring five Welsh fighters.
Cardiff's Lloyd Germain and Risca's Jake Tinklin contested the Welsh welterweight title over 10 rounds, with Cardiff's Germain claiming the spoils via referee decision.
Germain, who has since won the Celtic welterweight title, has suffered back-to-back defeats at the hands of Conah Walker and Elliot Whale.
The second of three title fights on the show was between Aberdare's Morgan Jones and Colwyn Bay's Gerome Warburton, who went 10-rounds for the Welsh middleweight title.
The referee scored the contest in favour of Warburton, who has gone on to win a British middleweight title eliminator, and he now aims to fight for the highly coveted Lonsdale belt in the near future.
And finally, the show's main event saw Port Talbot's Joshua John challenge Scotland's Mark McKeown for the Celtic featherweight title over 10 rounds.
An all-action contest, which seemed to be 100 miles per hour for the duration, went in favour of the away fighter McKeown, who has unfortunately now retired from boxing due to concerns over an injury.
If that night in May 2022 is anything to go by, Welsh boxing fans are in for an absolute treat in a few months, with multiple title fights due to be announced over the coming weeks in what could be a positive sign of things to come for the future of Welsh professional boxing.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here