Friday night at York Hall in Bethnal Green had that old sweat-and-beer feel to it, the kind of night where you just know something lively is coming. William Storey, the Rich Energy boss, stepped into the chaos for his first night as a boxing promoter and didn’t tiptoe in. He kicked the door off.
Instead of some quiet small-hall debut with local lads and polite clapping, Storey dragged over American heavyweight Michael “The Bounty” Hunter (24-1-2) to headline against Wisbech’s unbeaten Eli “Fat Boy” Frankham (9-0). Big move. Risky move. And it paid off in spades.
He didn’t stop there either. The card was stacked with names who’ve been there and done it. Six-time, five-division world champion Lee “Aberdeen Assassin” McAllister (52-3) against Ghana’s Theophilus Tetteh (19-10-2). Three-time Scottish champ Darren “Train Wreck” Traynor (16-4) thrown in with India’s Sagar Chand (6-1). Add in unbeaten prospect Charley Leigh Brown (5-0) facing Rajwant Kaur (5-8) and King’s Lynn’s George Juby (1-0) against Sunil Kumar (4-10). And just to make it spicier, Storey put the whole thing under BIBA rather than the usual routes. Eyebrows were raised before a punch was even thrown.
Hunter vs Frankham Shut the Doubters Right Up
Plenty in the sport muttered that Hunter versus Frankham looked like a mismatch on paper. That chat didn’t even survive the first bell. From the opening second, both men went at it like they’d got personal beef. No messing about. Full throttle.
Round one was all action and tight as you like. The judges were split straight away. Two leaned Hunter, one went Frankham. Same again in the second. By the third, Frankham started nudging ahead, nicking control without backing off. York Hall was bouncing.
In the fourth it turned nasty in a blink. Hunter bullied Frankham onto the ropes and smashed him with a filthy left hook that snapped his head sideways, then ripped a vicious right uppercut straight up the middle. Frankham went down in a heap, body twisted, leg folded underneath him like it didn’t belong there. The ref didn’t even hesitate and dived in as the bell rang, rightly killing it before things got properly grim.
That fight did both men serious good. Hunter showed he can still dig deep. Frankham showed he belongs at this level. It had old-school war vibes to it, the kind people still talk about years later.
McAllister, Chand and a Card Full of Grit
The main support saw McAllister vs Tetteh over six rounds at super middleweight. Not the same all-out scrap as the main, but still a solid, proper boxing fight. Tetteh came to impress, but McAllister’s experience told the story. He picked his moments, toyed when needed, and took it wide on the cards.
Then came Traynor vs Chand, and this one was wild. Chand flew out fast and dumped Traynor on the deck early. Round after round, Chand stayed busy, sharp, fearless. Traynor dug in and clawed back momentum in the middle rounds, but Chand finished strong and rightfully took the decision. No complaints there. The lad can fight.
Earlier, Charley Leigh Brown boxed smart against the pressure of Rajwant Kaur, using her height and timing to shut down the inside work and take a clear points win. And the opener? George Juby vs Sunil Kumar was a proper tear-up. Four rounds of hammer and tongs. Juby took it clearly on the cards, but both left sweat and skin on that canvas.
What Storey pulled off on his first night was no small thing. He didn’t ease himself into the promoter game. He took a swing at it. And York Hall, both in the seats and on Stage Player+, got one hell of a night for their trouble.
The next Rich Energy show is already booked for February 28, 2026. If this first night is any sign of how Storey plans to run things, that one won’t be quiet either.
‘Train Wreck’ Traynor should’ve trained harder cause Chand looked miles sharper 😅 people sleep on Indian fighters but they come hungry.
That Frankham dude proved he got guts even if he lost. He stood toe to toe with a beast like Hunter and gave back just as hard!
‘Fat Boy’ earned respect for sure 💪 taking shots like that and still fighting shows he got warrior spirit.
People moaning about BIBA need to chill. What matters is the fights were good and fighters showed heart. Nobody cares about which letters are on the poster.
True that! All these alphabet groups confuse things anyway. I just wanna see people throw hands and leave it all out there.
Everyone keeps acting like putting Hunter in was too risky, but that’s what boxing needs! Taking chances makes legends, not hiding behind records.
Exactly! You can’t make noise by playing it boring. Storey put some fire in the ring and that’s why people watched 🔥
I don’t care what anyone says, this Storey guy knows how to bring the noise. Most promoters play it safe, but he went full throttle with real fights. That’s what fans want!