Esham Pickering pugile

Esham Pickering (born 7 August 1976) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2014. He challenged once for the WBO bantamweight title in 2000. At regional level, he held the British super bantamweight title twice between 2003 and 2008; the Commonwealth super bantamweight title from 2003 to 2005; and the EBU European super bantamweight title from 2004 to 2005. He also challenged twice for the British featherweight title, in 1998 and 2008, and once for the EBU European featherweight title in 2009.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.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.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. 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.