Frankly speaking Phil boxes clever (From York Press)

Boxing announcer Phil Seymour signed up for rest of season by Frank Maloney

10:16am Tuesday 3rd January 2012 in Boxing By Steve Carroll, Sports reporter

ONE man’s quest to announce a boxing world title fight within five years has been given a huge boost thanks to a legendary ringmaster.

Phil Seymour has been signed up for the rest of the boxing season by Frank Maloney to announce on the undercards of some of Britain’s biggest televised fight nights.

The 36-year-old was contacted through Twitter by the promoter, who handles some of the country’s most exciting young boxers.

And, having announced at shows at Wigan and Peterlee in the last couple of weeks, Huntington-based Seymour will continue with Maloney Promotions until at least July – as he bids to build up his rapidly expanding profile in the announcing game.

The regular pre-match voice at York City Knights for more than two-and-a-half years, Seymour went on to Super League giants Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, where he works as the stadium announcer.

But, a year ago on his 35th birthday, he set himself a five-year target to ring announce at the highest level and, despite being dismissed by some as a “crazy pipe dream”, he is going great guns just 12 months into his “quest”.

Now the regular MC at York’s Cage Confrontation nights at York’s Energise centre, he picked up his ring announcer licence from the British Boxing Board of Control in the spring and, following his first show at the Northbridge Leisure Centre in Halifax, the bookings have continued to pile up.

“I did my first Cage Confrontation event and the boxing trainer Glenn Banks was there,” Seymour said.

“He said I should go into pro-boxing so I got my licence in May and started looking for boxing work. I was contacted, through Twitter, by Frank Maloney asking me to give him a ring at his office.

“I thought it was a wind-up but he said he wanted to have a look at me, as did Sky, and I have now done the undercard for Frank on a couple of shows that have been on Sky – one in Wigan, one in Peterlee and both British title fight shows.

“Frank wants me to carry on to the end of the boxing season in July, still doing the undercards, with a view to stepping up and doing the main events. He has got a great stable of young boxers so these are exciting times.”

Next up for Seymour, who has also compered at events featuring former world champions David Haye and Ricky Hatton, is announcing bouts at the Olympia, in Liverpool, next month where David Price and John McDermott will face off in a British heavyweight title eliminator in a Maloney-promoted show.

He has been taking tips from some of the biggest announcers in the business but, unlike Michael Buffer with his famous ‘Let’s Get Ready To Rumble’ catchphrase, Seymour said he is yet to arrive at his own signature pay-off line.

“I’m trying a few out, I haven’t settled on one yet,” he added. “I have spoken to Michael Pass and have chatted on Twitter with Jimmy Lennon junior. They have given me some great help. Frank says you have to find your own style, as opposed to listening to what others do.

“It is all building nicely and I am well on track. I am only one year into a five-year dream and I’ve already achieved as much as I expected to in three. I am well ahead of schedule.”

For more information about Seymour, log on to his website at www.philseymour.co.uk