Craig Derbyshire (born 2 July 1991) is an English

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

who has held the

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light-flyweight title since 8 December 2023. He is also a two-time former English

super-flyweight Super flyweight, also referred to as junior bantamweight, is a weight class in professional boxing, contested from and up to . History The first title match in this division was in 1980, when the World Boxing Council responded to pressure from As ...

champion.

Career

Having transitioned from

Mixed Martial Arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

and

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

into boxing in 2014, Derbyshire lost his first nine pro-fights. He had compiled a record of four wins, 20 loses and three draws when he defeated Anthony Smith on points to claim the vacant Central Area

title at

Leigh Sports Village Leigh Sports Village is a multi-use sports, retail and housing development in Leigh, Greater Manchester, England. The centrepiece of the development is a 12,000-capacity stadium which is home to professional rugby league team Leigh Leopards, th ...

on 10 June 2017. Derbyshire lost the title on points to Tommy Frank in his first defense at

IceSheffield iceSheffield is an ice arena in the Lower Don Valley, Sheffield, England. iceSheffield was completed in May 2003 at a cost of £15 million. It is one of only two facilities in the UK that has two Olympic sized ice pads with seating for 1, ...

on 27 April 2018, but bounced back to win the vacant Central Area

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

championship by stopping Lee Clayton in the fifth round of their contest at De Vere Whites in

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on 29 September 2018. Dropping down to super-flyweight for his next outing, he won the vacant English title with a unanimous decision victory over Nathan Reeve at The Deco in

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on 25 May 2019. Derbyshire lost the title in his first defense against Marcel Braithwaite at

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on 26 October 2019, going down by majority decision. After almost two years away from the ring, he reclaimed the belt in his next fight with a split decision success over Joe Maphosa at Rainton Meadows Arena in

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on 10 September 2021. Once again switching weight divisions, Derbyshire challenged

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flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing up to and including 51 kg (112 lb) for a title fight. Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of boxin ...

champion Tommy Frank at the

Magna Centre Magna Science Adventure Centre is an educational visitor attraction in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. Location The site used to be home to the Steel, Peech and Tozer steelworks (also known as Steelos). In 50 AD it was the site of t ...

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on 3 April 2022. The fight ended in a split draw with one ringside judge awarding him the bout 114–113 and a second favouring Frank 114–112, while the third saw it as a 114–114 tie. Derbyshire faced Connor Butler for the vacant

flyweight title at the Hilton Hotel Portamaso in St. Julian's, Malta on 25 February 2023. He lost via unanimous decision. He won the biggest fight of his career to date by dethroning Commonwealth light-flyweight champion Matt Windle at Lions Centre in

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, on 8 December 2023. Derbyshire inflicted heavy damage to his opponent throughout the contest which came to an end when Windle's corner halted the fight at the end of round five. His first defense of the title took place at the Leisure Centre in

Beverley Beverley is a market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is located north-west of Hull city centre. At the 2021 census the built-up area of the town had a population of 30,930, and the smaller civil parish had ...

on 11 October 2024, against Paul Roberts. Derbyshire kept hold of his belt thanks to a unanimous decision win.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Derbyshire, Craig Living people 1991 births English male boxers British male boxers Light-flyweight boxers Flyweight boxers Super-flyweight boxers Bantamweight boxers Commonwealth Boxing Council champions 21st-century English sportsmen Sportspeople from Doncaster