Whatever you think about Joseph Laws, one thing you can never accuse him of is being boring.
Whether it’s his do-or-die approach in the ring or his flamboyant attire at press conferences or whether he is flirting outrageoesly with Natasha Jonas on social media, it’s never dull where Joe Laws is.
So, how good is it to see Newcastle’s ‘Benwell Bomber’ back on the big stage again on Saturday night when he fights Michael Hennessy Jnr on the BOXXER event at London’s York Hall live on Sky Sports.
Two of the nicest fellas you could wish to meet in boxing clash over eight rounds in the iconic EastEnd venue, where Mikael Lawal and Isaac Chamberlain colide in a London derby for the British and Commonwealth cruiserweight titles.
That headliner should be a cracker as should Hennessy v Laws – when do you see Joe in a boring contest?
For the 29-year-old Geordie this is an opportunity he could scarcely have believed would come his way.
But he is, as they say, bang up for it.
“I’m not a boxer, I’m a fighter,” declared Joe, who enters the ring with a 13-2 record, with five of his wins by stoppage.
“I’m getting stuck clean in.
“I wear my heart on my sleeve and I’m getting the win.
“Nobody thinks I’m going to win, most of my friends don’t think I’m going to win, but I do.
“When I knock him out, that propels me to big fights.
“Of course, I’m the underdog – I’ve been eating cheesecake and drinking cocktails.
“If you want to drink champagne, you’ve got to take chances, and that’s why I’ve taken this shot.”
The inactivity of Laws will not help – he has not boxed since last December though Hennessy has hardly been busy himself, with a July points success over Artjom Spater his only outing in 2023.
“When we sparred,” Michael told Joe at Thursday’s media conference, “your head was like a magnet for my hands.
“I’m sending you out of pro boxing, you’re going to Misfits.”
It was an amusing line, but as we saw last December at the Utilita Arena, Laws might take some shifting.
On that night, the ‘Bomber’ was probably just one clean Alexander Zeledon head shot away from being stopped in the first-round after the Nicaraguan had launched a furious assault.
Digging in with tremendous resilience, Laws stayed upright and boxed his way back into the contest for a 39-37 victory from judge Ron Kearney.
He is conceding form and height to Hennessy but what Laws has is heart and he’ll need that, and the skill he showed in Newcastle last December.
One thing for sure, it’s going to be worth watching.
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Lawrence Lustig/ BOXXER
