Wednesday 6th September, 2017
Hayemaker Ringstar, the partnership between two-weight World Boxing Champion, David Haye, and world renowned promoter, Richard Schaefer, has today announced the stable's professional debut, will take place on Friday 20th October at Indigo, The O2 arena and live on free-to-air channel Dave.
Headlining the show will be Olympic silver medallist, Heavyweight Joe 'Juggernaut' Joyce who will make his professional debut against former WBO Inter-Continental Champion Ian Lewison. Lewison brings a wealth of experience to the ring, with a 12-3 record, winning 8 of these by knockout. His most recent bout against world-ranked Dillian Whyte, provided an enthralling 10-round contest for the British Heavyweight title.
The South London rivals will be supported in an explosive match up between current English Champion and former Commonwealth Champion and current English Champion John O'Donnell (32-1, 11KO), as he defends his English Welterweight title against all action fighter Tamuka Mucha (16-1, 4KO) of Reading.
MMA (Bellator) star and 10-time World Kickboxing Champion, Michael 'Venom' Page (MVP) will be making his professional boxing debut. MVP will be looking to bring the same show-stopping style we've witnessed in the cage to the boxing ring.
Also making his hotly anticipated professional debut will be Scotland's amateur World and European Champion, Willy 'Braveheart' Hutchinson. Coming from a family of former World Champions he is looking to emulate their previous successes.
The fight will be broadcast live on Dave, UKTV's entertainment channel. Live coverage will start from 9:00pm on Friday 20th October as the partnership aims to satisfy Britain and Ireland's appetite for free-to-view boxing.
David Haye said:
We've got an exciting line-up of emerging new stars, so the inaugural Hayemaker Ringstar Fight Night is set to be electric!! The Hayemaker Ringstar stable is unique, with each fighter cherry-picked by myself and Richard (Schaefer) for their star quality inside, and outside the ring.
"We have everything from a future Heavyweight Champion of the World to an MMA specialist looking to replicate his success in the boxing ring.
"The crowd are in for a thrilling night, we have a packed card, and I'm predicting some explosive knockouts . Many will be surprised Joyce is taking on such a challenging opponent for his professional debut. Stepping in the ring against seasoned professional and heavy-handed Lewison is no doubt a risk, but at 32 years of age there is no time to waste. Joyce means business."
Richard Schaefer said:
It's an incredibly exciting time for our stable entering the professional ranks. Between myself and David, we have a wealth of knowledge that can guide our young talent to the very top of their division and to global super-stardom. It was important to us to ensure the first Hayemaker Ringstar show got the fans excited and I'm confident the inaugural Hayemaker Ringstar fight will not disappoint.
Joe Joyce said:
I'm looking to make a statement with my professional debut and give boxing fans the spectacular knockout win they crave. It means a great deal that I have the opportunity to make my professional debut in my home town. All due credit to Lewison for agreeing to step in the ring with me, something many other potential opponents ran from.
Ian Lewison said:
I'll certainly show __Joyce __that I'm south London's finest - they don't call me 'Lay 'Em Out' for nothing. After I'm done with him, I've got my eyes on his boss.
Michael 'Venom' Page said:
I love nothing more than to put on a show for the fight fans when I step into the sporting arena, but make no mistake making the crossover into professional boxing is no exhibition event. I am looking to emulate the same success on the world stage in boxing as I have in MMA and kickboxing. I've proved my skill as a fighter and I'm ready to step into the boxing ring for the very first time on October 20th.
Willy Hutchinson said:
I've accomplished everything I wanted in my amateur career, so this is a great new challenge for me. I'm hungry, excited and raring to go for October 20th.
Tickets are available now for all O2 priority members. Presale tickets will go on sale from 09:00am on Thursday 7th September. General release tickets will go on sale from 09:00am on Friday 8th September via www.theo2.co.uk
Tickets packages range from £40 - £250. The VIP package priced at £250 includes premium seating, VIP bar, complimentary food and drinks and a meet and greet with David Haye.
The fight will air on Dave at 9pm on Friday 20th October.
Notes to editors:
For more information please contact:
Gem Pinkney at UKTV.
About Dave
Sky 111/246, Virgin 128/194, Freeview 12, BT & TalkTalk 12 On demand on Sky, Virgin and UKTV Play
Dave's had a haircut and shave in recent years as it grows from awkward teenager to fully-fledged commissioner of new and original shows. And it's not just comedy these days but entertainment and even some knock-out live sport. Hit UKTV Original commissions include Taskmaster, Dave Gorman Modern Life is Goodish, Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled and Crackanory, all laden with the biggest names in British comedy. Dave enjoyed critical success with two series of Hoff the Record, a mockumentary ensemble comedy led by the living legend David Hasselhoff. As well as home-grown delights Dave also goes stateside, cherry-picking cult US Shows including the sharp-witted and sharp-suited Suits and much-loved Parks and Recreation along with Emmy-nominated The Last Man on Earth. This all contributed to Dave's award win at the 2016 Broadcast Digital Awards for Best Entertainment Channel. Dave is the UK's most watched non-PSB channel broadcasting to over 27 million people per month, and viewers continue to enjoy the ludicrously addictive American Pickers and UK remake of Storage Hunters. The channel continues to grow its original commissioning slate with political show Unspun with Matt Forde, Red Dwarf XI, Dara O Briain's Go8Bit, fantasy comedy Zapped! and Celebrity Storage Hunters airing later this year.