Campbell, Ward, Burns, Jones Ready For Big Hull Show

Luke Campbell MBE says Tommy Coyle won’t want to have a war with him when they meet in an official eliminator for the WBC Lightweight title at the KC Lightstream Stadium in Hull, live on Sky Sports.

Campbell and Coyle clash in an east versus west fight that has divided their hometown and, with local pride and a boost in the WBC rankings on the line, the stakes couldn’t be higher for the Hull pair.

The Olympic hero riled Coyle with comments made in an interview with Boxing Monthly but Campbell says that the fight is just business to him as he looks to move onto the world scene, and says he’ll prove that Coyle’s reputation for loving a war in the ring is misguided.

“Tommy says he loves a war but in his last few fights he’s boxed on the back foot,” said Campbell. “If you are doing that, you are not going in for a war, you are going in to box. But we’ll see on the night, I’ve prepared for anything that he can bring and I am ready. I’ll go in there and do what I do best. I know I can hurt him and we’ll see if he wants a war when I do.

“People have wanted me to step-up – this is a World title eliminator. Tommy’s fight with Daniel Brizuela was a 50-50 fight and I don’t believe he’s any better than Brizuela, different style, but that’s about it.

“I should be in with Tommy or better, and once I deal with Tommy in good style then we’ll step up again against the next opponent and prove myself again. I don’t dislike Tommy, he’s an obstacle in the way to reach my goals – that’s it. When all the talking is done and it’s just me and him in the ring, that’s it, not talking, boxing.

“There’s a nasty streak in me, definitely. People can take me however they want to take me, but as soon as the bell goes then I want to hurt the guy in front of me.”

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 at the KC Lightstream Stadium in Hull on August 1, live on Sky Sports.

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 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 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.”

Ricky Burns says he wants to fight the best of British at Lightweight as he returns to action against Prince Ofotsu at the KC Lightstream Stadium in Hull on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.

The Scotsman believes that Britain’s 135 lb scene is red hot with Manchester’s Anthony Crolla coming close to being the second Word champion in the division from the city last weekend after his epic battle with WBA ruler Darleys Perez, following Terry Flanagan landing the WBO crown the weekend before against Jose Zepeda.

With gym pal and former foe Kevin Mitchell also just missing out on landing the WBC belt with an heroic performance against Jorge Linares in London, Burns believes he has put himself right back into pole position with his impressive performance in Texas in May against former World champion Omar Figueroa.

“There are so many big fights at Lightweight, not only in the UK, but on the world scene and I can’t wait to get involved in the thick of it,” said Burns.

“It was frustrating before to hear people say that I was being sent out to America to just be an opponent for Figueroa, I proved them wrong. I will fight anybody, that’s the only way you get the big fights. We aren’t looking at a particular route or governing body – whatever comes our way, we will be ready.

“I was gutted for Anthony in Manchester. He should have been given the nod but it was a close fight. With Darleys Perez getting the two point deduction – I can’t get my head round how they gave it a draw. Fingers crossed he gets the rematch as Anthony definitely has the beating of Perez and should be World champion now.

“Kevin was gutted after the Linares fight was stopped, he was ahead by a couple of rounds but that cut was pretty nasty, the swelling was bad and he did take a lot of clean shots. Kevin will be back soon enough in camp and we can get back to our wars in sparring – as usual and he will be ready to go again.

“Kevin and I wante d Anthony to win – we joked that we would have a spar and the winner would get to face him in his first defence.”

Burns came out on the wrong side of a points loss to Figueroa despite a tremendous display, and the margin of defeat would’ve been slender but for two points harshly deducted in the latter rounds for holding. The 32 year old gained plenty of admirers for his performance despite the loss, and Burns hopes to cross the Atlantic again in the future.

“ We knew it was going to be a tough fight, but I didn’t agree with the deductions for holding,” said Burns. “I thought he was holding as much as me and that’s why I had to tie him up. We moved up in weight for this one but still had some trouble making weight, but I didn’t want to jeopardize my chance to fight in America.

“I think it was his size that gave me problems more than anything. I don’t know what weight he was in that ring, but it was a lot bigger than me.

“The plan was to try to stick to boxing for the first half of the fight, but once the size really took over I had to stand and exchange more than I would have liked. I couldn’t get him off of me. I’ve got no excuses, as I said the best man will win.

“We’ve enjoyed the experience of being in the US, obviously the decision didn’t go our way which puts a damper on it, but overall everyone in Texas was great and I hope to go back to America again.”

Carson Jones says he will KO Brian Rose again in their rematch – and end his career in the process – when they clash at the KC Lightstream Stadium in Hull on Saturday night, live on Sky Sports.

Jones stopped Rose in Blackpool on Valentine’s Day in controversial fashion inside a round and returns to repeat the dose. Rose appeared to hurt the Oklahoma man early in the fight but was then staggered himself with a right hand and when Jones landed another, the referee jumped in and called the fight off.

Rose demanded a rematch straight away and gets the chance to get his career back on track, but Jones believes ‘The Lion’ will come to the end of the road in Hull.

“I know I will stop him again,” said Jones. “I don’t know what round but it’s going to come. He wasn’t a threat in the first fight and he won’t be on Saturday. He’s a decent fighter but he won’t trouble me.

“What will Brian do after I beat him again? That’s up to him, it’s not my concern. I know how it feels to lose and I wouldn’t want anyone to give up on pursuing their dreams. But I don’t think he is cut out for the top.

“Maybe the fight could have carried on but that’s not down to me, that’s the referee’s job and he did what he thought was right.

“My daughter punches harder than he does. He caught me and I was a little stunned, but not hurt. I always start slow. He doesn’t have big punching power so he wasn’t going to be able to finish me off, but I knew I had to jump on him early when I hurt him in order to catch him when he was wobbling.

“If it was stopped early then it was stopped early for me too, because I would have knocked his head off in the rest of the round.

“I think he’ll be the same fighter. He thinks his weight was an issue in the first fight but it doesn’t really make that much difference; he still won’t be able to punch. He’ll be the same person, not changed at all.”

Tickets are on sale priced £25 (Standing), £40 (Tiered), £60 (Floor) and £100 (Floor) from www.hullkr.co.uk/tickets

Tickets for August 1 are also available from http://www.stubhub.co.uk/matchroom-boxing-tickets/