Final curtain for Booth the brave?

Jason Booth knows defeat at the weekend will bring down the curtain on his stellar 15-year paid career.

The former IBF world title challenger from Nottingham makes, on a Frank Maloney-promoted card in Bolton on Saturday [October 22], the fifth defence of his British super-bantamweight title against touted Bury bomber Scott Quigg and is adamant his footwork and accurate punch-picking will prove too much for an untested young pretender.

And though the defending champion [pictured right with his Commonwealth belt] pushed classy Canadian Steve Molitor to a majority decision in a world title attempt 13 months ago, Jason is seen, for many, as the underdog going into the interesting-looking 12-rounder that pits worldly-wise experience against the wide-eyed exuberance of youth.

Yet many in the trade are predicting that it's one fight too many for the likeable Tony Harris-trained East Midlander, who has won British titles at two weights, Commonwealth belts at three weights and also held the IBO strap at super-flyweight.

But the Strelley-based stylist struggled past Jamie Arthur in February [scraping a split 12-round nod] and, after a bright start, suffered his first inside-the-distance defeat last time out - knocked out in ten by Madrid's heavy-handed but wild and crude Kiko Martinez for the vacant European title in the Spanish capital in May. 

Though there's no shame in folding against a man who blew away Dublin's future WBA world super-bantamweight champion Bernard Dunne inside 90 brutal seconds in 2007, it's an indication that the 33-year-old four-time Continental title challenger's career is drawing to a close.

And against Quigg, 23 and unbeaten in 22 [15 quickly], he meets an equally hard-punching boxer who's faster and far less predictable than the three-time European monarch from Spain. Scott, a former kick-boxer who has tidy skills, is four inches taller and now trained by Joe Gallagher, likes a fight but has a free-flowing boxing style and his well-timed body attacks have hastily accounted for some durable foes. 

So if both men box to the peak of their abilities then it's hard to see this Sky Sports-televised fight being anything less than a cracker, be it a purists battle [in the early stages] or a nose-to-nose punch-up [which is more likely to happen as the bout progresses the latter stages of the 36 minutes].

"I'm more than ready for this," smooth-boxing Booth, whose skills have landed him 36 wins [15 via stoppage] in 43 outings, confidently boasted.

"He's coming to take my title away from me, has the advantage of boxing a few miles up the road from his house and he doesn't know what it's like to lose yet. But no-one is invincible and I've done the training, worked hard, and i can lead anyone a merry dance when i'm on top form. So may the best man win."

Manager Jimmy Gill added: "Jason is up for this one. He knows that his career has to come to an end at sometime and knows what's at stake. But he's fit, willing and capable of the win, and Saturday will showcase exactly what he has left."