SAM EGGINGTON VS BILEL JKITOU 10/9/21 Channel 5

[Master]

Sam Eggington sets out his terms for showdown with rival Chris Eubank Junior

Sam Eggington insists he won’t sell himself short to land a showdown with Chris Eubank Junior.

Eggington defends his WBC Silver middleweight title on Friday night against Bilel Jkitou in Coventry’s Skydome arena and he was offered the chance to face Eubank instead.

He rejected it because he felt the purse was too low and says he won’t undersell himself.

“The Eubank fight was offered to me, there just wasn’t enough money there,” he said.

“It was not long after my last fight. They offered us a purse, we asked for a bit more and they didn’t even come back, so they must have had someone else lined up who was cheaper.

“He’s a big middleweight, super-middle sometimes, and I just wanted the money to be worth the fight, but they didn’t come back to us.

“If they had offered fair money, would I have taken the fight? One hundred per cent. It just didn’t happen.

“I’m not going to undersell myself for anything. Boxing is hard enough as it is.

“I don’t see why the fight can’t happen. It’s not a fight I would turn down given the right offer, I’d take him on.”

Eggington, 27, is coming off the back of wins over Ashley Theophane and Carlos Molina and is keen to add the unbeaten Jkitou to his list of scalps and continue his push for a world title shot.

Jkitou is supported by Real Madrid star Karin Benzema after the pair became friends on social media, but Eggington is unimpressed.

“It means nothing to me,” said the Stourbridge fighter.

“He’s unbeaten at the moment, that’s dangerous enough for me. Who he’s fought, I don’t think he’s fought a crazy level of opponent, but we’ll find out. These are the sort of things I get up for.

“He could be solid or he might not be, we’ll find out.

“You just want the ‘w’. I do want to make a statement, this kid is unbeaten and I need to show people he wasn’t good enough.

“I’m on a bit of a wave at the minute, I’ve picked up a few good wins and I’m just hungry to keep that going.”

Eggington v Jkitou is live on Friday on Channel 5 from 10pm.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...cid=entnewsntp

[Master]

Sam Eggington warns Bilel Jkitou that his Abel Xavier-inspired bleached blonde hair will not cut it in headline fight

SAM EGGINGTON has warned Bilel Jkitou that his Abel Xavier bleached barnet won’t cut it tonight.

Birmingham’s 27-year-old takes on the Frenchman with the tinted hair in Coventry, in a bid to edge his way closer to a WBC world title shot.

The Brit banger does not know much about the 15-0 visitor apart from he has a shocking resemblance to the former Everton, Liverpool and Middlesbrough defender.

“I honestly know very little about him,” the Egg said. “He’s unbeaten, works the body shots, he has got funny hair! That’s it.

“I seldom watch even my own fights back but I’ve good coaches who take care of that part. He’s certainly not fought anyone at the level I’ve operated at.

“The Skydome was a decent venue with just half a crowd in May. At full capacity, it’ll be some atmosphere.

“I need to win well, look comfortable to improve my ranking. Win, lose or draw, I never disappoint.”

Eggington turned down a middleweight bout with Chris Eubank Jr due to the money on offer to face Jkitou instead.

The heavy-handed Brummie is loved by fans for his all-action bravery, starring in wars with Bradley Skeete, Frankie Gavin, Paulie Malignaggi and Liam Smith.

But the veteran is now too wise to take unwinnable fights above his weight class, just for a payday, when he is edging toward a title shot.

“It’s a double-edged sword,” Eggington said. “The fans love that I’ll face anyone but now I have to get clever.

“I’ve never had a pathway before. My best chance of success would still probably be down at 154lbs because the biggest middleweights are seriously big lads.

“The Eubank fight was offered to me but there just wasn’t enough money there.

“They offered us a purse, we asked for a bit more and they didn’t even come back, so they must have had someone else lined up who was cheaper.

“He’s a big middleweight, super-middle sometimes, and I just wanted the money to be worth the fight, but they didn’t come back to us.”

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/16096...-fight-boxing/

[Master]

McKenna v Gary on now and they are having a wild war with McKenna landing the better shots. No way this is going the distance if they keep this pace up.

[Master]

Gary lost the first 3 rounds but did win the 4th as McKenna slowed down and got hit a lot.

[Master]

McKenna gets the decision but he is wild and throws over 100 punches a round. Once he settles down on his punches he will be a better boxer.

[Master]

Stephen McKenna has challenged Conor Benn who he said is wild and missed a lot last week.

[Master]

Jkitou keeping a high guard and tight defence in the 1st round but Eggington landed the better volume of punches to win the round.

1 nil Eggington