Arthur relaxed ahead of must-win showdown

Published on Thursday 18 June 2009 10:34

WHEN Alex Arthur steps up to the scales in Glasgow later today at the weigh-in for his comeback fight against Mohamed Benbiou, he'll know it's make-or-break time in his career.

Arthur is under no illusions about what he faces and has been told by his manager Frank Warren to put in an explosive performance tomorrow night at Bellahouston or risk throwing away the chance of a route back into the world ranks.

Benbiou has twice challenged for the French super-featherweight crown and lost, his most recent defeat coming in April in Loriet, France, when he succumbed to a technical knockout to defending champion Karim Chakim. So both boxers have their reputations to enhance having stepped up to the lightweight ranks.

However, Arthur's record is far more impressive then his opponent's and he is expected to defeat the Frenchman and return to winning form after losing his WBO super-featherweight crown to Nicky Cook back in September.

And Arthur is under no illusions about the task ahead having been promised a chance to fight African WBA lightweight champion Paulus Moses and Yuri Romanov, the leading contender for the IBF lightweight title.

However, if Arthur has nerves, he remains determined not to show any.

"This gives me a clearer idea of where I can go after another warm-up fight in July," he said. "But it also makes it compulsory that I produce a very impressive performance against Benbiou.

"I can't recall when I was last so relaxed about a weigh-in now I've stepped up to lightweight."

Arthur's team have been working hard on getting their fighter into pristine condition with particular focus on re-tooling their man with one of his best-known punches.

Arthur's coach and cornerman Terry McCormack revealed: "In Alex's last two fights, against Howard Foster and Nicky Cook, his major ring weapon – that destructive left hook to the body – has been missing and it cost him for neither Foster or Cook would have been able to live with that punch that Arthur used to destroy all his stoppage opponents.

"So I've been working with Alex on getting him to throw the old left body hook Sunday punch with his old destructive venom.

"But not only that, I've added a left hook to the head follow-up routine which, if he can carry it off, will be devastating.

"Make no mistake we've been told clearly by Alex's manager and promoter, Frank Warren, that he expects Alex to make a major statement in the ring by stopping Benbiou impressively inside the distance.

"Alex is a brilliant technical boxer but grinding out a points win isn't what I expect against the Frenchman."

Warren's spokesman, Richard Maynard, said: "Frank has told Alex that he must produce a spectacular win to make a statement that will resound around the boxing world that he is back with a bang in world terms at lightweight. Frank definitely means to get Arthur a world lightweight title shot in the not too distant future so Arthur must make his case for this unanswerable, by impressively beating Benbiou."

If Arthur, as expected, does post a victory and goes on to face either Moses or Romanov, he will be meeting up with another old adversary in promoter Phillipe Fondu. The Belgian has had a long association with Arthur and has provided many of the Edinburgh fighter's opponents, including Sergey Gulyakevich and Boris Sinitsin, two challengers to Arthur's European crown.

And Arthur joked: "It became a standard post-fight thing, almost a joke, that Phillipe would vow that his next fighter to box me would definitely beat me, but they never did. However, Fondu and I have become friends."