Australia’s Josh King Looking Forward to Facing Former Champ Ricky Burns on Nov 7
Josh King says he’s ecstatic to be facing former two-division world champion Ricky Burns (38-5-1, 12 KOs) at the Echo Arena in Liverpool on November 7.
“When this opportunity came up I jumped at it,” said a happy King during a break in training. “This is exactly what I wanted. I can’t wait to get it on with this guy and get a win over a two-division world champ.”
King (19-3, 9 KOs), from Townsville, Queensland, Australia, has already held the Australian Super Lightweight, WBF World Super Lightweight, WBO Oriental Lightweight and WBO Asia Pacific Lightweight Championships as a professional. But adding a name like Scotland’s Ricky Burns to his resume would propel the 30-year-old onto the world stage.
“A victory will give me the opportunity to fight for the world title,” he added, “but I know he’s a two-time world champ and it’s not going to be easy. Ricky has done some great things in the ring.”
King says he’ll be coming into the fight in top shape, as he’s been training for months for two consecutive fights that were cancelled.
“I’ve done a lot of things differently for this fight,” he continued. “I’ve changed trainers and gone to an experienced Steve Deller. I’m training in Townsville North Queensland at the Bad Boys gym. I’m more than ready to win. I see it going the distance. I’ve got to get in and out-work him; show some angles and move on him.”
King’s co-promoter, Greg Cohen of Greg Cohen Promotions, along with Adam Wilcock of FightCard Promotions, says Burns and his team have made a mistake in taking this fight.
“They’re thinking they’re going to use Josh as a stepping stone back to the top, but they couldn’t be more wrong,” he explained. “It’s Josh who will be using him. Burns is tailor-made for my fighter. An upset is imminent.”
Gamal Yafai: I am ready to start winning belts
Gamal Yafai says he expects to move into title range by beating Nasibu Ramadhani in a final eliminator for the Commonwealth Super Bantamweight title on Saturday night at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham.
The Birmingham starlet facing a tough examination of his undoubted promise against the 23 year old Tanzanian who has been the ten and 12 round distance on six occasions in his seven year career.
Ramadhani was in England earlier in the year when he faced Jason Cunningham – who faces Gamal’s brother Kal on Saturday – for the vacant Commonwealth Bantamweight strap in Sheffield in May, and Yafai knows that this is the sort of test he needs to pass with flying colours if he is to turn his talent into titles.
“It is time to crack on now and get some titles,” said Yafai. “They are meaningful fights now, the others have been ones which are important and you need to win but these kind of fights are better for the fans and better for me. I have trained hard for this and I will give it 100 per cent.
“These are the sort of fights I have been working towards. I didn’t want to rush it because if I am matched right and don’t rush then I can become a top fighter and a world beater. The time is right now to be cracking on towards these kind of titles; the Commonwealth, the English and I am not too far away from the British title either.
“With southpaws they are a bit trickier but I have trained for a southpaw. I boxed at a high level as amateur and boxed lots of southpaws, so it won’t be a problem.
“It is better fighting in Birmingham. A lot of my friends and family don’t come to my other fights because it is too far away but with this one all my friends and family can be here so it is great to be boxing in front of them and it gives you that little bit of an extra push. It is always good to be fighting at home in Birmingham.
“As an amateur I boxed abroad every month so it doesn’t bother me boxing away from Birmingham, but boxing here does give you that extra little push.
“It feels like I still haven’t really started in the pros because the last 18 months have gone so fast. I was out for almost six months with injury but it has still gone fast and it feels like I have only had a few fights, not seven.
“When people say, ‘enjoy it because it goes fast’; well I have had seven fights and been a pro 18 months but it feels like I have been a pro two months. I feel like I have improved loads and the way I am training and living my life, it is perfect so when I go into the ring I know I have given it my all and done everything right. When I sit in a changing room before you go out, you want to know you have trained hard and given it 100 per cent, not be sat there thinking you have cut corners.”
VIJENDER SINGH READY FOR BIG LONDON DEBUT
Indian boxing star Vijender Singh says he’s ready to put on another explosive performance in his London debut on Friday 30th October at the Harrow Leisure Centre.
Middleweight Singh made an immediate impact with his highly anticipated professional debut last Saturday night at the Manchester Arena by destroying Sonny Whiting in three rounds with a devastating display of power punching.
All-action Singh punished Whiting with a lightning fast jab and heavy right hand, mixed with hard combination punches as he took apart his more experienced opponent. The fight went out live on TV in India, where he is a national hero, in front of an estimated 20m audience and after that performance the figure is expected to be even higher this time.
Now the 2008 Olympic Bronze Medalist heads to the capital to give the fans more action as he sets out on the road to ultimately become India’s first ever professional world boxing champion.
Fighting in London again will also bring back some fond memories for Singh as he represented India at the 2012 Olympics.
“I’m thrilled to be fighting in London as a professional for the first time and I can’t wait to meet with my fans in the south and give them some big-fight action,” Said Singh.
“Winning on last Saturday was a very big moment for me, I had my whole country watching me on TV, even the though they weren’t there it felt like they were and I knew that I had to give them something special and I did,”
“I’ve been overwhelmed with messages from fans congratulating me on the win and they keep asking ‘when are you coming to London?’, ‘you must come to London and fight’, so now they will now get to see me on October 30th,”
“London is probably the most ‘happening’ place in the world, there is a big buzz and magnetism in the city with sport and entertainment, the history and culture, so I can’t wait to bring more excitement when I fight there,”
“I have fantastic memories of when I boxed in London at the Olympics representing India as the captain of the boxing team and it was an amazing spectacle and occasion,”
“I was at the Boxing Writers’ Dinner in London on Monday night and I met many of the great fighters who were were world middleweight champions, namely Nigel Benn and Alan Minter, both great, great, fighters and I aim to be a world champion like them one day.”
“I was back in the gym straight after my win and back in hard training ready for the fight and whoever is put in front of me I’ll deal with.”
Singh features on an action packed card headlined by hard-hitting WBO European Champion Jamie Cox who makes the first defence of his title.
