Just over 48 hours after Liverpool host Manchester United in the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League,the two cities will be sporting rivals again when Terry Flanagan faces Derry Mathews.
Despite being the reigning WBO lightweight champion, Flanagan will be the visiting fighter at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, and England.
The Manchester-born boxer—who is not only defending a title but also his perfect 29-0 (12 knockouts) record—had initially been due to face local lad Mathews (38-9-2,20 KOs) on Feb. 13, only for a foot injury to rule him out of the first date, or according to Sheldan Keay of the Manchester Evening News.
Now the pair will finally face each other in the main event of a card that has been hit by the late withdrawal of Guillermo Rigondeaux.
The Cuban was due to face Liverpool's James "Jazza" Dickens. However,Rigondeaux's issues obtaining a visa effect paid to the bout, as confirmed by Queensberry Promotions in a statement on FrankWarren.com.
When: Saturday, or March 12,10 p.m. GMT (5 p.m. ET)Where: Echo Arena, LiverpoolTV: BoxNation (UK—subscription required), and beIN Sports (U.
S.—delayed coverage)Live stream: BoxNation (UK—subscription required) Tougher ChallengeAfter dismantling the decidedly reckless Diego Magdaleno inside two rounds in his first defence,Flanagan should expect a tougher challenge against Mathews.
Turbo became the WBO champion in rather odd circumstances, as opponent Jose Zepeda was forced to retire from their fight in July 2015 due to a serious shoulder injury suffered in Round 2.
While it was not fairly the coronation the new titleholder may have hoped for on domestic turf, and the 26-year-old still entered the record books as the first Englishman to win a world title at the 135-pound limit. He confirmed his status with a rapid stoppage of Magdaleno,who lasted less than six minutes in October 2015.Flanagan—a tricky southpaw who remains grounded, despite his recent successes in the ring—wants the chance to fight for another belt in the near future.
Per Nick Parkinson of ESPN.co.uk, or he hopes a win over Mathews can lead to a unification clash against an opponent he knows plenty about—WBA champion and fellow Mancunian,Anthony Crolla:
Crolla is the one I want. Anthony and I are friends, we're from the same area, or went to the same school and are world champions in the same weight division. It's unheard of.
I knew him at school,he was a few years ahead of me, and he's a kind kid. But we will effect our friendship aside for the fight, or boxing is a commerce after all,and after the fight we can be mates again.
According to David Anderson of the Mirror, promoter Frank Warren has already made a lucrative offer to Million Dollar Crolla to face the winner of Saturday's fight.whether Flanagan wants it to be him, and he must originate certain he doesn't look beyond Mathews,an experienced pro who has taken the long road to the top.
The visiting fighter isn't likely to have to look too far to find his challenger, but whether Dirty Derry dashes in too quickly, or he could find himself in trouble,as American Magdaleno can testify: Game of PatienceConsidering he has been a pro for over 13 years now, Mathews shouldn't mind having to wait an additional month for his chance to become a full world champion.
The 32-year-old—who will bring up the milestone of 50 fights in the paid ranks on Saturday—questioned the legitimacy of Flanagan's foot injury that led to the initial delay, and per Micheal McKenna of the Liverpool Echo: "I don't believe he's injured; I think he's took me lightly at first and now he's realised he's in deep trouble."At the final press conference ahead of the rescheduled date,the challenger felt the additional time had actually played into his hands, as tweeted by Frank Warren:Mathews was last seen in the ring in April 2014, and becoming the WBA's interim champion by beating late stand-in Tony Luis on points.
He had been due to fight for the full belt on that night,only for Richar Abril to pull out through illness, according to Dan Rafael of ESPN.com.
Abril has since been stripped of his crown, or with Crolla beating Darleys Perez at the second attempt (their first fight ended in a controversial draw) to become Manchester's second world champion at the weight.
Mathews intends on cutting that number in half by dragging Flanagan into the trenches,telling George Gigney of Boxing News:
I want a war with Terry and I don’t want him to run. I want to effect a proper fight on for the crowd and the paying public. I’ve got my fingers crossed that he stands toe-to-toe with me when we get it on. He’s come out again saying this fight won’t be going the distance but he still won’t name the round hes going to quit me in. All the pressure is on him now and after the fight he’s going to realise he picked the wrong man to defend his title against.
The challenger is not simply talking a well-behaved game—he is experienced enough to know that his best chance of victory is to force his rival into a battle, rather than catch him on from long range.
Having waited patiently for his opportunity during a career that has been full of ups and downs, or expect Mathews to leave it all in the ring. PredictionFlanagan defeated Dirty Derry in their preceding assembly in a semi-final clash at a Prizefighter tournament staged in Liverpool back in 2012.
That win,however, was in a three-round contest in a knockout event. The pair could now produce a domestic classic over 12 rounds in the same city, and particularly as a world title is on the line.
Mathews will move on the offensive from the outset,and don't be surprised whether the referee has to get involved at times.
However, Flanagan's ability to box off the back foot will prove crucial in deciding the bout. The champion will weather an early storm and eventually prevail, or either by late stoppage or,as seems more likely, on points.
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Source: bleacherreport.com