Frankie Gavin says he beats Sam Eggington every day of the week – and will prove it on Saturday night when they clash at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham.
Gavin Confident Ahead of Clash
Gavin and Eggington meet in a local derby that has grown fiercer by the day as the stakes become clear – promoter Eddie Hearn told today’s press conference that the loser’s career at the top level could be finished, a fate both fighters agreed with.
Gavin has boxed for a World title when he met IBF champion Kell Brook in May 2015 and the pair were set to meet for Eggington’s British and Commonwealth belts this time last year but Gavin pulled out of the fight with a foot injury.
Eggington has since surrendered those crowns to Bradley Skeete, who Gavin beat in November 2014, and Gavin believes that he’ll claim the vacant WBC International crown and move onto bigger things with a KO victory over his local rival.
“I beat Sam every day of the week,” said Gavin. “We know what Sam is going to do, he’s going to come and fight because he can’t sit off me, so it’s up to me to keep him off me, box his head off and land my big shots.
“He’s not the brightest, you can tell that by listening to him, but he’s game and he’s got grit, determination and gives it 100 per cent, so this is going to be a tough fight. He’s not got the best boxing IQ. I will say what I want about him though because I am going to knock him out.
“Skeete beat Sam easy. Before that fight Sam was getting rid of everyone, but the minute he gets in with a mover, he struggles. I probably won’t move as much as Skeete but my lateral and head movement is better and I punch inside better.
“This is the only domestic fight I would take. I want to make an impact on the World scene and it’s fighting the likes of Chris van Heerden after this one that would get me back up there.
“Hearing that he’s more spiteful in the gym since losing to Skeete is just nonsense. You know what you are going to get with Sam, he’s not going to come out and be technical; he’s just going to come forward. He’s technically poor and I am a lot harder to hit than Skeete, I am a smaller target and a southpaw. Even if he has improved, it’s not going to make any difference, I am better than him and I’m going to stop him.”
Eggington: I’ll punish Gavin for personal jibes
Sam Eggington has vowed to punish Frankie Gavin for the personal comments he made and KO him when they meet in Birmingham on Saturday night.
The pair were set to meet last year for Eggington’s belts but Gavin pulled out with a foot injury. Eggington saw off late replacement Dale Evans before Gavin’s old foe Bradley Skeete took the titles here in March.
Eggington and Gavin finally meet in a crucial clash for the vacant WBC International title, with the winner opening the door to major title shots in 2017, and for the Stourbridge man, there’s a personal edge to the fight – even more so after Eggington branded Gavin ‘unprofessional’ after he failed to make the weight for the contest, meaning only Eggington can claim the strap tomorrow night.
The pair boxed on the same bill in Leeds in July and in a post-fight interview, Gavin appeared to call his hometown rival ‘dumb’. ‘Funtime’ said that he was referring to Eggington’s ring-IQ, but Eggington is having none of it and says he’ll make Gavin eat his words tomorrow.
“A few people called me up to say that Frankie had been having a dig at me,” said Eggington. “He normally does that about the way I box but to get personal is out of order. If he wants to go down that route, fine, that’s just spurred me on to beat him even more.
“I could mention him losing to Kell Brook or Leonard Bundu, it doesn’t matter, it’s in the past. If he’s taking confidence from my fight with Skeete, leave him to it. At the start of my career I was a bit gung-ho and raw, and I think that I lost a bit of that by trying to be a perfect boxer but I’m never going to be that, so I’ve brought that back now and I’m going through the gears now and i feel that it’s going to bring the best out of me.
“Something has got to give and it’s going to be him. I know it’s a hard fight but I am going to do a job on him, I’ll do anything it takes to win this, bragging rights is the best name for the fight because I’d have boxed him for no belt, I just want to beat him.
“I have more power than him. Frankie couldn’t punch through a wet paper bag, he’s on about KO ratios but it’s who you are knocking out, people who are coming for a payday or people that are coming to win titles. The power will tell.”
WEIGHTS AND RUNNING ORDER (TIMES SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
5.05pm 4 x 3 mins Super-Lightweight Contest
CORRI GIBBS (10st 1lb 11oz) v MICHAEL MOONEY (10st 11oz)
(Birmingham) (Worcester)
5.20pm 8 x 3 mins Super-Welterweight Contest
BRIAN ROSE (11st 5lbs 6oz) v STILIYAN KOSTOV (11st 3lbs)
(Blackpool) (Bulgaria)
5.50pm 6 x 3 mins Super-Middleweight Contest
JOE SHERIFF (12st 4lbs 14oz) v TZVETOZAR ILIEV (12st 4lbs 5oz)
(Coventry) (Bulgaria)
6.15pm 4 x 3 mins Middleweight Contest
RYAN KELLY (11st 9lbs 11oz) v TOMMY CARTER (11st 6lbs 6oz)
(Birmingham) (Tideswell)
6.30pm 10 x 3 mins Vacant English Super-Flyweight Championship
DON BROADHURST (8st 2lbs 11oz) v LOUIS NORMAN (8st 1lb 12oz)
(Birmingham) (Leicester)
7.15pm 6 x 3 mins Super-Featherweight Contest
SAM BOWEN (9st 6lbs) v REYNALDO MORA (9st 9lbs 8oz)
(Ibstock) (Nicaragua)
LIVE ON SKY SPORTS 2 FROM 8pm
10 x 3 mins Vacant WBC International Super-Bantamweight Championship
SEAN DAVIS (8st 9lbs) v PAUL ECONOMIDES (8st 9lbs 11oz)
(Birmingham) (Connah’s Quay)
Followed by
8 x 3 mins Super-Flyweight Contest
KAL YAFAI (8st 5lbs) v JHONSON TELLEZ (8st 10lbs 10oz)
(Birmingham) (Nicaragua)
Followed by
10 x 3 mins Vacant WBC International Middleweight Championship
ANTHONY OGOGO (11st 5lbs 3oz) v CRAIG CUNNINGHAM (11st 5lbs 8oz)
(Lowestoft) (Birmingham)
Followed by
12 x 3 mins Vacant WBC International Welterweight Championship
FRANKIE GAVIN (10st 9lbs 11oz) v SAM EGGINGTON (10st 6lbs 5oz)
(Birmingham) (Stourbridge)
LIVE FLOAT 6 x 3 mins Super Middleweight Contest
LENNOX CLARKE (12st 12oz) v ADAM JONES (11st 13lbs 10oz)
(Birmingham) (Denaby)
TO BE SCHEDULED 10 x 3 mins Midlands Area Super-Lightweight Championship
ANDY KEATES (9st 13lbs) v JORDAN COOKE (9st 13lbs 12oz)
(Leek) (Coventry)
10 x 3 mins Vacant English Lightweight Championship
MARCUS FFRENCH (9st 8lbs 11oz) v ROBBIE BARRETT (9st 8lbs)
(Birmingham) (Darfield)
