Boxer Ben ready for night with the stars

The 28-year-old says his supporters are ready to invade Manchester when he takes part in ‘Ultimate Boxxer’, an event that offers a prize fund of £50,000.

Big names from TV and music will be at the Manchester Arena on Friday, April 27 when eight unbeaten welterweights will contest three-round fights in front of millions of online boxing fans.

The crash, bang, wallop event will be screened live, and Eland says he will have hundreds of fans cheering him on as he bids to win three fights on the night and the top prize.

“Ever since I was an amateur, I’ve always had great support,” said Eland, who works as a contracts manager for a shop-fitting company and lives in Longto, near Stoke.

“Ollerton is only a small community and everyone supports each other. They are booking up hotels all over Manchester.

“This is a massive opportunity for me. I was looking to possibly step up to six rounds, but now ‘Ultimate Boxxer’ has come up, who knows where this will take me?”

All of the eight ‘Ultimate Boxxer’ hopefuls are unbeaten. Eland has won all four fights since drawing his debut and says his fans will see him at his best in Manchester.

“I’m a counter puncher and it’s not easy to do that when you’re fighting journeymen who just tuck up and wait for you to make the first move,” he said. “I haven’t really been able to show what I can do yet, but now I’ve got a great chance to prove myself.

“The line-up is strong and we are all at the same point in our careers. We are all unbeaten, on the way up and looking to push on. I’m not really thinking about the money. I’m just thinking where ‘Ultimate Boxxer’ can take me.”

Eland started boxing in his teens just to get fit and had a handful of amateur bouts for Retford ABC. But after a six-month trial with former pro Scott Lawton at Stoke, he ended up winning a contract.