Neil Fannan believes Tommy Ward is even better than ever and that means it could be a mission impossible for Alvaro Rodriguez in Houghton.
Great Britain and Spain’s super-bantamweight champions meet at the Rainton Meadows Arena on Friday night for the vacant IBF European belt.
Either man, therefore, could be just two wins away from fighting for the International Boxing Federation’s world title.
However, Fannan’s confidence in his unbeaten 24-year-old star is at its highest on the eve of this critical clash.
“Tommy is going to take some beating, by anyone,” said the Hartlepool trainer.
“He’s been impressing me for years, but what I will say is that then he was a boy, now he’s a man.
“Every time I tell him to step it up, he steps it up effortlessly.
“Tommy’s had two British title wins in the last year and a bit but you can tell now he is a different cup of tea to what he was then.
“I’ve never been a trainer to shout loudly about my men and say they are going to do this and that.
“But with Tommy I have high hopes.”
It does not mean that Fannan, Ward and manager, Dave Garside, are taking Rodriguez at all lightly.
The 32-year-old, from Madrid, is a strong, seasoned professional and a winner.
Rodriguez, who has just one career defeat, is in a rich vein of form, having beaten David Sanchez to win the Spanish title in Madrid last year.
He outpointed Luis Felipe Castro in his first defence in the same Casino Grand venue and retained his belt in a draw with the undefeated Sebastian Perez. It was a close affair with one judge giving him victory by four points and the other two officials having them locked at 95-95, so the boxer known as ‘Ardi’ knows his way around tight fights.
Ward and Rodriguez come face to face on Thursday afternoon at the Rainton Meadows Arena for the weigh-in (2.30pm).
There Nisan undercard full of North-East boxers, Chad Ellis, Jordan Ellison, Anth Hardy, Tom Hill, Joe Laws and Mohammed Waqas and Terence Wilkinson.
For ticket info, contact Phil on 07747611020.
Words: Roy Kelly
