Fryers gets fourth pro victory and reveals truth behind Campbell scrap

Photograph: boxrec.com

Fresh from his fourth professional victory Belfast lightweight James Fryers lifted the lid on a possible fight with Olympic star Luke Campbell. Fryers was mooted to be fighting the Hull boxer but it never came to fruition. Speaking to members of the press shortly after a four-round points win over Alec Bazza, Fryers lifted the lid on his side of the story.

“I think it was on the first Froch-Groves bill that I got offered a fight against Luke Campbell. Even though I was inactive I jumped on it because a win there would get me back into the mix,” enthused Fryers.

“Unfortunately something happened and it was called off. It came back on again and they were looking an eight-rounder, instead of a four, so they were doubling up the rounds. There was no point in me taking the risk and jumping up to eight rounds because I’m still a young fighter. At the time I was thinking that win, lose or draw it would still be a good fight for me but now I don’t think there’s any point in getting the loss on my record.

Under the terms of Campbell’s management team James was required to drop from 66 kilos to 60 kilos in four days. Given the fact that he would be boxing on away soil with the odds stacked against him, the team sat down and decided that it was too much of a gamble and said no.

Meanwhile, Fryers’ opponent at the Devenish venue, Alec Bazza, is a tough nut who survived two heavy knockdowns to hear the final bell. In March, 21-year-old ‘Fryersy’ went in against Michael Mooney, an exercise that helped to shed any remaining ring rust.

“Mooney was a tough guy, like Alec, but a bit scrappier. I’ve been getting hard sparring with Martin Lindsay and James Tennyson so that has also helped get the rust out of me. I’d seen Alec fight before and I knew that he was a very tough and durable guy for the whole fight. In the first round I touched for a lucky right hand but I almost got caught up with the crowd and went looking to finish it.”

The plan wasn’t to get a knockout but to use his superior skills and coast away from danger, tucking a valuable four rounds under his belt.

“I want to grow confidence in my boxing. It’s easy to touch that finishing punch but giving someone a boxing lesson is about class. Fair play to Alec, he took a few heavy shots in there and he got up and fought on,” said Fryers.