While Tyson Fury will take centre stage in his eagerly anticipated return, Manchester’s Terry Flanagan will ply his trade on the peripheral once again as he looks to become a two-weight world champion.
The long-standing WBO Lightweight ruler has seen his unbeaten career go terribly under the radar. It may be that the Mancunian is not promoted by British boxing powerhouse Eddie Hearn, and much of his career – and all of his championship fights – have been aired on BoxNation, giving Terry less of a platform to build into a known face outside of boxing circles.
But with BT Sport now on the scene as Frank Warren’s bullpen to showcase the best of British talents in his stable, there seems a chance that winning the WBO Super Lightweight championship could lead to Flanagan 33-0(13KO’s) being the headline act and not the supporting cast.
But all that could come crashing down if his outspoken American counterpart has anything to do with it. Unbeaten prospect, Maurice Hooker has suffered a trio of draws, but has served a fair apprenticeship that seems to have him as ready as he ever will be to claim a world championship.
Aside from a stoppage win over Ty Barnett, his most notable bout was a controversial draw with Darleys Perez – and that was contentious only because it seemed clear that Perez should have been victorious.
Hooker 23-0-3(16KO’s) does carry a dig and is the more natural at 140lbs. But there is nothing in his resume or performances that suggest his boasts have any substance behind them. But aside from blitzing Diego Magdaleno, there is little on Flanagan’s profile that elevates him to being an outstanding favourite on Saturday night.
There is plenty of flair in Hooker’s game, but while the visitor performs in bursts, Flanagan is consistent from first to last bell, and while that is a trait that can be exploited, it does not seem that Hooker has the right tools to do so.
The worry for the home favourite is that an unsettling start could ignite Hooker’s confidence, and if the Texan is on form and feeling good passed the halfway point then it could see him produce one of those fine performances that leaves fans wondering where this version of ‘Mighty Mo’ has been over the years.
It is unlikely that Flanagan will gain Hooker’s respect for his power at any point in this fight, but a good start is essential in denying Hooker from walking away with this one. If ‘Turbo’ gets the upper hand early he will have enough in his bag to starve off a late rally as Hooker becomes desperate.
The tentative pick is for Maurice to come out the blocks in a positive manner, taking Flanagan aback in the opening rounds. Flanagan will have his moments in the first half of the fight which will prove hard to score – which should see varying scorecards at the end. Feeling he has the upper hand and with no respect for Flanagan’s punches, Hooker will continue to box with a swagger. While not dominating the fight, he will have the look of a man in charge.
At the conclusion of 12 rounds one judge will favour Flanagan marginally, but the right man will win as the other two officials score it in favour of Hooker – landing an unlikely win on the road.
The fight of the night could come when Mark Heffron 19-0(15KO’s) puts his undoubted talents up against the aggressive and extremely durable Andrew Robinson.
Birmingham’s Robinson 21-3-1(6KO’s) is on a high, but despite giving it his best effort, and looking on top at the conclusion of the fight, he will yet again not get the rub of the green on the road.
