British Boxing: Pickering Targets Hunter Return

Newark’s Esham Pickering has vowed to re-establish himself on the world scene and in the process avenge the contentious majority decision defeat that saw him lose his Commonwealth and European titles to British champion Michael Hunter in Hartlepool earlier this month.

“Obviously I was very disappointed with the loss, but with Mick Hennessy and his team behind me I am still very positive about the future,” said the 29-year-old, who will box on the Carl Froch-Ruben Groenewald undercard at the Nottingham Arena on December 2nd.

“Nobody has written me off and if anything I am now hungrier than ever. After my December outing I would like to get a title fight early next year and then Hunter again before going on to fight for a world title. I definitely want that rematch.

“I think Hunter and Sky might want it as well, so the only thing that may get in the way is his team.

“Instead of fighting Hunter in his backyard I could have taken a different route. I could have left him to fight somebody he would have earned less against and got myself a world title eliminator through Hennessy Sports.

“But I gave him his chance. Hopefully he will give me mine.”

Pickering clearly fancies the return, particularly given that he feels he should have got the nod first time round.

“I know I can box better. I don’t think he can. He boxed out of his skin,” he explained.

“But then I still thought I won. I was a class above in the first two rounds and put him down twice for scores of 10-8.

“I then won the third, sixth and ninth. The only rounds he won clear were the seventh, tenth and eleventh. The others could have gone either way. He was coming forward a lot, but I consistently put in the cleaner work.”

Even so, the Ingle trained fighter didn’t expect to get the decision.

“Straight after the fight I asked myself: how is this going to go? I thought I had won, not by a massive margin, but I thought I had won.

“Then I said to myself not to expect the decision. He has had the whole crowd screaming every breath he took and it very felt hostile in there.

“Then one of my corner came over and said he thought it was going the other way. You still have that bit of hope, but I expected it when it was announced I had lost.

“I have watched the fight back since and that confirmed to me that I was unlucky. I wouldn’t say I got robbed and I have no dispute with the judges – what is done is done – but I believe it should have gone my way.

“People I trust – not those who just tell me what I want to hear – have told me the same as well, that I deserved to win.”

Regardless, he is not happy with his performance.

“I proved that when I box to my best I am a class above Hunter, but there are still things I have got to work on,” he continued.