Ultimate Boxxer – Steven Donnelly handed chance to impress in exciting tournament

Steven Donnelly [5(1)-0] has been handed a chance to boost his profile and his bank balance after he was confirmed as a contestant on Ultimate Boxxer V.

The Ballymena man becomes the first Olympian to compete in the Prizefighter styled tournament and will go to battle with seven other lightweights for the Golden Robe on September 20th.

The Rio Olympian will be one of the favourites for victory in the one night knockout tournament set for the the Indigo at the O2 next month.

Donnelly will be competing against the likes of Joshua Ejakpovi, Kingsley Egbunike, Kaan Hawes, Lenny Fuller, Lewis Syrett, Aaron Collins and Southern Area champion Sean Robinson for the £16,000 winner’s prize.

Last month saw Sauerland fighter Mikael Lawal emerge victorious amongst the Cruiserweights at Ultimate Boxxer IV in Manchester – his triumph elevated him to the 7th best Cruiserweight in the UK division rankings. Defeated finalist Damian Chambers also saw his reputation enhanced, as did 21-year-old Rhasian Earlington who is now ranked at no. 11.

Donnelly will be hopeful victory can significantly enhance his career prospects similar to the way Prizefighter victory aided the likes of Martin Rogan, Willie Casey, Mike Perez, and Jono Carroll.

The competition will also be broadcast live on BT Sport which provides ‘The Donn’ with a chance to expose his talents to a wider audience.

The double Commonwealth Games bronze medalist has wracked up five relatively quick-fire wins since turning over as recently as August of last year.

The 30-year-old will be hoping to add three move victories to his slate come September.

Ultimate Boxxer is proving to be a platform for fighters making their way in the professional echelon of the sport. Kieron Conway – who fought in the Middleweight UBIII, tournament, losing to eventual winner Derrick Osaze – has recently announced he has joined the Matchroom Boxing group, while Lawal’s performance at UBIV propelled him into the top-10 of the UK Cruiserweight rankings.

“We definitely have some success stories already, and we are thrilled to have been able to provide a platform for these guys to showcase their skills” said Ben Shalom, Founder of UB.

“The Cruiserweights put on an incredible night of action last time out, and we are looking forward to watching what will be a very competitive Super Welterweight division in action,” he added.