Arthur waiting for word to take off to Las Vegas

Published on Friday 28 March 2008 09:36

WBO interim super-featherweight champion Alex Arthur is awaiting a phone call from Wayne McCullough, who has promised special sparring sessions in Las Vegas ahead of the Capital boxer's title showdown with champion proper Joan Guzman at Meadowbank on May 3.

Arthur confirmed that he has been in contact with the former WBC super-bantamweight champion and said: "I had originally planned to go to Limassol in Cyprus before I faced Guzman, but I've been in contact with Wayne who is now trying to arrange for me to spend three weeks training with him in Las Vegas.

"The advantages of this are that Wayne and I think that there are quite a few boxers in Vegas gyms who can emulate Guzman's style.

"In addition, the last time I trained with Wayne he had me doing altitude training at 12,000 feet in the Red Rock mountains above Vegas and this made me razor sharp.

"I intend to be as sharp as I can when I clash with Guzman because, let's face it, this fight will be my chance to signal to the world that Alex Arthur is a world-class champion fighter."

Arthur also claimed that Dominican ace Guzman was making the same mistake that American Olympic lightweight gold medallist Howard Davis made in 1980 when he breezed into Glasgow and insultingly asked who Jim Watt was. Said Arthur: "I think Guzman thinks I'm some hick from the sticks just as Davis thought that he was going to cake walk it against Jim Watt, who defeated him.

"That doesn't mean I'm taking Guzman lightly, I've said it before and I'll say it again he will be my toughest-ever opponent.

"However, Edinburgh fans can play a crucial role at Meadowbank by turning out in droves and shouting me on as that will help motivate me.

"I also think that Guzman will be taken aback because he will never have experienced the kind of partisan Scottish crowd that I will have cheering me on to victory.

"However, I'm still hoping to link up with Wayne again in Vegas so I'll be staying close to my phone in the next couple of days waiting for the word. If I do go, I will also be taking my strength and conditioning coach John Watson with me."