McCullough tips Arthur for bigger things

Published on Wednesday 3 September 2008 09:44

ALEX ARTHUR will beat Nicky Cook in Saturday's WBO super-featherweight title clash in Manchester – then go on to mix it with the best lightweights in the world.

That's the verdict of Arthur's ring coach Wayne McCullough, who believes Capital champion Arthur will soon be facing the likes of Cuban ace Joel Casamayor and Mexico's Juan Manuel Marquez.

McCullough, the former WBC bantamweight world champion, said: "This is the first actual defence Alex is making of his WBO title and he is very strong at the weight. Not only am I confident that Arthur will beat Cook but it is only a matter of time before he moves up to lightweight where I believe he will mix on equal terms in the company of the top boxers of that division.

"When Alex beats Cook, the credit won't just be down to my input to the fight but also my late coach, the legendary American Eddie Futch, who worked with guys like former world heavyweight champion, Joe Frazier, so successfully.

"Futch's philosophy was 'encourage and maximise your boxer's strengths' and I've been doing that with Arthur.

"I've pushed Alex really hard and he is fired up because he knows that this is his world title on the line for the very first time."

Arthur scorned claims attributed to him that he would break the stoppage-time record established by the very first Scottish world champion to fight for a world crown in Manchester – Glasgow flyweight, Benny Lynch, who stopped English opponent Jackie Brown in two rounds in September 1935, while knocking the Englishman down eight times. Said Arthur: "I deny that I claimed that I'd stop Cook in two rounds – although if the chance arose I'd be delighted to take it. But I've trained for a 12-round fight and I'm not making any predictions other than I will win."

Meanwhile, Sportsnetwork promoter Frank Warren's spokesman, Richard Maynard, rejected claims that the Arthur-Cook world title fight would be overshadowed by the appearance of Bolton lightweight Amir Khan on the Manchester bill undercard, He said: "There is no question that given the tremendous fight that Arthur versus Cook promises to be that this will be the main event on Saturday at the MEN Arena."