Alex Arthur To Fight Nigel Wright On Khan Bill

[Bugsy McAlpine]

By JIM BLACK


ALEX Arthur is set for a comeback on the undercard of Amir Khan's WBA light-welterweight title defence against Dmitriy Salita at Newcastle's Metro Arena on 5 December.

The 31-year-old Edinburgh boxer is moving up to light- welterweight for an eight-round contest against British and Commonwealth title challenger Nigel Wright from County Durham.

Arthur has fought only once since losing his WBO crown to Nicky Cook

15 months ago, but his bout with Mohamed Benbiou at Bellahouston Leisure Centre, Glasgow in June lasted just 94 seconds after he had the French-Algerian down three times.

Arthur is keen to pursue a career at lightweight, but he has agreed to fight at light-welterweight after being diagnosed with a blood disorder during a recent medical examination.

Arthur, who has since recovered from the condition, explained: "The doctors told me not to diet if I fought again this year so the extra five pounds at light-welter suits me as that is my natural weight. But this is a one-off. I intend fighting at lightweight in future and I am currently ranked No3 in the WBO's list of title contenders behind Antonio DeMarco and Jorge Barrios.

"Wright has fought at a decent level but he is a southpaw and I have knocked out every one of those I have fought so I am confident of producing an impressive performance. I have been sparring with Gary McMillan ahead of his Scottish welterweight title fight with Gary Young this weekend so I have current experience of how to deal with a southpaw. The fact is I need to be active because it is far from ideal having lengthy gaps between fights at this stage of my career."

Arthur has, in fact, fought only twice in two years since out-pointing Steve Foster at Meadowbank in December 2007.

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[nulty]

Interesting. I got a feeling Alex is in for a bad night.

[LHL]

I think Wright will take this Arthur is moving up a bit fast isn't he

[BigEars]

This is a very stupid move imo, Arthur will have a very tough nights work on his hands here and I like the posters above me fancy Wright for the upset.

[Bugsy McAlpine]

Making Super-Featherweight was killing Arthur, and i feel that's why he performed so badly against Foster and Cook. Wright is a good fighter but he will lose to Alex, probably on points.:good

[Dunky McCafferty]

I think Wright will take this Arthur is moving up a bit fast isn't he

Quite the opposite in fact LHL, I think the only thing that has held |Arthur back was him refusing to move up years ago.
The more weight Arthur puts on the better IMO!

[Dunky McCafferty]

Making Super-Featherweight was killing Arthur, and i feel that's why he performed so badly against Foster and Cook. Wright is a good fighter but he will lose to Alex, probably on points.:good

If Arthur can stop Wright inside the distance, hes gonna make one helluva statement bugs:deal

[G.A.V.]

Right so we've got Arthur fighting Wright, Jennings fighting Brook, Mitchell fighting Prescott (I think) and Khan fighting Salita plus the Olympians and I DON'T have fucking tickets to this?

Goddamnit.

nvm, Jennings got a hand injury. ffs.

[leforge]

Is this bill on tv its not been mentioned anywhere yet?

[brown bomber]

Good fight. Arthur on points.

[alba]

Fucking he'll folk criticize when he disnae fire,and folkcriticise him when he does folk need to get a grip.

[bennie]

Edinburgh’s former WBO super-featherweight champion Alex Arthur takes a gamble when he debuts at light-welterweight against canny Crook southpaw Nigel Wright in an eight-rounder on the big Khan-Salita bill in Newcastle on December 5.
Arthur has been pretty much off the radar since dropping his WBO crown to Dagenham’s Nicky Cook on an upset decision 14 months ago but said he was dead at the weight that night and jumps up two divisions (shades of Duran) to face Durham man Wright, a two-time British light-welterweight title challenger with good boxing skills and a solid chin.
This is a risky fight for “Amazing” Alex, but Wright has been found wanting in championship class, although he gave it a good go against Nigerian bogeyman Ajose Olusegun for the Comonwealth title last time out in June, whereas the tall Scot, who will not look small at 10 stone, lifted British, Commonwealth and European titles in his old division, along with that world title with a 10-round stoppage of Philly-based Georgian Koba Gogoladze – a lean, awkward southpaw like Wright.
Arthur goes in with the obvious edge.

