Boxing: Simmons aiming for Super 8 wildcard

Stephen Simmons. Photo / Getty Images

The Monster is hoping for some good news on Halloween.

Scotland's Stephen Simmons, known as the 'Simbo Monster' due to his impressive physical strength, is one of a handful of cruiserweight boxers in contention to be handed a wildcard for next month's Super 8 fight night on the North Shore.

Sky Arena will likely confirm their wildcards, one of which will be international and one from New Zealand, on Friday, which happens to be Halloween.

"The Monster's getting let loose on Halloween," Simmons said from Scotland.

The Super 8 tournament has six confirmed names with Australians Brad Pitt (15-1), Daniel Ammann (29-7-1) and Anthony McCracken (16-7-1) ready to lock horns with Kiwis Lance Bryant (3-0) and Monty Filimaea (9-10-1), while Samoa's Vaitele Soi (22-0) was added during the weekend.

Fighters will be paired off in to quarter-final match-ups and they will meet over three three-minute rounds with the winner advancing.

There's an attractive $150,000 purse on offer for the night and Simmons, who holds the WBC's international silver title, said it would be a great way to end the year before he goes to Mexico on his honeymoon in December.

"It'll be good to get in this tournament, win first place, win some prizemoney and just relax on my honeymoon."

Of the other contenders hoping to claim an international wildcard for the November 22 show, Nigerian Olanrewaju Durodola (18-2) looks a dangerous prospect and is ranked sixth in the WBC.

Veteran American heavyweight Brian Minto (39-8), who is no stranger to Kiwi fighters, can also make the cruiserweight limit of 90.7kgs and is reportedly interested.

Closer to home, kickboxer Israel Adesanya, fresh off another knockout victory across the Tasman during the weekend, wants the New Zealand wildcard, while James Emerson (1-2) and the Gold Coast-based James Porter (4-2) are also interested.

Adesanya, who won August's King in the Ring cruiserweight kickboxing tournament in Auckland, has never had a professional boxing fight but is 2-0 in MMA and 40-2 as a kickboxer with 20 knockouts.

"I want to step in there against them and test myself and I think I'll do quite well," he said. "It's just martial arts, boxing is a martial art and I feel like I want to step up. I want to challenge myself."

The Super 8 fight night will be headlined by a heavyweight clash between veterans Shane Cameron (29-4) and Kali Meehan (41-5) who will meet for the WBA Oceania crown.
Kiwi cruiserweight David Aloua (11-1) will also put his WBA Pan African title on the line against Australian Daniel Baff (16-2-1).