Peter Cope will feel doubly satisfied if he wins his next bout at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light on July 7.
The rising star from Hartlepool aims to go 8-0, as well as silence a vocal rival, when he clashes with Sheffield’s Qasim Hussain, 1-1-2, in a grudge match on the Pro Box North East ‘Summer Rumble’ bill.
The pair were slated to meet in April before ‘Copey’ pulled out with flu, leading to some baiting from the Yorkshireman over the Internet. Now, with the fight imminent, Peter is ready to shine and put on a classy performance for his huge ‘Barmy Army’ following.
“This fight has been supposed to happen for a while,” explained Cope, 22, “and it’s built up that way [a grudge match] with a bit of bad mouthing from Kas. I’ll be all business though, I’m not into all the talk.
“To be honest I don’t know a great deal about him. I know he’s a tough come-forward, game lad so that will suit me. I’ll stick to my boxing and put on a show. I’m very confident; it’s been a frustrating year for me with injuries and illness but I want to put it all behind me and move on to the big fights.”
“I’m sure both these lads will shake hands after the fight – win, lose or draw,” stated promoter Phil Jeffries. “But there’s definitely some animosity between them ahead of the contest and neither wants to lose. If Qasim wins then he’ll have a very good scalp on his belt, but I know Peter will be feeling very confident. This fight is a bit of a grudge match and should be a real cracker.”
Pro Box North East’s ‘Summer Rumble’, at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light on July 7, will feature fighters from across the region including Sunderland’s Jonson McClumpha, Kirk Goodings and Lee Mould; Newcastle’s Andrew Buchanan; South Shields’ Anthony Nelson; Middlesbrough’s Mohammed Waqas; Hartlepool’s Peter Cope; County Durham’s Ben Jackson, Tommy Ward, and English bantamweight champ Martin Ward. While Anthony Hardy and Michael Hadfield will both make debuts.
Tickets are available from all boxers or by calling 0774 7611 020.
