Trans-Atlantic boxer Ashley “Treasure” Theophane defends his British light welterweight title July 23 in the 12-round co-feature against Welsh championJason “The Power” Cook on “The Big Brawl” Event, live from Wembley Arena.
“The Big Brawl” features undefeated Tyson Fury (14-0, 10 KOs) challenging British and Commonwealth heavyweight Champion Dereck “Del Boy” Chisora (14-0, 9 KOs) in the 12 round main event.
“The Big Brawl,” presented by Hennessy Sports, will be shown live and exclusively in the UK on Channel 5.
Preparing for fights the past six years, Theophane (29-4-1, 7 KOs) has successfully split training camps between his hometown, London, and adopted home, New York City. “As a kid,” he explained, “I watched (Mike) Tyson and (Marvin) Hagler and wanted to come to America to train and fight. For my 11th fight I came to Gleason’s Gym (in NYC) to see if I was good enough. I held my own and gained confidence sparring Pauli Malignaggi, Chris Smith and Elio Rojas. I’ve keep coming back to New York City and also gained good experience working with (Yuri) Foreman and Dmitriy) Salita. I only sparred with Paulie once, but I watched him go on to big fights against (Ricky) Hatton and (Amir) Khan. I would like to get to fight big names like that.
“I’d love to fight the winner of Khan-(Zab) Judah. For now, though, I want to make three quick defences of my title belt to keep my belt. Then, maybe, the European title and on to what I’ve always wanted, the world title.”
Theopane, rated No. 14 by the International Boxing Federation, captured the British light welterweight championship in his last fight, taking a unanimous 12-round decision againstLenny Daws this past February in London. Ashley’s most significant victories to date have been versus Delvin Rodriguez (DEC10) and former world champion DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley (DEC8).
The majority of Theophane’s pro fights have been as a welterweight, despite the 5’ 7” Ashley being a natural light welterweight. “I’ve always been a light welterweight but couldn’t get good opportunities at 140 pounds,” Ashley commented. “My biggest fight opportunities came at 147 and I took them. I make 140 pounds fine with a little more preparation and watching what I eat. I still feel good and put on 10-12 pounds hydrating after the weigh in. I feel strong at light welterweight. They (140 pounders) are a bit quicker but the majority are my size, averaging 5’ 8, not six footers.”
The 5’ 9” Cook (28-3-1, 14 KOs), a former International Boxing Organization and European lightweight champion, has lost only three times in 32 pro fights, the last in 2009 to former World Boxing Association champion Gavin Rees by three-round decision in the semi-finals of “Prizefighter” tournament.
Theophane has never fought on UK terrestrial tv and welcomes the opportunity to showcase his talents on July 23 to UK fans on Channel 5. “I want to show British fight fans that I’m a force to be reckoned with in the 140-pound division,” Ashley added. “I’m going into this fight to win and win impressively. They’re going to see a fighter who can box or go toe-to-toe if I have to. I have decent speed and a great jab like Hagler, who was one of my idols. He was a serious guy who broke-down boxers much like Miguel Cotto does now. Hagler has been an inspiration for me. He was No. 1 in the world but couldn’t get a world title shot. He finally did but got a draw and had to go to England to win it. He had to do things the hard way and so do I. He inspired me to work extra hard, take opportunities that come along, and make the most of it.”