Joey Essex's coach banned from being in his corner for Misfits boxing fight

Joey Essex is set to make his highly-anticipated boxing debut on Saturday night - but he will be without legendary trainer Tony Sims.

The former TOWIE star is set to take on Portuguese influencer Numeiro at Misfits 22 in Manchester. Essex, 35, has undergone a major body transformation, bulking up with serious muscle ahead of his official boxing debut - and it is evident he is taking the fight very seriously.

Essex was rumoured to appear on a Misfits card in Qatar last year before plans fell through. But with his first fight now official and around the corner, the ex-Love Islander is leaving no stone unturned. Despite building a successful career in the world of reality TV, the 35-year-old is no strange to the sport of boxing as his uncle is the great Sims - a respected trainer who has worked with the likes of Anthony Joshua and Conor Benn over the years.

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With a closely knit team around him, Essex's confidence will be through the roof. However, the British board have NOT allowed Sims to be in Essex's corner on Saturday evening. Former middleweight world champion Darren Barker - who was trained by Sims during his career - is set to step up to the task.

Misfits Boxing is not overseen by a traditional board like the British Boxing Board of Control. The Mohegan Tribe is set to oversee this weekend's event at the AO Arena. The Athletic department is a governmental body of the Mohegan Tribe that serves as a regulator for combat sports, particularly MMA events held at the Mohegan Sun casino.

Misfits has staged several fights since 2022 and has previously showcased events for names such as Tommy Fury, Elle Brooke, Logan Paul and founder KSI. The promotion were in close partnership with the Professional Boxing Association up until last year. Misfits had its licence suspended in the interest of 'boxer safety' by the association.

A statement at the time read: "Misfits Boxing: Due to clear violations of the PBA's rules and regulation, bringing boxing into disrepute and in the interest of boxer safety, Misfits Boxing Promoters' licenses have been suspended and disciplinary hearings will follow for such license holders." However, despite the reports, Misfits Boxing claimed to have handed back its licence to the PBA prior to the association’s announcement.

Another member of the Sims team who has also been affected is Essex's younger cousin, Demi Sims - who is the daughter of Tony. She is also set to make her professional boxing debut in Manchester. Unlike Essex, Sims has a longer history in the sport of boxing, having trained professionally - without fighting - for over 12 months.

Despite some slight changes pre-fight, Essex is still looking forward to going out there and showing the world what he is capable of. "It is the toughest sport and that is why I am doing it," he told . "I believe in myself. I believe I am tough and this is why I am doing it. I am here to show that this is who I am. I have tried to prove for years who I am and people, even if I admit on TV 'oh yeah, I am not that stupid. I can do this, I can do that,' everyone goes 'oh, he is having a song again.'

"No one really knows how to take me. That is not my problem. That is their problem. I know who I am as a person and that is it. This journey will show, hopefully, to the people that do not know who I really am. And if they still do not know, then I do not know what to do anymore."

When is Joey Essex vs NUMEIRO?

Misfits 22 will take place at Manchester's AO Arena on Saturday, August 30. The main undercard is due to get underway at around 7pm UK time (2pm ET / 1pm CT / 11am PT). The clash between Essex and NUMEIRO is expected to take place around 8pm UK time (3pm ET / 2pm CT / 12pm PT).

In the main event, Luke Rockhold is likely to make his entrance first at approximately 11pm UK time (6pm ET / 5pm CT / 4pm PT), with Darren Till following shortly after. The two stars are then set to touch gloves just after 11.20pm UK time before the first bell rings. The fight shouldn't start later than this but could be moved forward if the undercard fights finish earlier than expected.