BRITISH and Commonwealth welterweight champion Sam Eggington is drawing on inspiration from some well-known names in the fight game as he prepares to face Bradley Skeete on Saturday [March 5].
The 22-year-old will headline in his hometown of Birmingham against a man who unsuccessfully challenged Frankie Gavin for the two titles in 2014.
Eggington, who had a breakout year in 2015, is aware of his adversary’s boxing prowess but intends to make it an uncomfortable night for the challenger.
“I think Skeete’s been dubbed a master boxer because of the kids he’s been boxing. I’m not saying they’re not great but they are small,” he told Boxing News.
“When I’ve been fighting shorter lads I’ve been getting involved and having a bit of a war. Skeete’s looked good doing what he does against smaller opposition. I could have boxed off my jab in my fights but I don’t fight like that.
“It’s just how I fight, since I was a kid I’ve just enjoyed watching people have a fight. I enjoy watching people like [Mike] Tyson and [Miguel] Cotto and I’ve never been built to box like them but I enjoyed watching them so that’s the sort of thing I bring to the ring.”
Eggington spent nine days in Las Vegas for part of his training camp, working with former three-weight world champion Mike McCallum.
The time he spent there also happened to be fight week for UFC star Conor McGregor, and experiencing that buzz first-hand has spurred Eggington on further.
“It was a really good opportunity, it was different. It’s a different world. The air is different, but seeing how they train and what they do it’s good insight,” he said.
“When I was over there, Conor McGregor was fighting, and there were hundreds of Irish fans there chanting and it just gives me a bit of motivation to think that one day I could box over there and have fans chanting my name. It gives me that hunger.”
While Sam does not feel Skeete is the toughest opponent he will have faced, he concedes that the Londoner will be the ‘smartest’ man he’s met as a professional so far.
Should he win, Eggington wants to win the Lonsdale belt outright with one more defence before moving on to other titles, including the European strap.
