Askin keeps heavyweight company

St Annes boxer Matty Askin is leaving nothing to chance for his British cruiserweight title eliminator on November 19.
Matty Askin is preparing for his big fight night later this monthMatty Askin is preparing for his big fight night later this month
Matty Askin is preparing for his big fight night later this month

He reports that he has been enjoying his best-ever camp in preparation for his meeting with Belfast’s Tommy McCarthy, conqueror of former British champion Jon-Lewis Dickinson in his last bout.

Nor has he been side-tracked by the fact that the fight date had to be put back when Askin’s opponent suffered an injury in training from which he has recovered.

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Askin has had some demanding sparring sessions, including one with a heavyweight prospect in the shape of Nathan Gorman; trained by Ricky Hatton, Gorman has won all his six contests to date, five by way of knockout.

He said; “I have been sparring with a lad who is a lot heavier than I am and who punches a lot harder than what McCarthy will.”

The Askin versus McCarthy clash will take place at the Victoria Warehouse in Manchester when the bill will also feature his stablemate Jack Arnfield, who will have a ‘ticking over’ fight that evening following his most important win to date, victory over John Ryder at the Manchester Arena, which saw the Stalmine fighter win the World Boxing Association international middleweight belt.

Askin said of his upcoming clash with McCarthy: “I am raring to go and my preparation has gone really well.

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“I had been coming to a peak for the original fight, but then it got postponed and I had to cancel a few days’ break with my wife and child that I had planned for the Lake District.

“But it is not really a problem; in fact, the extra time has helped give me time to spar with someone like Nathan Gorman.

“I can’t leave anything to chance when I have an important fight like this coming up.

“I know I say this a lot, but this is the best camp that I have had so far and some of the sparring partners that I have had have been struggling to stay on their feet.

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“I feel stronger than ever and I believe that I am punching better than ever.

“I am planning to have my last big 10-round spar on Friday and next I will continue working in the gym, After that it will be a case of tapering down and making sure that I make the weight.”