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British super bantamweight champion Brad Foster has signed with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, and will be part of the May 18 card in Stevenage, England, defending his belt against Ashley Lane.
The show will be headlined by Billy Joe Saunders vs Shefat Isufi, and will stream live in the United States on ESPN+, plus air on BT Sport in the UK. Joe Joyce will also be on the card, facing Alexander Ustinov.
Foster (10-0-1, 3 KO) is a 21-year-old prospect who was last in the ring on March 8 in Barnsley, beating veteran Josh Wale by wide decision to win the British title. It was a big step up for Foster, and he came through it with a good display.
“Signing with Frank is a step up for me and the chance to get me out there a bit more because I am a British champion now,” said Foster. “Being with Frank Warren is going to get me more exposure. I am fighting on the Billy Joe Saunders undercard and that is a dream come true for me, really.”
Lane (13-8-2, 1 KO) is a 28-year-old fighter and current holder of the Commonwealth title, which has not been defended since he won it in Sept. 2017 against Michael Ramabeletsa. Lane has fought twice since the, beating journeyman Isaac Quaye and professional opponent Ricky Leach last year.
“Ashley is Commonwealth champion and I am not going to take him lightly,” Foster said. “He will want to win the British title because everybody does and my job is just to stop him and pick up the Commonwealth on the way. I have looked at him to see his style but I try to focus on myself and to make sure I am the best I can be on the night. The best Brad will beat Ashley Lane.”
“I am very excited for it and it is going to be a great fight between two good kids,” said Lane. “On paper it looks like it could go either way. I’ve only watched two of his fights and, to be honest, he looked good with very nice movement and a good boxing brain, but not really much power from the look of things.
“I just go into every fight looking to enjoy my time in the ring, have fun and look after myself. Winning and losing is just part of the game and is a process. I always go in there to win but, at the end of the day, having fun and enjoying it will get the right results.”