Former Cardiff City star who served prison time to top boxing bill of ex-footballers

Nation.Cymru staff

Two former professional footballers, who both served prison time are to headline ‘A Night To Remember III’ which will see a host of former football stars take to the ring to raise £500,000 for charity.

Promoter Pro Project Promotions has confirmed the full seven-fight card for the event at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Thursday 22nd October – headlined by one of the most powerful stories the promotion has ever told.

Former Cardiff City player Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and ex-Newcastle star Nile Ranger will meet in the main event. Both men reached the top of English football before serving time in prison – Emmanuel-Thomas for his part in a £600,000 cannabis smuggling plot, Ranger for online banking fraud – and both have spent the years since rebuilding their careers and their reputations. On 22nd October, they share a ring in front of a black-tie crowd, in what Pro Project Promotions is billing as one of the biggest redemption stories in sport.

Graham Stack, Founder of Pro Project Promotions, said: “This is just one of the stories that sits at the heart of what is being built within the promotion. Giving ex-footballers an opportunity to support various causes and, in many cases, help reshape their future by giving them a positive purpose. Jay and Nile have both been to prison and both have had to find their way back – and now they’re doing that in front of a room full of people raising money for charity – channeling that journey into something positive while making a difference to others. Everything raised in the auction, through fundraising, donations and raffles will go straight towards our £500,000 target, and I think this main event is going to make people sit up and pay attention to what we’re doing.”

A press release for the tournament says that in the ring, Emmanuel-Thomas fights the way he played – fast hands, quick feet, always looking for the eyecatching finish that once had him tipped as Arsenal’s next star. Ranger fights with the same raw, explosive power that made him a defender’s nightmare in the box: all aggression, all forward intent, little interest in restraint. Two very different fighters, carrying the same fight to prove they’ve changed.

Graham Stack, revealed that the highly anticipated match-up was driven by the fighters themselves: “They wanted to fight each other, this wasn’t me trying to match these two up, they said to me can you make sure we both fight each other, so I thought that’s one match up done that’s nice and easy. Let me tell you these two want to punch each other’s head in, that’s why they’re going to be last cause we’ve got a nice little build up and hopefully they can both follow through and walk the walk.”

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, identified how the event represents more than simply stepping into the ring. He explained that being involved has given him a renewed sense of purpose, particularly because of the charitable cause behind the event: “When I got the phone call it was something that I can put my sole focus into and obviously understanding it’s for a charity and for a great cause, we’ve all lived good lives and had the finer things in life, but some of these kids they might not be able to get to that point in life but if we can raise money which would help even add a few years on to their lives to be with their families… I think it will be a great thing that we can help put together, if all of us coming together to get in the ring and to fight one another would help a child and a family do such a thing then I’ve got no reason to not get in the ring over and over again.”

Emmanuel-Thomas, added that there is an extra incentive for the fighters, with the loser required to make a charitable donation: “There’s a forfeit for the loser, £500 straight to Charity, straight to the charity and not to anyone’s pocket.”

Nile Ranger, explained his decision to step into the ring, saying: “I’m talking the talk and I walk the walk sometimes, but on that night, I’m going to walk the walk. Stepping into a different world, the boxing thing, it’s like football, but in a different world and obviously it’s a good cause for charity as well.”

Full Fight Card:

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas vs Nile Ranger
Emmanuel-Thomas brings a forward’s flair into the ring – fast hands, unpredictable angles, happy to trade if it means landing the highlight-reel shot. Ranger brings the opposite: all the raw, explosive power that made him a defender’s nightmare in the box, with little interest in restraint. Flair against chaos.

Armand Traore (Arsenal) vs Sebastien Bassong (Tottenham Hotspur)
The chief support is a genuine North London derby: Armand Traore (Arsenal) against Sebastien Bassong (Tottenham Hotspur). Traore fights the way he played at full-back – light on his feet, quick to close distance. Bassong fights like he defended: patient, heavy-handed, near impossible to move. London bragging rights, settled in the ring.

Lee Cook vs Martin Woods
Cook was a winger who lived on quick feet and close control, and that’s exactly how he’ll fight – elusive, hard to pin down, sliding off the ropes to counter. Woods made his name as a combative, all-action midfielder, and in the ring that means walking forward, throwing in bunches and refusing to be outworked. Elusive skill against relentless pressure.

Simon Cox vs David Norris
Cox scored goals on instinct, and that translates to sharp, economical punching – a fighter who waits for the opening and takes it clean. Norris covered every blade of grass for 400+ appearances, and that engine became a high-output body attack designed to break an opponent down over three rounds. The finisher against the engine room.

Harlee Dean vs Leroy Lita
Dean defended like he never wanted to lose a duel, and in the ring that’s a fighter who leads with pressure and physicality, happy to walk through a shot to land his own. Lita’s game was built on raw power and explosive pace, and that’s a fighter with genuine one-punch danger in either hand. Two physical specimens who know how to hurt people – a heavyweight clash in every sense.

Gary Madine vs Jamie Sendles-White
Another former Cardiff City player, Madine played on physical presence and never shied from confrontation, and in the ring that makes him an out-and-out brawler, all forward pressure and bad intentions. Sendles-White built a career on durability and graft across four divisions, and that’s a fighter with a granite chin built to absorb pressure and keep coming. Aggression against endurance – who breaks first?

Anthony Gardner vs Matthew Briggs
Gardner commanded the box as an England international centre-back, and that composure under pressure becomes a big, patient puncher who controls range and picks his shots. Briggs has spent his career proving people wrong since becoming the Premier League’s youngest-ever player, and in the ring that’s heart over power – a fighter who will have to work every angle to stay competitive. The colossus against the comeback.

Event Details:
● Date: Thursday 22nd October 2026
● Venue: Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, Mayfair, London
● Format: Red carpet arrival, champagne reception, seven three-round exhibition bouts, after-fight party
● Broadcast: Live on Sports.com (worldwide)
● Dress code: Black tie / smart dress
● Tickets: Booking strongly advised – previous Pro Project Promotions events have sold out ahead of the night

Pro Project Promotions aims to unite retired athletes in purpose-driven events that channel their competitive spirit towards making a positive impact. The organisation recognises the challenges of post-retirement life – from physical fitness to mental well-being – and provides ex-pros with structure, goals, and a platform to give back.
To buy tickets, head to www.proprojectpromotions.com

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