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IT SLOW! B y Da n B l a c k


daniel.black@jpress.co.uk @DanBlack84


Clitheroe's WBC International Silversuper middleweight champion Luke Blackledge believes that patience will be the virtue to help his career flourish.


After securing the third strap of his professional tenure, the 24-year-old looked back on a


hectic and relatively turbulent four-year spell that’s already accumulated 2i contests. In that time Blackledge has


International Masters super


aggression in the ring - a pres­ sure opponents struggled to shrug off. However, defeat to Rocky Fielding when chal­ lenging the Liverpudlian’s Commonwealth (British Em­ pire) crown forced a re-think. Blackledge switched to


Bolton where he joined up with former pro Alex Matvi­ enko at Elite Boxing and there’s been a change of dis­ cipline as a method has been added to the madness. After his latest triumph,


scooped the British Masters meabitinthefirstroundand light-heavyweight title, the


I nearly bit my tongue whenn r he caught me with an upper-


i ucm-i uu


!?moie.Welght belt and the cut but that switched me on. WBC fringe accolade that was


“I couldn’t take any risks


reward for overcoming Gha- because he was one of the naian behemoth Philip Kotey. biggest punchers I’ve ever


Blackledge was once re­ nowned for his unrelenting


fought. 1 just had to keep my defence tight and press him


Blackledge said: “1 stuck to thegameplan and it worked. He could punch. He wobbled


whenever I could. I boxed well by picking my shots


when themoment was right. “He was an awkward op­


ponent because he kept switching styles from south­ paw to orthodox. Whenev­ er he switched to southpaw though I caught him with a backhand. I landed some big shots.Iwas really happy with myperformancein theend.” Blackledge has options


on the horizon. Former trainer Kevin Maree has sent the invitation to appear at Stirk House next month and there’s already talk of a defence. For now, though, Blackledge is just glad to get back on course. “The belt is beautiful, he


said. “I’m absolutely over the moon with it. It’s the biggest title I’ve won and I’m buzz­ ing. I’m back on track now. This has helped my confi­ dence because I’m heading back in the right direction. “The next step now will


m ■ /Sit V


be to defend it. I'll be ranked in the WBC now so I want to keep climbing. There’s an­ other show in Blackburn on November 22nd so I’ll be looking to defend my title then. I’ll hopefully appear on Kevin Maree’s show at the Stirk House on October 12th then make the defence.”


* * w “ {)**» H »U U l l l l i i 4 .U © Luke Blackledge i v c


rushed my career a bit so I want to do things right now. I’m only 24 and I’ve already had 21 fights. There’s no need to rush because I’ve got time on my side. The defence o f ' this belt will take priority.”


\ £ • .


3 #


Samantha Murray shows off her gold medal fromtheModern Pentathlon World Championships


Samantha’s ominous warning to her rivals: ‘I can only get better!’


BI v P l l n t e y C h r is B o d e n


chris.faoden@jpress.co.uk ©bodenknights


Samantha Murray admits it is an “incredible feeling" to be crowned modern pentathlon world champion.


And the 24-year-old feels she can only improve after landing the title in Warsaw.


Jan Bartu, the Pentathlon


GB Performance Director, has said that most pentath-


-------------— . . . .*V* uigmo a s OUC


looks to add to her Olympic ways kept believing"in mv- - c o r a


concurs. 3 1


n 2012 Sf and *new U was a m a t t e r of time before it all came to-


Thmgshaven t been plain getherifl kept working hard aihngsincethatgloriousday


“I’ve worked so hard to gei


at Greenwich Park, which my shooting right, which has came on the back of a world paid off. 8


championship bronze earlier that summer in Rome.


But she beamed: “It has


just about sunk in, and I real­ ly appreciate how much of an achievement it is.


“To be called world cham­


pion is the best feeling, every­ one has been so happy for me. The team are delighted, and


my family and friends are very proud. “It’s just incredible, I re­


ally stepped up my game and now I’ve gone from an Olympic


“And there is still room for


improvement in my fencing. “But it ’s all about mind


games and whether you can keep your focus. “I’ve just focused on what


I’m doing and it has paid off.” That inner steel shone


through in Poland, and she added: “I showed I’m a strong athlete and still have a lot of potential. “My fencing could have


been better and 1 know I can improve on that, but it isabout being consistent now, about putting it all together and con­ tinuing this form into next year and beyond.” Samantha will now take a


well-earned break before re­ turning to action in February, in ayear where Olympic qual­ ifying opens in modern pen­ tathlon.


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