Stuart Hall's trainer Michael Marsden says the Darlington boxer’s next fight has yet to be decided
Stuart Hall’s trainer Michael Marsden says the Darlington boxer’s next fight has yet to be decided after online reports claimed he will face Anselmo Moreno in a unification clash at Newcastle Arena on June 6.
Marsden has confirmed that IBF champion Hall has been offered the fight against Panama’s WBA super world bantamweight title holder Moreno.
But he said a date and contract has not been finalised.
Hall also has a mandatory defence to fulfil, with Randy Caballero and Kohei Oba meeting in an eliminator in Japan tomorrow.
Hall retained his belt in anti-climactic fashion at Newcastle Arena last Saturday, when the first all-North-east world title fight ended in a second round technical draw after Martin Ward suffered a severe cut in an accidental head clash.
It was Hall’s first contest since December, when he ended the North-east’s 25-year wait for a world champion by defeating Vusi Malinga for the vacant IBF title.
“We’ve been offered the Moreno fight, and have various options, but at the moment nothing has been agreed,” said Rothwell-based former amateur and pro boxer Marsden.
“We are currently in discussion with our promotional team.”
Marsden did rule out one fight entirely, saying 34-year-old Hall will not be having a rematch with Jamie McDonnell on the undercard of Carl Froch-George Groves II at Wembley on May 31 due to conflicts of interest between TV channels.
Dennis Hobson-promoted Hall is a BoxNation fighter while McDonnell is with Eddie Hearn and Sky Sports.
Doncaster’s McDonnell beat Hall in a British, European and Commonwealth triple title fight in 2011.
Whoever Hall ends up boxing next, he is in no hurry to give up the belt.
“I’m massively determined to stay champion. There’s only me and a few other people who really know how far I’ve come,” he said in reference to his old party animal lifestyle while living in Ibiza.
“I’m living the life and doing my diet and everything correctly.
“I didn’t eat bread for eight weeks before the Martin Ward fight. All I ate was rice and quinoa.”
Hall said he would be happy to give Ward a rematch following the unfortunate end to their fight, but Ward’s 14-stitch cut and the champion’s obligations mean an early return is highly unlikely.
Successful healing permitted, Ward, 26, could make a first defence of his Commonwealth title on the next pro show at Sunderland FC’s Stadium of Light, being pencilled in for the first week of July.
Ward’s trainer Neil Fannan added: “What can you say about how the world title fight ended? That’s boxing.
“As soon as I saw the cut, I knew it was over. It was really, really bad.
“One of the doctors said he wouldn’t box again, but I wouldn’t go that far.
“Argie Ward had a grotesque cut in his second pro fight against John Paul Ryan, but it healed good as gold.
“Hopefully it’s the same with Martin, because he will have to earn a second world title shot.”
Tony Robinson and John Lewis’s latest Pride and Respect white collar show in conjunction with the EBF at Eston Sports Academy proved another hit.
As well as the featured bouts - which included wins for Chris Wood, James Spanswick and Damien Lavender - £2,190 was raised to send four-year-old kidney disease sufferer Marley Gill to Disneyland.
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