We’re back with another British boxing buzz. We’ll kick off with a special video promo from Scott Quigg, at the top of this page, on his upcoming match with Kiko Martinez. He talks about the dedication and motivation it takes to be a top flight boxer. Then, we move onto several news updates on the UK scene. Take a look.
New Opponent for Liam Walsh
Undefeated hot-shot Liam Walsh will now face big-hitting Brazilian Isaias Santos Sampaio this Saturday at the Manchester Velodrome.
Walsh was scheduled to defend his British and Commonwealth titles against Troy James, but the Coventry fighter withdraw due to a back injury sustained in training.
Now red-hot Walsh will challenge for his fifth professional career title with the Vacant WBO Intercontinental Lightweight Championship on the line against Sao Paulo puncher Sampaio.
Walsh’s potentially explosive showdown against Sampaio is chief-support to another dynamite-clash in the main event between Manchester’s Terry Flanagan and American KO king Jose Zepeda for the WBO World Lightweight Championship, live and exclusive on BoxNation.
The Cromer star is closing in a world title fight, himself, and his future plans could be put in jeopardy against Sampaio who’s blasted out 21 opponents from his 23 wins with 18 coming inside the first three rounds.
In Sampaio’s last fight in May he smashed the previously unbeaten Angelo Marcos Dos Santos Silva in the opening round to claim the Brazilian and American Championships.
He’s also mixed it with former World Champions Billy Dib and Jonathan Victor Barros, plus world title challenger David Saucedo in the ring so he’ll have plenty of experience on his side against hard-hitting Walsh.
As with most huge punchers, Sampan is susceptible to being hit and has lost ten fights with nine coming by KO. Walsh, who has a 67% KO rate on his record, says it will make for a thrilling fight as Sampaio will either hit or be hit and could fall early.
“I’ll definitely have to be alert against Sampaio, one false move and it could be over,” Said Walsh.
“He’s a late replacement for the injured Troy James and he comes in with an awesome record,”
“Sampaio either KO’s you or gets KO’d, simple as that so I won’t be taking my eyes off him for a second as he poses a real threat,”
“So much is lined up for me after this fight and I’m not far of challenging for a world title so it’s vital that I win this Saturday,”
“He looks very strong, stocky and can be dangerous with his head. I’m sure he’s had some right brawls out in South America so he’ll be a right tough nut to crack,”
“I can see the early rounds been quite entertaining if he’s knocked-out most of his opponents in under three round, it could be quite a shoot-out between us, but in my mind I’m set to take him out in the mid rounds,”
JOE COSTELLO: “THE PLAN IS TO DEMOLISH IRON MAN SZOT!”
It is a measure of the lofty regard with which Queensberry Promotions hold white hot Birmingham prospect Joe Costello that they are prepared to pitch him with seasoned Polish veteran Krzysztof Szot in just his fifth pro fight at the Manchester Velodrome this Saturday.
The iron man from Poznan once went a dozen rounds with ex WBA light-welter challenger Brunet Zamora. He also held up firm in eight rounders with ex unified world lightweight champ Nate Campbell and leading domestic light-welter prospects Jack Catterall and Tyrone Nurse.
Nevertheless, with just nine rounds on his CV after 14 months in the profession, the one-time European Schoolboy champion from Marston Green is ready for the test.
‘Szot’s’s very tough and goes rounds with quality fighter,’ explains 21 year old Joe.
‘And he doesn’t just come to survive. He’ll have a go if you let him. I may get good rounds but I plan to demolish him. That’s what I’m training for.’
After crushing Dewsbury road runner Youssef Al Hamidi in just 130 seconds of as impressive a debut as you’ll witness, the Brummie bull pasted Chesterfield’s teak tough Lee Connelly (pts4) then made short shrift of a brace of Eastern European fighters.
‘Ideally, I’d have liked a few more (fights) but we don’t want to rush things and I’m very happy with my performances,’ states Costello who is managed by Lee Beard and trained by his father John, a former amateur.
