Duane Parker has been promised a title shot in his home town in September - providing he doesn't slip up in Birmingham next week (Monday, June 13).
The undefeated Derbyshire light-middleweight travels to the Second City for the fifth time in his last six with the knowledge that taming durable Hull scrapper Richard Troupe will lead to his first crack at a professional belt.
Seven years older than 23-year-old Parker, Troupe is no mug. He's yet to have been halted early in six paid outings and pushed decent Johnny Musgrave to the wire over four punishing sessions less than two months ago.
But the face-first scrapper travels to the Midlands for the first time to cross swords over eight with a tall, measured ex-Burton ABC favourite who has dropped only nine rounds out of a possible 74 since turning over in 2007 and is sitting down on his punches more in recent outings.
And with talk that current Area champion, unbeaten Coseley southpaw Jamie Ball, is set to relinquish his belt to box for the English 11st crown, the blonde-haired East Midlands stylist knows victory over the East Yorkshire war-horse is essential if he's to achieve his ambition of winning a belt before the end of 2011.
"It's a fight i know I've got to win," admitted improving Parker, 13-0, who put in a career-best showing to outpoint dangerous and willing Leicester banger Simon Fleck at the same venue (Holiday Inn) in February.
"Errol [Johnson, trainer and manager] has said that i'll box for the Midland Area title in September if i win and that's a massive incentive for me. On top of that, it will be at the [Meadowside] Leisure Centre in Burton.
"It's all set up for me if i win and it'll all fall down for me if i lose. But i'm confident and win is exactly what i'll do," he confidently predicted.
No comments:
Post a Comment