With the business end of the football season rapidly approaching, Tranmere Rovers captain, John Welsh, is immensely prepared for the relegation dogfight that awaits his beloved Rovers. But on April 14th, only hours after hopefully securing three points for the Wirral side away at Walsall, the former Liverpool midfielder will shift his focus to the boxing ring as he donates his support to long-time friend, Tony Bellew, who defends his British light-heavyweight title against Norwich’s Danny Macintosh at the fabulous Liverpool Echo Arena.
“I’ve known Tony ever since we were kids as we were both from the same area and I’m not surprised one bit how far he’s gone because he’s a really dedicated lad,” revealed the former England Under-21 star. Even if I didn’t know him, I’d still watch his fights because every time he gets in the ring you’re guaranteed fireworks because of the way he fights. Macintosh has a similar attitude and also loves a good fight so I think fans can be certain that they’re going to be watching a classic when the punching finally starts.”
A passionate fan of both boxing and MMA, Welsh possesses an admirable knowledge regarding the fight game and he is an avid supporter of the local punch scene.
With a sizeable undercard featuring members of the Liverpool boxing community such as John Watson, Joe Tonks, and Andy Colqhoun, Welsh firmly believes that Merseyside has the talent and potential to add further honours to its illustrious sporting history.
“I’ve watched boxing since a young age and I remember being excited when Derry Mathews turned over.
That was a good time but the crop that are coming through now are just as good and they now have the advantage of having the Echo Arena, which is essential if Liverpool is to produce the big boxing night’s that Manchester enjoyed during the Ricky Hatton days. The Arena’s already had a few good fights with Tony Quigley and Tony Dodson having a real battle and Tony falling just short against Nathan Cleverly last time out. These really are good times to be involved in boxing on Liverpool.
With the aforementioned Cleverly fight now a distant memory, Welsh believes that Bellew is ready to begin a new chapter in the eventful story that will ultimately culminate in world title glory for the hard-hitting Evertonian. “Tony was extremely unlucky last time out but believe me he’s ready to prove he’s world class over and over again. I’m sure he’ll get his chance to put that fight right but at this time his mind is on Danny Macintosh and rightly so. Both fighters are going to have their moments but Bellew will be the stronger man.
This has all the makings to be one of the fights of 2012 and fans turning up at the Echo Arena will not be disappointed.”
David Coldwell in association with Eddie Hearn present ‘The Big Bang’ which is live and exclusive on Sky Sports HD on Saturday, 14th April.
Tickets are priced at £30, £40, £60, £80, VIP tickets £150 and all available from;
www.coldwellboxing.com
www.matchroomboxing.com
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