‘To be honest, I’ve been a victim of my own power. Lee Connelly gave me a tough second fight but Lee gives ‘em all a run for their money. I‘ve been too strong for all the others. Since I was a young kid, my mates always told me I had mongrel strength!
‘And I’m getting even stronger and my powers getting even better all the time, thanks to the work I’m doing with my strength and conditioning coach Des Fitness.’
After starting out at lightweight, Saturday’s scrap – his fifth as a pro – represents the thickset 5ft 8 1/2in West Midlander’s formal move up into the 10st division.
‘Light-welter isn’t the strongest weight domestically, right now. I’ll fight whoever’s there, whoever’s in my way,’ he says.
Presently, the four time national junior titlist splits his training between the basement of a butcher’s shop in his home city and Ray Hatton’s facility in Stockport, where he profits from additional tuition from manager Beard.
He continues: ‘Around the gyms, I’ve had quality sparring with the likes of Jack Catterall and Scott Quigg. I recently went over to Norwich to spar Liam Walsh. That was wicked. Liam’s definitely ready for his fight.
‘Now I’m working on adapting to the longer rounds. I’m the fittest I’ve ever been at the minute. I thought this might be an eight rounder so I’ve done eights and tens straight off in spars at the gym.’
Despite his callow experience, young Joe is in an almighty hurry to get himself into the championship mix.
‘For the next 12 months I just want to keep moving forward,’ he finishes.
‘There’s talk of a WBO European in the pipeline, then maybe an Inter-Continental belt to enter the rankings. My goal is to be world champion.’
“With the WBO Intercontinental belt up to be won, I know that a victory will be a massive boost for my rating in the organisation and will push me closer to the world title so there’s no way I’m going to let Sampaio wreck them.”
Thomas Kindon extends unbeaten run with fourth round KO
Guildford super-bantamweight prospect, Thomas Kindon (5-0) extended his winning run to five fights undefeated with a fourth round stoppage over Darren Pryce (0-9-2) at the O2 Academy in Bournemouth on American Independence Day.
The 20-year-old Pocket Rocket’ commented, “It was a tough opponent, he came out trying to bang me out.”
Kindon described the fight from his perspective, “In the first round, I couldn’t really get going and it was a close round. I won the second. In the third, I started to take over. In the fourth round, he head-butted me a couple of times as he came in and he came in low with his shoulder a few times but I got the better of the exchanges and I hit him with a good right hand to the temple.”
After a slow start, Kindon explained, “I’m more of a long distance fighter, I warm up in the first two rounds then I really get into it, I’m better off with the longer rounds.”
With this in mind, Team Kindon are looking to extend the rounds in the next fight planned for Autumn, he confirmed, “I think it’ll be a six rounder next, probably October time. Hopefully I’ll get another three fights in before the end of the year, we have been taking it steady but we want to get the rounds in now.”
This was Kindon’s second consecutive stoppage, the previous being a second round TKO of Sergejs Logins at the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth in March this year.
“Boosted my confidence a lot because I know I’ve got a bit more strength in me now so I know I can stand there and trade a bit,” enthused Kindon. “I’m learning off everything, every fight I have I’m learning off it and improving nicely.”
Kindon was due to fight earlier on June 26th in Portsmouth but the show was cancelled due to the headlining boxer, Floyd ‘Pacman’ Moore sustaining an injury.
Displaying a maturity beyond his years, Kindon was approaching his physical peak only to be forced to halt everything and readjust his training to suit the new date, “I take it all as it comes, I learn as I go. It was a bit more aggravating being so close to the date but it’s happened to me before so I’m used to it,” shrugged Kindon.
The 5ft 4” boxing star had raced to four fights unbeaten since making his pro bow in June last year, scalping Francis Croes on his debut and Anwar Alfadli, Dmitrijs Gutmans and Sergejs Logins along the way, respectively.
