PROMOTER Frank Duffin and manager/ matchmaker Kevin Maree’s attempt to grow the Blackburn and Colne boxing scene continued with a vacant Central Area super-featherweight title fight between Artif Ali and Zeeshan Khan in front of around 800 fans at King George’s Hall.
Bradford’s Khan was undefeated in eight going in, with his sole stoppage coming against Reynaldo Cajina in three in May last year. The Accrington-based Ali had more experience – he had fought 16 times and had 78 rounds under his belt – but losses to Bobby Jenkinson and Paul Economides had set him back, so he desperately needed to build on his three previous consecutive victories in order to get back into contention.