BBN Exclusive - Elcock gets IBF world title shot
by Tom Podmore
Oct 19th 2007


Birmingham's Wayne Elcock has been given the biggest opportunity of his eight-year career when he challenges Arthur Abraham for the German-based banger's IBF world middleweight title in Switzerland on Saturday, December 8.
The 33-year-old British champion meets the unbeaten Armenian-born puncher at the St. Jakob Halle in Basle and is looking to become Britain's first world champion at middleweight since Jason Matthews held the WBO crown in 1999.

But he meets a mallet-fisted champion rated third in the independent rankings and second in the Ring Magazine ratings. Wayne is rated tenth in the Ring Magazine ratings, by the way.

Abraham, 27, has made five successful defences of his International Boxing Federation title, a title he won with a five-round stoppage over Canadian-based Nigerian stylist Kingsley Ikeke in 2005.

The Berlin-domiciled middleweight came through a war with Colombian puncher Edison Miranda in September last year – sustaining a badly broken jaw in the early stages, but showing immense bravery to grit it out and retain his belt via unanimous decision.

Recently – in Berlin in August – Arthur scored a gruesome eleven-round knockout over country Khoren Gevor to improve his stellar record to 24-0, 19 quick wins.

Elcock, 18-2 (, scored a unanimous decision over common denominator Howard Eastman in September, taking the Battersea Bomber's Lonsdale belt in the process, at the Coventry Skydome.

‘King Arthur' outpointed Eastman in a tense twelve-rounder in 2005, although many claimed Eastman had done enough to have his hand raised. The Englishman was chasing a rematch before losing to the Brummie last month.

The Paddy Lynch-trained Shard End fighter knows he has a huge mountain to climb but is full of confidence and ready to become the Second City's first legitimate world champion.

Elcock told me: “The best option by far is for me to challenge for the IBF title against Arthur Abraham in December.

“I know its going to be a tough fight, but on the back of the Eastman win I'm well up for it and we are about to put pen to paper later today (October 19) for us to fight on December 8 in Switzerland.

“It's a good job I did not celebrate too much after the Eastman win,” Elcock continued. “I'm still in good shape and I'm now back in gym with seven weeks to go from Saturday.

“We will be going over to Switzerland on October 29 to formally announce it and I can't wait.

“I will be more than ready to bring the world title back to Birmingham and England come fight night.”


http://www.britishboxing.net/news_27...itle-shot.html


Hes going to get murdered!!