"Fox is ready to claim Southern Area strap," says trainer Farnan
TRAINER Richard Farnan says he has ‘no doubt’ Anthony Fox will claim the Southern Area title when he faces Sam Smith in Swindon next month.
Fox and Smith will go head-to-head on Saturday 28th September on Neilson Boxing’s Fight Town II show at the Oasis Leisure Centre.
The bout materialised after Frank Warren’s Zak Chelli vacated the super-middleweight strap, allowing promoter Mark Neilson to manoeuvre the fight for the Swindon card.
The pair have previously been linked on a number of occasions but Farnan and Fox were uninterested in fighting Smith as they believed they had nothing to gain from the contest.
However, with the title now up for grabs, Farnan says he and his man had no hesitation in agreeing to the fight.
“We kept our options open and in the last week or so it was announced that Zak has officially vacated the Southern Area title,” said Farnan.
“The British Boxing Board of Control liked the fight between Anthony and Sam and they have sanctioned it, so that fight is now on, which is fantastic.
“If it wasn’t for the Southern Area title, then we would have had no interest in fighting Sam because he brings nothing to the table.
“It’s a great fight for us, we didn’t have to think twice about taking it because the title is on the line.”
Smith currently has a record of 7-2, while Fox’s is slightly more colourful with eight wins, 12 defeats and four draws.
However, the 24-year-old has recently strung together some solid wins over the likes of Duane Sinclair, Morgan Jones and Luke Blackledge.
Farnan, who trains out of Swindon's Brunel ABC, admits he is baffled by Smith’s will to face Fox, as he thinks the Westbury based fighter will prove too much for Paddy Fitzpatrick’s man.
“I’m amazed that Paddy (Fitzpatrick) wants the fight and that he has pushed for it,” he added.
“I truly don’t think Paddy knows anything about Anthony, I don’t think he knows how Anthony fights.
“I have no doubt that Anthony wins the fight, it will just depend on how he wins.
“If Sam comes at him, then I think Sam will get knocked out, if Sam decides to run, then I think Anthony will grind him down.
“I can’t see it going to points at all. Anthony has a massive engine on him and he can pressurise you from the first round all the way through to the 10th round.
“Sam has beaten journeymen but hasn’t been smashing them to pieces, I think he’s a fairly competent boxer, he’s tall and he has a fairly good jab but that’s it, I haven’t seen anything else.”
