Esham Pickering feels he has a point to prove when he defends his British Super-Bantamweight Title against Matthew Marsh at the York Hall in Bethnal Green on Friday 27th June 2008.

Pickering (Newark) will make his second defence of the British crown on a Hennessy Sports in association with GoldenPalace.net after stopping Sean Hughes in the ninth round in January.

That victory was revenge for Esham after Hughes (Pontefract) had pulled off a shock eight-round points win in a non-title fight in November last year.

Pickering (33-6) is out to prove the critics wrong when he takes on Marsh (Welling) as he targets a crack at European champion Rendall Munroe or IBF world champion Steve Molitor.

"In the first fight against Hughes I got beat badly against an opponent I shouldn't have lost to, but to come back from that in my next fight and beat him like I did was good," said Pickering, who is trained by Carl Greaves.

"I wasn't at my best in either of those fights and I feel I have got a point to prove in this next one.

"Everyone is saying I'm shot but I'm not and they won't be saying that after I beat Matthew.

"People are saying I can't do what I used to but I'm fitter than I've ever been now and I'm treating it as the most important fight of my life.

"I'm not offering any excuses for those two fights against Hughes, but you're going to see the old Esham Pickering back in this fight."

Marsh (9-1) is happy to be fighting back at super-bantamweight after suffering his first professional defeat to Derry Matthews (Liverpool) when he stepped up a division in October.

"I took that fight because it was a good opportunity but it wasn't my natural weight and he was way too big for me," said Marsh, a former amateur star with West Ham ABC.

"Matthews was coming down a weight really and I was going up one, so it was no disgrace for me to lose that one.

"I've come back since with a first round knockout of Ajibu Salum and I feel ready for this chance now.

"I went in with Matthews in only my ninth fight so I'm not worried about facing Esham even though he is way more experienced."

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