Foot: Eggington is in for a shock in Manchester
Glenn Foot has told Sam Eggington that he is the first ‘live’ opponent he’s faced – and the Sunderland man says he’ll take his Commonwealth Welterweight title and the vacant British title when they clash at the Manchester Arena on Saturday.
Foot has had to battle hard to get into range for a major title fight having battled with injury and fights falling through since landing the Prizefighter title back in January 2013 – and has had to sit back and watch Eggington take the plaudits for his rise on the domestic 147lbs scene.
The 21 year old Stourbridge talent that has been impressing on Sky Sports with wins over Denton Vassell, Shayne Singleton and Joseph Lamptey catching the eye – but Foot expects to come out on top in a tough fight.
“Sam likes to come forward, so we’ll go toe-to-toe for 12 rounds,” said Foot. “He’s starting to come up the ranks. There’s a bit of buzz about him. I think that when he gets a live opponent who can punch, he’s in for a shock. It’s going to be a tough fight because he’s fit, he’s durable – but he doesn’t know what he’s in for tonight.
“I’ll show in this fight what I can actually do. I’ve got too much for him. Look at his amateur pedigree next to mine. I can fight, I can box. I can do whatever I want.”
What Foot wants to do is win the British and Commonwealth belts and take them back to Sunderland and defend them in front of his loyal fans.
“It would be unreal for my family, all my supporters and especially for my Granddad,” said Foot. “It’s good for the North East as well – for Sunderland. There’s only ever been one British champion from Sunderland – Billy Hardy.
“I would love to have another North East fighter to fight for it, just to keep it in the North East and give them a chance.”
Foot’s clash with Eggington is part of a huge night of action in Manchester with two huge World title fights topping the bill as Scott Quigg defends his WBA World Super Bantamweight title against Kiko Martinez and Anthony Crolla challenges Darleys Perez for the WBA World Lightweight strap.
Hatton Congratulates Flanagan
Promoter Frank Warren and boxing legend Ricky Hatton have congratulated Britain’s latest Champion Terry Flanagan. He won the Vacant WBO Lightweight title on Saturday night at the Velodrome after American Jose Zepeda dislocated his shoulder in the second round, with the fight being ruled a third round TKO.
The 26-year-old from Ancoats become the first ever Englishman to win a world title in the 135lb division and the first Manchester boxer since Hatton to win a world title.
Flanagan is Hall of Fame promoter Warren’s fifth world champion from Manchester, joining Hatton, Carl Thompson, Anthony Farnell and Michael Gomez, and he believes that ‘Turbo’ can be a big star.
“I’m delighted for Terry and that he’s now the WBO Lightweight Champion of the World,” Said Warren.
“It’s a real shame that Zepeda suffered that terrible injury and I hope that he makes a full recovery and is able to return the ring again because he looked like a good fighter, but we never got to see it due to the unfortunate ending of the fight,”
“In the first round they were just feeling each other out, then in the second Terry started imposing his authority and getting the centre of the ring but then he dislocated his shoulder so we’ll never know what would have happened,”
“I feel for Terry who couldn’t win the title in the conclusive manner that he would have wanted to by beating the hot big-punching American talent by knockout or points, and also for the fans who were robbed of a fight that was just starting to heat up. But I don’t think it mattered to them as they were celebrating that their man had just won the world title,”
“For Terry a win is a win and now we’re planning his first title defence at home for the Autumn and we’re looking to build on his success and make Manchester the hotbed of British boxing again, just like the Hatton days.”
Hatton, a four-time and two-weight World Champion, is excited for his fellow Manchester fighter and sees a big future for him.
“I’m so pleased for Terry it’s untrue, he’s a kid just like me from the Manchester streets and now he’s the world champion,” Said Hatton.
“I’m really made up for him and even more so that it’s the tenth anniversary of my victory over Kostya Tszyu and he’s the first Manc since me to win a world title, but better than all of that he’s a fellow Blue!”
“Obviously I really feel for Zepeda because it was his biggest moment and it was taken away from him and we didn’t really see how good he was and how the fight would have developed as it was just heating up before the injury happened,”
“Now that he’s got the world title the world is his oyster. He’ll be looking to defend his title on home turf and judging by the noisy home support he had on Saturday it will only grow and grow. It’s fantastic for Manchester and for British boxing.”
Ogogo eager to impress as he returns on July 18 against Schelev
British middleweight talent Anthony Ogogo (7-0, 4 KOs) is eager to impress as he prepares for his hotly anticipated ring return against Ruslan Schelev (11-3, 6 KOs) on Saturday, July 18 at the Gerry Weber Stadium in Halle, Germany.
The 2012 Olympic Bronze medalist has been out of the ring for the past 11 months recovering from a long-standing Achilles issue, but now fully fit, the Lowestoft fighter is ready to get his promising career back on track, starting with a victory over the 26 year-old Ukrainian, Schelev.
‘’I wanted the very best opponent available for my return,’’ reveals Ogogo. ‘’I didn’t want an easy opponent. I wanted someone who would really test me. I’ve worked so hard to condense a 12-month rehab process into 6 months, so I wanted an opponent with the right quality to give me a hard fight because that’s what I’ve longed for, and that’s exactly what Schelev is. He’s a quality fighter. He can switch stance. He’s strong and he can punch. It’s going to make for a great fight for the fans.
‘’July 18 can’t come quick enough. After such a long lay-off it means everything to me to be back in the ring. I wake up in the morning wanting to be a world champion. For the longest time I couldn’t do anything about it physically. I couldn’t train. My feet were in casts, but I never stopped thinking about being the absolute best. I watched sports documentaries of my idols and I read autobiographies of my heroes until I was able to get back in the gym. Now I’m back and on July 18 I’ll show the world that I have what it takes to become a great.
‘’I’m in great shape. I resigned myself to never being able to run again because of my injuries. But everything has gone so well, much better than I could have ever imagined. I’ve been able to run 5 miles easy and there’s not even a twinge in my Achilles. My fitness is good. My speed is where it needs to be and sparring has been going brilliantly. I’ve been sparring with my Team Sauerland friend George Groves ahead of his own world title fight.
‘’Now I can’t wait to get in the ring, in front of a whole new audience and a whole new demographic of people. I’m so eager to impress I can’t explain. The fans can expect to see a young hungry fighter, full of desire and ambition ready to set the world alight and make up for lost time. The fans in Halle are in for a treat. I’ll be welcoming thousands of new members into the O-Army.’’
Ogogo’s six-round contest will be his first since signing a ground breaking co-promotional deal with leading European promoter Team Sauerland and American heavyweight set-up Goldenboy Promotions.
Promoter Nisse Sauerland has high hopes for the former amateur star. ‘’We’re all looking forward to seeing Anthony back in the ring where he belongs,’’ said Sauerland. ‘’He is an exceptional talent. Activity is going to be key as he looks to fulfill his potential as one of the most exciting middleweights on the planet.’’
The 26 year-old joins an action-packed event at the Gerry Weber Stadium. Arthur Abraham’s WBO World Super Middleweight title defence against Robert Stieglitz tops the star-studded bill, which also features Germany’s 19 year-old knockout specialist Vincent Feigenbutz challenging Mauricio Reynoso for the Interim WBA 168lb crown.
