British light heavyweight title contenders Shakan Pitters and Chad Sugden came ‘head-to-head’ and the sparks began to fly as the clock ticks towards their big showdown this Saturday night, exclusively live on free-to-air in the UK on Channel 5. The bitter rivals were due to clash over five months ago, but following the postponement of the original March 28 date due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdown, both fighters have been sniping at each other whilst waiting for the new date.

With the tension ratcheting up this week, tempers flared on the online press conference yesterday with a fiery exchange between the pair.

While starting off cordially and both predicting a hard fight and hoped that each other had prepared hard, it soon descended into a war of words as both attempted to out-do the other.

Shakan Pitters: He’s had plenty of black eyes.

Chad Sugden: Are you following me or something? I thought you didn’t do any research into what I do?

SP: I saw you in the first press conference and you had a black eye. Why are you getting black eyes Bro?

CS: So what? Just because I’m having hard sparring mate. Look when we get in there…it doesn’t matter. I had a black eye in my last fight and had a draw, it means nothing.

SP: You mean your draw with Craig? (smiling)

CS: Did you not see my face in that one, I had a broken nose in my one before that one. You’re laughing mate, you say you’re going to end my career, I’m 26, you’re 31-years-of-age, this is your last chance.

SP: You think?

CS: You’re done mate!

SP: Listen bro, this ain’t kickboxing. man, this is boxing and like I said on Saturday I’m going to punch your face in. On Saturday I’m going to punch your face in, defo. You’ve shown up with countless black eyes. I can hit hard and I’m accurate with my shots. I just can’t wait to be landing on you.