By Ian S Palmer
The British Lightweight Championship is on the line this Saturday, May 10 when Martin Gethin of Walsall defends the crown against challenger Derry Mathews of Liverpool. Mathews will have the hometown advantage since the fight’s taking place at the Liverpool Olympia. It can be seen in Britain on BoxNation. Gethin is trying to rebound from a loss in his last outing when he was beaten by Ammeth Diaz of Panama in an IBF world title eliminator. Mathews had an eardrum perforated in the fifth round and was stopped in the seventh.
Both boxers are at the crossroads and can’t really afford another loss and that’s what makes it an intriguing bout. Mathews was also beaten in his last fight against Stephen Ormond when he dropped a 10-round unanimous decision in December. He knows he’s not going to climb the rankings without a win on Saturday. The 30-year-old will be entering the ring with a record of 34-9-2 with 19Kos. He’s got decent power at the best, but his weak spot is definitely his chin as he’s been stopped a total of seven times during his career. He’s lost one out of his last six fights and that was to Ormond.
The 30-yer-old Gethin is 24-4-1 with 11 Kos this name. He’s not really a hard hitter and has been stopped twice. He hasn’t really faced the same quality of opponents as Mathews either and will give up a couple of inches in height to the challenger. Mathews is a former British and two-time Commonwealth titleholder and wants his championship belt back.
Gethin is quite bust in the ring and just keeps coming while Mathews often lands heavy shots to stop his opponents in their tracks. Mathews knows this is his last chance at glory and said he’ll probably retire if he doesn’t beat Gethin. When a boxer talks about hanging up the gloves it’s often a sign that he’s not really as motivated as he should be. Mathews has a fitness centre in his hometown if things don’t work out on Saturday.
Mathews has been training in Spain for this fight and feels he’s in the best condition of his career. He says he’ll have to be since Gethin has a very high work rate. He’s been studying tapes of the champion’s fights and stopped Gethin’s brother Stephen earlier in his career. The challenger believes Gethin may have revenge on his mind once the bell rings and knows the champ won’t take a backwards step all night.
Mathews also has extra motivation since he’ll be awarded with a Lonsdale belt if he wins the title and promised it to his son. He said, “If I have to get up off the floor to win it, no problem. I’ve done it before.”
Prediction
Mathews has more power, better experience and will have the Liverpool fans behind him. However, his chin has let him down several times before and there’s always the chance it’s going to happen again. Gethin isn’t the hardest puncher around, but he’s fast and the accumulation of blows could cause damage. If Mathews has one good fight left in him and his chin holds out look for him to take the title by decision or late stoppage.
