Adam Cope is looking forward to another night on the big stage in Newcastle on Saturday when he faces Brayan Mairena.
The 26-year-old is a member of the supporting cast any the Utilita Arena, where Hartlepool boxing neighbour Tommy Ward and Newcastle’s Lewis Ritson take part in WBA world championship final eliminators.
While Ward and Ritson are getting near the sport’s ultimate prize, Cope is climbing the ladder, having won the Northern Area lightweight title with an impressive victory over Jordan Ellison at the Stadium of Light.
There is no silverware on the line on Tyneside but a contest with Mairena is a good six-round fight for the Poolie who is unbeaten after six straight victories.
While his 26-year-old opponent, one of an army of Nicaraguan fighters plying their trade out of Spain, has ‘gone on the road’ to pile up some Euros, he is not your average journeyman.
Far from it. Mairena is not a hombre to be taken lightly despite a record of 12-33-1.
Just ask Londoner, Frank ‘The Tank’ Arnold, whose unbeaten record was demolished by the Central American, who stopped him in four rounds at York Hall in September.
His right hand proved a danger that night and he was at it in his adopted homeland when he stopped another winning fighter, Alvaro Rodrigues, in Madrid.
“It’s a good fight for me,” he told punch-lines.
“He’s a tough, come-forward fighter who can punch a bit and has knocked a few out.
“The fact he comes for a fight will suit me.
“I’m looking for a good six-round performance and not get hit with anything daft.
“He likes a big right hand so I’m going to have to box well.
“Sometimes against fighters that you are expected to beat and have with these sort of records the opponent can just try to survive, but with him I’m expecting a bit coming back.”
Mairena is a former opponent of Ward and even took a round off the WBA number one featherweight when the pair met in Brentwood in the summer of 2019.
That night Brayan began and finished with ambition but rounds two to seven were Ward’s, using his speed, angles and deadly-accuracy to score with both hands to the head and body.
Cope is no dummy himself when it comes to boxing ability and the Andrew Close-trained boxer will be looking to impose himself in the Utilita Arena.
A magnificent seventh win, he hopes, will move him into or towards an English Championship contest.
“I’m hoping there might be an English title fight next,” said the Phil Jeffries-managed boxer.
“It’s not that easy because it has to be passed off by the Board first.
“I’d love to go straight into a title fight or an eliminator, either is all right with me. I just don’t want to be stuck still.
“But before I can really think about anything like that I need to win this by boxing well and not going daft.”
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Tom Collins
