HENRY Castle’s recent superb form has earned him the opportunity to re-establish himself as a major force in the sport, writes Mike Turner.

The 29-year-old former English ABA champion, from Salisbury but who lives and trains in Southampton at Wayne Batten’s Millbank gym in Northam, has been named as Scott Lawton’s opponent for the champions’ first defence of his English lightweight title on a Frank Maloneypromoted show.

The ten-round bout is to be held on Friday, January 23 in Stokeon- Trent at the Fenton Manor Sports Complex on a star-studded ‘Stoking The Fire’ bill which sees Stoke’s Chris Edwards challenge Wayne Bloy for the vacant British flyweight championship.

Their match-up will be a double title battle as the vacant Commonwealth crown is also on the line.

Also on the card is a welterweight contest between Manchester’s Mark Thompson and Ghanaian southpaw Philip Kotey. Victory for Thompson would earn him a pop at current champion Craig Watson, who must fight the winner by June 30 or be stripped of his crown.

Many of his supporters believe Castle, who will turn 30 just days after this month’s fight, is in the best form of his career.

Unbeaten since November 2007, the most recent of his sequence of five successes on the spin saw Castle spectacularly retire Graham Earl inside the first round of their clash at Bethnal Green’s York Hall.

The Luton star had no answer to Castle’s blistering attack and the bout was stopped within 69 seconds with a dazed Earl on the ropes. ] He announced his retirement from the ring immediately after the defeat.

Castle has now won 19 of his 23 pro-career fights, 11 of them knockouts.

Tickets for ‘Stoking The Fire’ are £35 and £70 and are available now.

Ring 0871 226 1508 for full details.