Boxing Betting / Ralph Ellis / 10 February 2012 /

Betfair's sponsorship of Prizefighter begins with Saturday night's Light Welterweights contest on Sky TV. Here's part one of our guide to the eight contenders, what they've told us about where they've come from, and where they believe they are going.

Adil Anwar
Age: 24
From: Leeds
Fights: 14
Wins: 13 (7KOs)

"I'm English welterweight champion but this is the division that's got the greatest depth of fighters and that's why I'm stepping down a weight to enter it. It's going to be my night, Platinum night.

"I've been training with Ricky Hatton overseeing the work with Matthew Hatton and that's been great to deal with the pressure from a fighter who comes forward.

"I lost more than a year of my career because of a car accident and ever since it's made me more hungry and determined to succeed. I realised how much boxing meant to me and I want to get to the very top of the sport. This is a night that can help me on the way."

Dean Harrison
Age: 28
From: Wolverhampton
Fights: 22
Wins: 16 (5KOs)

"I started boxing when I was 13 and kept getting into fights at school. When I was 17 I went to Durham for three years to a boxing academy, and to New Jersey in America. I was supposed to turn pro there - I've still got the poster with my name on the bill - but for various reasons it never happened.

"I'm not looking beyond Prizefighter. I've just become a dad to a little boy who was 12 weeks premature, and he will be in an incubator for three months. He was just 2lb 9oz - I'll lose more than that in the ring on Saturday. We've called him Dustin and he's doing well, I think he's a fighter like his dad. I've had a tough career, been messed about and had to take stupid fights at short notice, this time I've put everything into being ready for one big night. It is do or die for me because if it doesn't go well I can't see I have much of a career and I can't afford for that to happen."

Mark Lloyd
Age: 36
From: Telford
Fights: 19
Wins: 15 (3KOs)

"I will be the fittest out of all the fighters. I've started doing training for triathlons in the last seven months, lots of swimming and running, and eventually I want to do the Ironman.

"It's made a real difference to my fitness. I was always a naturally good runner anyway, but the work for that has added to my boxing, and is great for my stamina which will be a big thing on Saturday night.

"I was really disappointed with what happened when I boxed Luciano Abis in Italy for the European welterweight title last year and I believe it was taken away from me because of some technicalities. I know I can win this event, and when I do then it will set me up for the things I want. I'll have loads of support - I wish I'd had some more tickets because I could have sold my allocation a couple of times over."

Dale Miles
Age: 27
From: Alfreton
Fights: 12
Wins: 12 (9KOs)

"My career record as a pro is great - 12 wins in 12 fights and nine of them knock-outs. It's just been too slow because it's such a struggle to get fights. I also had a problem when I got sciatica a couple of years ago, then split up with my first trainer and had to sit out my contract for seven months.

"Now all those problems are behind me and Prizefighter will be the biggest night of my career. I'm getting married in July, and my fiancée Nicki and I are desperately saving for the deposit on a house. I work in a small upholstery firm near my home where I make the mechanisms for the reclining chairs, so the cash prize for this could be a huge step.

"Prizefighter can change your career, and hopefully if I win I can get a promotional deal and keep busy. I'm always in the gym, I can take fights at one or two weeks notice, but it isn't easy to get them. Prizefigther can change that."

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