Esham Pickering

Pickering started his professional career in September 1996, with a 1st round win over Brendan Bryce in Cleethorpes. By November 1997, he had compiled an unbeaten record of 11 wins against no defeats and had earned a shot at the full British featherweight title. He travelled to Sheffield to challenge holder Jon Jo Irwin in May 1998 and lasted the full 12 rounds in what was to be an unsuccessful attempt. The defeat to Irwin was to be his first as a professional.^[11]

Pickering bounced back from his first career defeat to register six back to back wins including Chris Lyons, Marc Smith and Leeroy Williamson to line himself up for a shot at the World Boxing Organisation's version of the bantamweight title. On 16 December 2000, at the Sheffield Arena he challenged the reigning champion Panamanian, Mauricio Martinez and suffered a stoppage defeat after only 1 round. Martinez himself would go on to lose the belt in his next defence.^[12]

Following the defeat to Martinez, Pickering fought only twice in 2001 on both occasions beating journeyman Carl Allen. In 2002 Pickering fought Allen twice more again winning both times. Sandwiched in between those wins came a third career defeat for Pickering, travelling to the Canary Islands to challenge Spaniard Alejandro Monzon and dropping a split decision. On 8 February 2003 Pickering fought for the vacant Commonwealth super bantamweight title and finally lifted a title defeating Kenyan Duncan Karanja to take the belt. In his next fight on 12 July 2003 Pickering made his first defence of the title against Brian Carr in a fight which also saw the vacant British title on the line. Pickering stopped Carr in the fourth round at the Braehead Arena in Glasgow to leave Scotland with both championships. One more defence of his Commonwealth title took place on 24 October 2003 with Pickering retaining the belt by beating Ghana's Alfred Tetteh at the York Hall.^[13] He would not go on to defend the British title choosing instead to go the European route meaning that Michael Hunter would go on to take the vacant belt.

On 16 January 2004 Pickering travelled to the Town and Country club in Bradford to lift the European super bantamweight title. His opponent, Italian Vincenzo Gigliotti was stopped in the 10th round meaning that Pickering held the Commonwealth and European titles at the same time.^[14] Pickering would defend the belt twice more against Juan Garcia Martin^[15] in May 2004 and Miguel Mallon in June 2005, the latter victory taking place in Madrid. Sandwiched between the defence's on 8 May 2005 also came an 8-round victory over former British and European champion Noel Wilders. Pickering put his belts on the line, when on 28 October 2005, he challenged new British champion Michael Hunter for the belt that he never lost in the ring. In an exciting contest Pickering eventually went home empty handed dropping a majority decision for his fourth career defeat in a fight which took place in Hunter's backyard, the Borough Hall in Hartlepool. Pickering rebounded from the defeat with a victory over French journeyman Frederic Bonifai and with Hunter choosing to challenge for the IBF World title he found himself challenging for the now vacant title. The fight on 11 November 2006 took place in Dublin and saw Ireland's Bernard Dunne lift the belt with a unanimous victory over 12 rounds.^[16]