Ranking the Biggest Names Who Have Fought in Prizefighter
The Prizefighter series returns for 2015 on Valentine's Day at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
The middleweights are the men in the spotlight for the 35th edition of the knockout tournament that sees eight men do battle in a winner-takes-all scenario.
The format—with each contest being fought over three, three-minute rounds—always makes for an entertaining night.
Matchroom Sports has also attracted some big names to take part since the very first Prizefighter was held back in 2008.
We have picked out 10 recognisable names, whether they were at the beginning or end of their careers, who signed up.
But are they ranked in the right order? Have your say in the comments section.
10. Derry Mathews
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Derry Mathews has twice been involved in Prizefighter competitions, though on neither occasion was he able to lift the trophy.
The Liverpudlian was in the field as a super-featherweight back in November of 2010, beating Gary McArthur and Choi Tseveenpurev before being knocked out in the final by Gary Buckland.
Undeterred, he returned for another attempt at glory in Prizefighter: The Lightweights II at Liverpool Olympia on Oct. 6, 2012.
He out-pointed Jamie Spence in his quarter-final but was then beaten in the next round by eventual winner Terry Flannigan.
So why does Mathews (36-9-2, 19 KOs) make the top 10? Because he has been involved in some outstanding domestic scraps during his pro career.
He fought out a draw with former world champion Gavin Rees before losing the rematch, stopped Anthony Crolla in 2012 and also upset Tommy Coyle in Hull with a late stoppage.
Just like Prizefighter, Mathews provides entertainment from the opening bell.
9. Danny Williams
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Danny Williams did not enjoy his appearance in Prizefighter back in October 2009.
The heavyweight was beaten in his opening fight at York Hall in Bethnal Green, with Carl Baker knocking him down twice in the first round before having to settle for a points win.
The Brixton Bomber had gone into the tournament as the reigning British champion, and people hoped he would meet Audley Harrison in the latter stages.
Instead he suffered a rather embarrassing exit to Baker, who was a late stand-in after Michael Holden was ruled out.
Williams lost the British title in his next fight against Dereck Chisora, though he will always be best known for his stunning win over Mike Tyson in 2004.
The Londoner went on to challenge Vitali Klitschko in the same year and did well to last until the eighth round, having endured several trips to the canvas before the fight was eventually stopped.
Although he lost 15 of his last 17 professional outings, Williams finished with a career record of 46-25 (35 KOs).
8. Anthony Crolla
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Since losing in the semi-finals of Prizefighter: The Lightweights II in October 2012, Anthony Crolla has not been beaten.
He entered the tournament having just surrendered his grip on the British title to Derry Mathews, who was also in the eight-man field in Liverpool.
While Million Dollar Crolla (29-4-2, 11 KOs) did not get the chance to avenge that loss to Mathews, he did end up facing another fighter who had previously beaten him.
Gary Sykes had out-pointed the Mancunian in a British super-featherweight title eliminator in 2009—and he came out on top in the same way in their second meeting too.
However, Crolla has not looked back since.
He became British champion at the weight and was due to challenge for a world title in January until he was left with serious injuries after confronting burglars (h/t BBC Sport) near his home.
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7. Audley Harrison
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Audley Harrison may not have lived up to expectations in his professional career, but you cannot argue with his Prizefighter record.
The gold-medal winner at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney is a two-time champion in the event.
The heavyweight triumphed at York Hall on Oct. 2, 2009, knocking out Scott Belshaw before needing the judges to record wins over Danny Hughes and Coleman Barrett.
His success led to a European title challenge against Michael Sprott, a fight he won to avenge an earlier loss to his fellow Brit, but David Haye halted his winning streak in emphatic fashion.
After being stopped inside a round by David Pryce in 2012, Harrison took the chance to enter Prizefighter: The International Heavyweights II in February 2013.
He saw off Claus Bertino of Denmark inside a round, jabbed his way past Irishman Martin Rogan and then stopped American Derric Ross inside the distance to be crowned champion again.
Was this the start of a fresh chapter in Harrison's career? Nope—Deontay Wilder flattened him in the first round just two months later.
6. Martin Murray
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Martin Murray reigned supreme in Prizefighter: The Middleweights back in November 2008.
The St. Helens fighter beat Joe Rea, Danny Butler and then Cello Renda to pick up a cheque for £25,000 (inflation has seen the prize money rise since then).
He also benefited from the increased exposure that the tournament offered, as it took place on the same television broadcast as Ricky Hatton's bout with Paulie Malignaggi in Las Vegas.
Murray put Renda down in the final but still only got the nod from two of the three judges at ringside.
He has since fallen short in two attempts to become a world champion at the same weight.
