By Ian S Palmer
There’s another big Battle of Britain this weekend as Terry Flanagan of Manchester attempts to defend his WBO World Lightweight Championship against Derry Mathews of Liverpool at the Echo Arena in Liverpool on Saturday, March 12th. The unbeaten Flanagan enters the ring with a perfect record of 29-0 along with 12 Ko. The 26-year-old won the vacant crown after Zepeda was injured in their title fight last July and defended it against Diego Magdaleno with a second-round stoppage. The win over Zepeda meant Flanagan became the first world lightweight champion to hail from England. The 32-year-old Mathews carries a record of 38-9-2 along with 20 Kos. Boxing fans in the UK can see all of the action live on BoxNation.
This will likely be Mathews last shot at a world title and he aims to give it everything he’s got. The bout was originally scheduled for February, but Flanagan suffered from tendonitis in his foot and it was postponed for four weeks. The two boxers are familiar with each other since they met back in 2012 on the Prizefighter TV show. Flanagan won a three-round decision on points and also dropped Mathews to the canvas in the second round. Both boxers have experience as well as boxing skills and good punching power.
Flanagan is a slick-boxing southpaw who has a fine jab and usually prefers to dictate the pace of his fights. He turned pro back in 2009 and has boxed 134 rounds since then with a knockout ratio of 41 per cent. The champions stands just over 5-feet-9-inches tall and has an unlisted reach. His biggest wins have come over the likes of Gary Sykes, Nate Campbell, Zepeda and Magdaleno. Flanagan hasn’t really taken on any big-name elite boxers as of yet as most of his fights have been against domestic and European opponents. However, he did step up to the plate against Zepeda and Magdaleno.
Mathews is an inch shorter than the champion and has a reach of 68 inches. He’s fought 276 rounds since turning pro in 2003 and also has a knockout ratio of 41 per cent. His chin is very questionable though as he’s been stopped seven times in his nine losses. His biggest wins have been against Tony Luis, Curtis Woodhouse, Tommy Coyle and Anthony Crolla. He also has a draw against current WBA Lightweight titleholder Crolla and Gavin Rees. He’s beaten some decent fighters up to now, but his chin as been his Achilles heel even though he hasn’t been stopped since January of 2012.
Prediction
It looks like the younger Flanagan will be the favourite here, but he’ll be making a big mistake if he takes Mathews too lightly. The challenger will be highly-motivated and has a puncher’s chance. Flanagan is a former British champion who used to box as a super featherweight and has a fine future ahead of him if he can get past Mathews, who is a former two-time British champ. This should be an entertaining fight for the fans with Flanagan retaining his title via a close decision or second-half stoppage.
