Luke Campbell and Tommy Coyle clash at the KC Lightstream Stadium on August 1, and the pair opened up on their fiery sparring when they were amateurs in a special promo video of the match. You can watch the Campbell vs. Coyle video promo here.
The Hull duo meet in an official eliminator for the WBC World Lightweight title, but after a spicy press conference, bragging rights on home turf for the former friends turned enemies could be the biggest prize on offer.
The Lightweight stars clashed at a June media event over comments Campbell made in Boxing Monthly, and in our footage, both fighters recall their tussles at the St Paul’s Boxing Academy.
“We had some bad sparring at St Pauls,” said Campbell. “Tommy was always the kid that would try and knock you out in sparring, try and hurt you. We’re different people now, we’re not kids.”
“I can’t remember him walking into the gym but I remember him dazzling in sparring,” said Coyle. “Everyone who got in there, he had an answer for. When we used to spar, I would get this red mist come over me, I was just a teenager.
“Luke has never met anyone like me, I am all wrong for him at this stage of his career. In two seconds in the ring it can all change.”
Brian Rose Says Career on the Line in Jones Rematch
Brian Rose says he must beat Carson Jones to keep his career alive as they meet in a rematch on August1st. Rose lost to Jones on Valentine’s Day in a dramatic one-round blitz, hurting Jones early in the piece only for the American to turn the tables on the Blackpool man and stun Rose’s hometown fans with the controversial stoppage win.
The 30 year old former World title challenger has bounced back from a damaging defeat before, beating Max Maxwell in a British title defense in March 2012, almost two years after Maxwell had stopped him in an eight-round clash – and Rose believes he will gain revenge on the Oklahoma danger man.
“I have to win this fight and there are no ifs or buts about it,” said Rose. “I have come back from worse than this and everyone knows I have a big heart.
“A lot of people can’t come back from defeat – I can and I have proved it before. I want to clear up what I should have done in the first fight, and I have never been more determined in my life before a fight.
“Everybody said before the last fight that it was a mismatch and that I would beat Jones, and it didn’t happen. Now it will be regarded as a big fight.
“I am more confident than I was when I fought Max Maxwell for the second time after he had beaten me in the first fight.
“I beat Maxwell and I intend to do the same against Jones. There is no doubt Jones is a good fighter – he took Kell Brook the whole way and he beat me in a round in Blackpool, although I thought that if was stopped too early.
“I hurt him early in the first round in Blackpool and maybe I got too excited after that. That is normally not like me, and I will go back being cautious, which is how I normally approach things.”
Martin Ward to Step Up
Martin J. Ward faces a big step-up in class when he defends his WBC International Super Featherweight title against former World title challenger Daniel Diaz.
Ward landed the title in April when he forced the retirement of Maxi Hughes halfway through their rematch following a draw in December in a British title eliminator.
Diaz challenged for the WBA World Bantamweight crown in May 2011 taking on Koki Kameda in Japan, and Ward believes now is the right time to test himself against the experienced Nicaraguan.
“These are the fights are exactly what I need and exactly what I wanted at this stage of my career,” said Ward. “A former World title challenger is going to bring the best out in me and I’m in for a tough night in Hull, but I’m relishing the opportunity to test myself at this level.
“I’m really up for this fight next Saturday – I’m confident I’ll get the win and look great doing it.
“People always say how much they have a good camp, a great camp – we always have a hard camp down here, we train our nuts off regularly. I’ve got to put all the work, everything we’ve practiced in the gym on fight night – make sure it’s all been worthwhile.
“Once I get this fight out of the way, I feel I’ve got much more to learn and develop before I’m the finished article. I’m in the gym training alongside a two-time World champion in Ricky Burns and a World title challenger in Kevin Mitchell – I’m learning all the time from these guys.
“I’ve got my eyes on the British title in the short term. Liam Walsh holds it but his last fight he boxed at Lightweight so I’m not sure what he’s doing – but I want that belt.
“I’ve moved down from Lightweight and to be truthful I wasn’t doing a great deal of dieting at the weight – I just lacked that little bit of man strength. I’ve been at Super Featherweight for about a year now and my body has adapted to it well, I’m a big strong Super Featherweight and I’m confident I could beat anyone in this division.”
