Sam Maxwell has teamed up with a new trainer ahead of his career-biggest fight to date.
The WBO European champion at super-lightweight returns to the ring in London next month, exclusively live on BT Sport.
Maxwell won bronze at the Commonwealth Games back in 2014 and is unbeaten in 14 fights since turning professional.
The 32-year-old will challenge for the British and Commonwealth titles on March 26 at the Copper Box Arena in Hackney Wick.
Maxwell will have the current custodian of the belts, Akeem Ennis-Brown, in the opposite corner on the night, but he will have a new voice in his own corner on fight night after parting ways with Danny Vaughan and teaming up with Manchester-based trainer Steve Maylett.
“I’m excited about teaming up with Steve Maylett [at The Finest gym] for my next fight,” Maxwell wrote on social media when confirming the news.
Maylett is best known as the head trainer of former WBO world lightweight king Terry Flanagan and it is understood that the blessing of Vaughan was given to Maxwell upon the move.
“Danny Vaughan isn’t available to coach me at the moment but is more than happy with the arrangement and rates Steve as one of the best coaches about.”
Ennis-Brown (14-0, 1 KO) is from Gloucester and has previously held the IBF European championship in the 10-stone division. He was last in action in September last year, during the pandemic, when he won the aforementioned belts against Philip Bowes, while ‘Super’ Sam defeated Joe Hughes via unanimous decision to make the second defence of his belt in August last year.
Vaughan was also absent from the corner earlier this month as his fighter Sean McComb turned his back and was stopped inside seven rounds at the Bolton Whites Hotel, exclusively live on ESPN + and iFL TV, by Gavin Gwynne for the vacant Commonwealth lightweight title.
“I have always had a good relationship with Steve, who has known me from when I was an amateur,” Maxwell added. “I had already been training well for several weeks but the start of this week was the time to go to work and do what I have to do to win them belts.”
Maxwell’s challenge of Ennis-Brown forms part of the first card of a doubleheader being hosted by promoter Frank Warren at the venue in the capital.
Danny Ball defends the WBC International Silver welterweight title against Sam Gilley, while superstar young bantamweight Dennis McCann sees action against once-defeated Luis Moreno and outright British super-bantamweight champion Brad Foster moves into international class when he meets Alvaro Rodriguez for the vacant IBF International title.
Zach Parker, the WBO’s number one super-middleweight contender who is the mandatory challenger for world champion Billy Joe Saunders, makes his debut under the Queensberry Promotions banner after recently inking a deal with Hall of Fame promoter Warren, while David Adeleye fights for the fifth time and there are a pair of debut outings for Jason Harty and Edward Donovan.
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