The 32-year-old was seen as unfortunate not to be given the win against German Felix Sturm in 2011, with the bout being scored a draw. Two years later, he was out-pointed by WBC champion Sergio Martinez.
Undeterred, Murray (29-1-1, 12 KOs) will hope the third time is the charm when he faces Gennady Golovkin in Monaco on Feb. 21.
5. Gavin Rees
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Gavin Rees became the first former world champion to appear in Prizefighter when he signed up to be one of the eight light-welterweights to compete in 2009.
The Welshman had lost his WBA title the previous year when Andriy Kotelnik stopped him in the first round in Cardiff.
However, Rees showed his class at York Hall by beating Ted Bami, Jason Cook and Colin Lynes, all on points, to lift the trophy.
He took the decision to move to lightweight after his Prizefighter triumph, becoming British and European champion.
His success saw him get a shot at becoming a world champion again, though he was unable to get the better of Adrien Broner in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The Rock also lost to Anthony Crolla and Gary Buckland but ended his pro career on a high, avenging his defeat to the latter to finish with a 38-4-1 (18 KOs) record.
Instead of throwing punches, he took to pulling pints after opening a bar in a village (h/t Wales Online).
4. Herbie Hide
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Herbie Hide was unbeaten in Prizefighter: The Cruiserweights II in 2010. However, he did not win the event.
The two-time world champion started out his bid for glory with a points win over Wayne Brooks in the quarter-finals.
The problem, though, was that the comfortable victory came at a price. Hide suffered a nasty cut and had to withdraw from the rest of the tournament.
That win over Brooks proved to be the final outing for the Nigerian-born fighter.
He actually finished up on a 14-fight winning streak, with many of those successes coming in cruiserweight bouts staged in Germany.
Hide made his name, though, at heavyweight. He won the WBO title back in 1994, beating Michael Bentt at the home of Millwall Football Club.
Riddick Bowe took that belt from him in rather brutal fashion in Las Vegas, though he would regain it in 1997 with a second-round stoppage of Tony Tucker.
3. Robin Reid
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Former world champion Robin Reid was 40 when he took part in Prizefighter: The Super Middleweights II in Liverpool on Mar. 23, 2011.
The Grim Reaper failed to clear the first hurdle, losing a unanimous decision to Tobias Webb in their quarter-final.
Webb went all the way to the final, although he became the third fighter on the night to be stopped by champion Rocky Fielding.
As for Reid (42-8-1, 29 KOs), the defeat did not stop him from carrying on his career.
He lost in a British title challenge against Kenny Anderson—Reid was deducted a point for a low blow before the referee stepped in to spare him any further punishment in the fifth round.
Still, it should not be forgotten that Reid had claimed the WBC strap with victory over Vincenzo Nardiello in 1996.
He went on to fight some of the biggest names in the division too, including Joe Calzaghe, Jeff Lacy and Carl Froch.
2. Junior Witter
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Despite the Prizefighter concept perhaps not suiting Junior Witter, he took part in Welterweights II in June 2011.
The Hitter was the biggest name in the eight-man field and looked on course for victory when he defeated Nathan Graham and Kevin McIntyre to reach the final at York Hall.
However, Yassine El Maachi caused an upset when he defeated his more experienced opponent on points.
Witter had made his name at light-welterweight, rebuilding his career after a defeat to Zab Judah to become WBC champion in 2006 with victory over DeMarcus Corley.
The Bradford-born boxer lost the title to Timothy Bradley in 2008 and failed in an attempt to get it back from Devon Alexander the following year.
After appearing in Prizefighter, Witter (43-7-2, 23 KOs) went on to become British champion at welterweight by beating Colin Lynes.
1. James Toney
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There can be little doubt that James Toney is the biggest name to have competed in a Prizefighter to date.
While he was well past his best when he signed on for UK vs. USA International Heavyweights in 2013, his name and career achievements meant he was still a big draw.
The American started off impressively enough, beating Matt Legg inside the distance.
However, he failed to get beyond compatriot Jason Gavern, who had a 23-15-4 record at the time, losing on points in their semi-final.
It was all a far cry from the glory days for the man known as Lights Out, a three-weight world champion who did not taste defeat until his 47th professional fight.
He lost his perfect record when beaten on points by Roy Jones Jr. at super-middleweight. At the time of the bout, they were considered two of the very best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
Having started out as a middleweight, Toney completed his rise through the divisions by finishing off at heavyweight (where he caused a major upset by beating Evander Holyfield).
Toney did not fight again after his Prizefighter appearance—he finished with a 76-9-3 record, with 46 of his wins coming by way of knockout.
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