Another unfortunate twist for Co-op Live as the Jack Catterall vs Regis Prograis fight has been postponed.
The Chorley-born and bred boxer was due to take on the American fighter and two-time world champion at the brand-new arena next month but the 31-year-old has suffered an injury which has ultimately ruled him out from fighting as planned.
Having grown up just down the road, Catterall has fought four times in Manchester – most recently in May 2023 with a win by unanimous decision against Darragh Foley – but his next local bout is sadly being pushed back following a fitness issue.
Talk of the fight being called off first broke on Tuesday evening, with ESPN’s MikeCoppinger sharing details on social media, but the reports have now been fully confirmed by promoters Matchroom Boxing and the man himself.
Speaking in a frustrated and apologetic statement on his Instagram, Catterall wrote: “For the first time in my 30-fight career, I’ve had to withdraw due to injury.
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“I want to apologise to everyone who’s bought tickets and made plans to come to the fight. Refunds are available from [the] point of purchase. I’m hoping to have a new date very soon.
“Apologies to my opponent Regis. My health comes first and I always want to ensure I’m at 100% walking into the ring. Thanks again for your continued support, see you all very soon.”
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Although the details surrounding the injury are yet to be disclosed, it isn’t thought to be serious; nevertheless, the Lancashire lad simply won’t be back fit and ready in time to face Prograis.
The fight itself is looking like it will be rescheduled for the fall, most likely October if sources are to be believed, and the arena will be coordinating with those who bought tickets accordingly should they be unable to make the new date and require a refund.
Catterall recently took part in a charity 5k alongside fellow Chorley athlete, Reece Brown, who recently won his first marathon after smashing the Liverpool Half just six months into his running career. The run was set up in partnership with Matchroom to help promote the fight and looked raring to go.
The venue has had a lot of bad luck on its side since first opening back in April, with multiple setbacks delaying the launch and other unforeseen circumstances such as Nicki Minaj and Stevie Nick both having to rearrange dates.
That being said, the flurry of massive gigs is now flowing and the crowds that gathered inside Co-op Live arena for UFC 304 this past weekend, their first-ever sporting event, were sensational and got to sit back and watch as two regional stars prevailed in fine fashion.
Scouse MMA star Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett added another victory to his unbeaten streak and Greater Manchester native Tom Aspinall defended his interim heavyweight title for the first time during the rematch against Curtis Blaydes with a ruthless stoppage in the first round.
Featured Images — Press Image via DAZN/Matchroom Boxing/Co-op Live (supplied)
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
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Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
31st July 2024 