[Mazallan]

I really like this fight. Arthur vs Wright should be very good. Wright never gives anyone an easy fight and even with Arthurs class I would expect the fight to be close.

Well done ******.

[Lee Mc]

Arthur will have a tough night but I think that he might just have a little bit too much and will edge a close decision.

[robpalmer135]

Arthur to be Khans next oppoent???

[LHL]

Quite the opposite in fact LHL, I think the only thing that has held |Arthur back was him refusing to move up years ago.
The more weight Arthur puts on the better IMO!

I thought he looked good at lightweight although it wasn't the best of fighters he was in with. He stayed at Super feather way to long as you said. Wright is a bit past a measuring stick at light welter at brit level. Good luck to him anyway hopefully you are right :good

[BoroBoxing1]

I think there could be a upset on the cards with this one, Credit to Arthur for taking this fight its a big risk.

[bennie]

Right so we've got Arthur fighting Wright, Jennings fighting Brook, Mitchell fighting Prescott (I think) and Khan fighting Salita plus the Olympians and I DON'T have fucking tickets to this?

Goddamnit.

nvm, Jennings got a hand injury. ffs.


Unbeaten Dagenham star Kevin Mitchell takes part in an enticing 12-rounder with Colombian crusher Breidis Prescott as the chief support to Amir Khan’s defence of his WBA light-welterweight title against Dmitry Salita in Newcastle on December 5.
Mitchell takes on the man who beat the man: Khan, of course. A glorious amateur and unbeaten in 18 pro fights, Khan was crushed in under a minute by the tall Barranquilla threat, who came out and simply walked through Khan on his own Lancashire turf in Manchester last September, dropping the Bolton boy twice and hurting him with everything he landed - even a jab.
Fortunes have reversed since that unbelievbable night, with Prescott proving hard to match (understandably) and struggling for sharpness when he did get a couple of fights. He was actually outscored by Mexico’s Miguel Vazquez on a 10-round split decision in his last outing in the States, where Prescott is based, losing his unbeaten record into the bargain; Khan (naturally) went on to much greater things under new trainer Freddie Roach.
Now 21-1 [18], Prescott’s knockout ratio speaks for itself but he looks beatable if one can drag him past the early danger stages. The 26-year-old visitor has won 16 of his fights inside three rounds and struggled to outscore Cuba’s Richard Abril over 10 rounds just prior to smashing Khan, who really did fight a stupid fight against such an obvious puncher, rushing out at the first bell and immediately into Prescott’s whipping hooks and uppercuts (and that jab).
Khan picked himself up and started all over again.
Mitchell will not be so hasty to mix it with Prescott, although he looks to have a better chin than Khan’s. The former British and Commonwealth super-featherweight champion took on another rangy and dangerous Colombian, Walter Estrada, last year in Atlantic City and soaked up Estrada’s biggest punches in the early rounds before overwhelming him in the fifth. He then took time out to have a hand repaired and came back at lightweight earlier this year, where he has won two out of two, both by stoppage.
Mitchell, 29-0 (22), can also whack but possesses a great jab and plenty of grit and fire, and has also been training under Roach. The move up from super-featherweight to face the long-armed Prescott is a risky one but Mitchell, 25, has been threatening to explode on to the world scene for a couple of years and this gives him the opportunity in one of those cracking “don’t blink” affairs.

[Top Dog]

Khan may have to pull out of the fight! He will see Prescott again and have flashbacks of being fecked in under a minute:D Hopefully anyway:lol:

[digregorio1.]

no real surprises but Sky Sports News just announced this bill will be on Sky Box Office

[bennie]

Khan may have to pull out of the fight! He will see Prescott again and have flashbacks of being fecked in under a minute:D Hopefully anyway:lol:

In a perfect world Khan should be fighting Prescott but boxing is boxing - horribly flawed.