Western Counties title target for classy Chris

The 20-year-old Alderney boxer has made great strides in the last couple of years and tonight takes on Darren Richardson in the first Guernsey Dinner Boxing Show of 2015 at St Pierre Park.

It is the start of a busy few weeks for Sumner, who hopes to fight twice more locally in March before the ABAs take centre stage in late-March and April.

The hard-hitting Ridunian has always been somebody with a lot of talent, but he says that the change in his approach in recent times has been the catalyst for his run of good form.

'I moved to Guernsey permanently when I was 16 to go to college and that was a big step because of the facilities and different sparring partners, but it is in the last two years where I have kicked on,' he said.

As for tonight, Sumner is one of a 12-strong Guernsey team that faces a North-East Counties Select outfit, the first time that particular opposition has visited the island in well over a decade.

Casey de la Mare will fight for the first time in the senior ranks and thus, for the first time without a head guard, while Polish heavyweight Tomasz Kot makes his boxing debut in Guernsey colours.

Le Poullain tops the bill against Thomas Brazell, while young Jake Fletcher will look to make it three wins from three fights in the night's opening bout.

Guernsey v. North-East Select schedule

Jake Fletcher v. E. Scannel (minimum weight); Chris Sumner v. Darren Richardson (light-welter); Ella Hamel v. Shauna Taylor (light); Mason Smale v. Harry Condren (bantam); Liam Pringle v. Rohan Wardale (light); Sam Masterman v. Nathan Cummisky (welter); Jack Elliot v. Tony Pyle (light-welter); Tomaz Kot v. Liam Price (heavy); Michael Crowley v. Jordan Atcheson (welter); Nathan Green v. Daniel Collins (middle); Casey de la Mare v. Tom Hill (welter); Billy Le Poullain v. Thomas Brazell (welter).

• More in today's Guernsey Press.