Whitehead picks up from where he left off

PROFESSIONAL boxing will make a hard-hitting return to Bendigo next month for the first time in more than four years.

A huge fight card will be headlined by Bendigo's former Australian heavyweight champion Justin Whitehead and feature five other local boxers.

It will include a highly anticipated women's title fight, featuring former World Boxing Federation female featherweight title Shannon O'Connell, from Queensland.

The bout against Colombia’s Dayana Cordero will be for the WBC silver featherweight title.

The Battle on the Goldfields event at Bendigo Stadium on November 21 is being put together by promoter Lynden Hosking.

It will be main-evented by Whitehead, in his second fight since returning from a more than four and a half year hiatus from the ring.

The former national champion has racked up an accomplished win-loss record since his boxing career hit off in 1996.

He is undefeated in six pro bouts, after notching a 36-20 amateur record, highlighted by a Commonwealth Games appearance.

The 44 year-old returned to the ring in style, knocking out American Clarence Tillman in the third round of his comeback bout in Melbourne in August.

Whitehead said he was relishing being back in the boxing caper and grateful for the opportunity to 

"I know it's not going to be for a long time, I'm just enjoying being back in it," he said.

"I think you forget how much time and effort it take to get yourself ready for these fights.

"The last time I fought here (Bendigo) was in 2002, which would have been the Australian-New Zealand Cup."

Whitehead is shaping up to take on current Queensland heavyweight champion Joel Clifton, who enters the bout with a 4-1 record.

"He's been quite active, but my training has been going really well," he said.

"I'm taking things on a fight-to-fight basis, and within myself I think I am as good as I have ever been.

"At this stage it's about that constant improvement, if I can't improve and the injuries start - which they haven't yet - I'll have to rethink things."

Whitehead believed the inclusion of a women's but would add a new and appealing dynamic to the card.

"It gives an opportunity for new people to come and watch," he said.

"There is a fair bit of skill involved."

Promoter Hosking said the addition of a  women's bout, featuring Brisbane girl O'Connell, would be a real drawcard for fans of the sport.

In her most recent bout, O'Connell lost a close eight-round decision to Canadian Sandy Tsagouris on a big card in Toronto on September 11.

"It's probably the hardest female fights I've seen, or hardest fights in general," Hosking said.

"It was a war - Shannon just comes to fight.

"This Colombian is a bit of a brawler, so it should be on."

Hosking put boxing alongside Australian rules football as the two fastest growing women's sports in Australia.

"If you look at boxing gyms across Australia, they are full of women," he said.

"It's fantastic - we have a real emphasis on that.

"We have Shannon signed up and we also have another ex-world champion Susie Ramadan on-board with us.

"We are definitely trying to open up a pathway for female boxers here and overseas."

Hosking said he was thrilled Whitehead would again have the opportunity to fight in Bendigo.

“He looked really good in Melbourne (in his return) – he’s dropped a lot of weight and is looking real good,” he said.

Tickets for Battle on the Goldfields can be purchased at http://www.bendigostadium.com.au/