Should boxer Tony Jeffries change his nickname?

Dec 5 2009 The Journal

HE’S known as the Mighty Mackem but Sunderland boxer Tony Jeffries could be about to tone down his Wearside roots.

The former Olympic boxer has always played up his ties to the city – often fighting there when he has the chance.

Tony is also an avid Black Cats fan choosing to wear shorts which reflect the red and white stripes of the football club when he boxes.

His signature theme tune is also the same music played at the Stadium of Light before every match.

But now the professional fighter is considering playing down his Wearside heritage in a bid to appeal to as many people in the region as possible.

Tony said: “I’m dead proud to come from Sunderland and always have been.

“The whole city has got behind me during my amateur and my professional days and even though I spend most of my time in Manchester at the moment because that’s where my trainer is based, Sunderland will always be my home and I try to big Sunderland up as much as I can – especially on fight nights.”

But following advice from other boxers who have made it to the top of their game Tony is wondering whether flagging up his northern heritage rather than just his Sunderland connection could help him to win over more fans.

He said: “The other day I was speaking to the former super-middleweight champion of the world Steve Collins.

“He was saying did I only want to be followed by Sunderland fans or do I want the whole North East behind me?

“My nickname is the Mighty Mackem, I always fight in red-and-white shorts with Sunderland logos on them. But loads of different people are telling me I should stop doing those things, and stop always mentioning Sunderland in interviews too.

“The reason they say that is because I’m ignoring other areas in the North East, like Newcastle, Durham and Middlesbrough, and their boxing fans.”

Now Tony is calling on boxing fans to voice their opinions on The Journal’s website in his blog.

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