Maloney finding that Jeffries has a golden touch

It is fair to say that after the Beijing Olympics, Tony Jeffries was not the prospect that promoters were clambering after. James DeGale had the gold medal, David Price was the 6ft 9in heavyweight with a big punch, Frankie Gavin was seen as the most talented, Billy Joe Saunders was the young kid with a pro style. But,despite winning a bronze medal, Frank Maloney, his promoter, is discovering that Jeffries has a golden touch.

For Jeffries has that wonderful thing all top fighters need, possibly more even than a decent left hook - he can sell tickets. On Friday night, Jeffries has his third professional bout against Ilya Shakuro. It is the second time he has boxed in his native Sunderland and the Seaburn Centre will be packed once more. And the vast majority will be there to watch Jeffries.

"I have never known anyone who can sell tickets as fast at Tony," Maloney said. "He is so popular in Sunderland it is just incredible. This show is a virtual sell-out in the space of three weeks."

Indeed the show was only fixed three weeks ago, having been originally slated to be the British leg of Sky's pay-per-view broadcast of Floyd Mayweather Jr and Juan Manuel Marquez, with Jamie Moore topping the bill. But when Mayweather got injured, the show got pulled and the search was on for another date. Friday's show is topped by Lee Haskins defending his British super-flyweight title against Ross Burkinshaw. Haskins is from Bristol, but, despite being in a four-round undercard bout, it is Jeffries whose pulling power dictated where the show would be.

"I'm lobbying the people of Sunderland to write to their council to ask them to build a bigger venue," Maloney said. "The whole city is behind Tony, but this is the biggest venue here. I suppose the next step could be to go to the (MetroRadio) Arena in Newcastle, but we would really like to stay in Sunderland. We have been speaking to the people at Sunderland FC about using the Stadium of Light. Maybe we could do something in a marquee."

After two straight-forward wins in his two bouts so far, Jeffries is likely to move to 3-0 against Shakuro, a 20-year-old Belarussian who has had just three professional bouts. But Maloney does not believe that Jeffries has had things too easy so far.

"You have to remember that Tony had not been in a professional gym until he turned pro," Maloney said. "Many of the others had been in and out of pro gyms, but Tony did not get the chance so it is all new to him and he has to learn how to box as a professional."

But Maloney is busy building up his stable of North-East boxers. He now has signed heavyweight Dave Ferguson, highly-rated brothers Jon-Lewis and Travis Dickinson, as well as welterweight Chris Mullen.

"I think the North-East could be the next boxing hotbed," Maloney said. "I might even move my office here."