Hillyard seeks Prizefighter crown for his son

Posted on | February 24, 2010 | No Comments

George Hillyard is trying to win the Prizefighter Light-Middleweights (Friday, 26 February) so he can continuing paying for treatment for his partially blind son.

The Canning Town boxer admits his ring career has suffered due to family matters but sees winning the Prizefighter at the York Hall in Bethnal Green as the perfect way to establish himself as a serious contender for British and Commonwealth titles.

Hillyard, 25, had to pull out of boxing in the Prizefighter Welterweight tournament in October 2008 after failing to make the weight and was stopped by Matthew Thirlwall in his last fight in May.

But Hillyard is highly motivated to do well in Prizefighter with £32,000 on offer if he can win each of his three, three-round bouts in the eight-man competition on one night.

He said: “I’ve had some personal problems which have not helped my boxing and it was a factor in me not making the weight for the last Prizefighter I was in.

“My little boy Oscar was born blind and it has been difficult for me and my partner Karly to cope with it all because he needs a lot of treatment.

“He was born with cataracts on the eye and is still partially blind. We have to go to Great Ormond Street Hospital with him a lot and it’s costing us £600 a month in travel from Essex.

“I was taking fights at short notice to pay for it all and it didn’t do my boxing career any good but obviously I had to do it.

“If I win the Prizefighter I will spend it all on getting the treatment for my little boy Oscar. It has been hard for me and my family but we are coming through it.

“He had an operation only last week and he’s got another one on March 29th so hopefully it will improve. If I win this I can give him more opportunities and if we need anything I can pay for it to get it done.”

The fourth round defeat to Thirlwall ended a four-fight winning streak for Hillyard, who has won five of his nine fights by stoppage. Hillyard was out of the ring for nearly a year before he fought Thirlwall.

The draw was made live on Sky Sports’ Friday Fight Night, which will screen next Friday’s sold-out event live from the York Hall, Bethnal Green, London.

PrizeFighter Light-Middleweights

Quarter-Finals

George Hillyard v Prince Arron

Neil Sinclair v Bradley Pryce

Brett Flournoy v Danny Butler

Steve O’Meara v Martin Concepcion

Semi-Finals

Hillyard/Arron v Sinclair/Pryce

Flournoy/Butler v O’Meara/Concepcion

Followed by Final

Prizefighter Light-Middleweights takes place at the York Hall, Bethnal Green, London on Friday, February 26. The full line-up is Prince Arron (Droylsden, Manchester), Danny Butler (Bristol), Martin Concepcion (Leicester), Brett Flournoy (Birkenhead, Merseyside), George Hillyard (Canning Town), Steve O’Meara (West Drayton, Middlesex), Bradley Pryce (Newbridge, Wales) and Neil Sinclair (Belfast).

Due to increased demand, tickets for Prizefighter Light-Middleweights have sold out. But you can still see all the action live on Sky Sports HD from 8pm next Friday.

Odds to win Prizefighter (as on Friday, February 19 with SkyBet)

5/2 Bradley Pryce

7/2 Prince Arron, Neil Sinclair

5/1 Danny Butler

7/1 Steve O’Meara

12/1 Martin Concepcion

16/1 Brett Flournoy

25/1 George Hillyard