Scottish junior welterweight Craig MacIntyre has a new opponent for August 12th: he'll now face Ishmael Ellis instead of Darren Surtees. MacIntyre (11-0-1) meets Ellis (11-2) at Production Park Studios in Wakefield, England on August 12, live in the US on ESPN+ and worldwide on IFL TV. An injury has forced Surtees out of the bout. [Editor's note: Ellis probably has the most unbelievably padded record in boxing. For his 11 wins, his opponents' combined record at the time they fought was a staggering 73-891-31!]

 

MacIntyre said: “I was gutted when I heard about the change, but credit to my team MTK Global as they sorted it out and got me a new opponent, so I’m buzzing to still be fighting. We’ve been focusing on Surtees for the last however many weeks and putting a game plan together to fight him, but this doesn’t change anything, I’ve still got the same job to do. We’ve had a look at Ellis and I don’t know what sort of fight to expect, but I’ll get the business done. I feel like if I land cleanly then I can hurt most people in the division.”

 

Ellis said: “I’m really excited. I’ve been waiting for something to come up for a while, so to fight on an MTK Global is a great opportunity. I’m happy to fight anyone. I’ve been ticking over gradually over the last few months to make sure I’m always fit. I’m expecting a high pace and skilful boxing. We’re both going to put on a good boxing display for the fans around the world to appreciate. I’m hoping a win will lead me on to more big shows to get my name out there a bit more.”

 

MacIntyre vs. Ellis is part of a show headlined by Jono Carroll vs. Maxi Hughes and which also features Sean McComb taking on Siar Ozgul.