In today's


MORE tO SEE £1.10 ISSN 1355-3658


K COMMONWEALTH c KING LUKE’S FIGHTINGTALK page 85


BLUES LOSE OUT INFATROPHYTIE ATSHAWBRIDGE page86


BLYTHE MEETS THE BROWNLEE


BROTHERS page 87


Bisping could inflict capital punishment


Clitheroe’s Michael Bisping could finally be setto fight on English shores after injury forced him to with- drawfromUFC193.


It’s been five years since the Count beat Yoshihiro Akiyama via a unanimous decision in London at UFC 120 but he could now be set to make a long awaited re­ turn to the country’s capi­ tal.


The36-year-oldwasdue


B y Da n B l a c k Daniel.black®jpress.co.uk Twitter @DanBlack84


Alex Matvienko hasgiven Com­ monwealth champion Luke Blackledge a glowing report . ahead of his highly anticipated


q titledefenceliveonBoxNation. The Elite Boxing coach, who


X *. brought an end to his own ca­ reer five-and-a-half years ago, has taken his 25-year-old stu­ dent back to school in his latest training camp and administered a comprehensive education in


the sport. The ‘One Man Riot’, who re­


tired as a British Masters belt holder at I54lbs, has had a team of tutors working on Blackledge ahead of his scrap against Lee Markham at the Manchester ArenaonSaturday.wherehefea- tures on the undercard of WBO World titlefightsinvolvingTerry Flanagan and Liam Smith. CoachesCarlUsherandSean


Fogg have been instrumental in the process alongside nutri­


tionist Sam Bradbury, strength coachScottMitchell,condition­ ing coach Tom McNeill, physio Joe Lloyd and staff at Cryo Ele­ ments in Blackburn.


The group have combined


to leave no stone unturned in their bid to help the super-mid­ dleweight fighter retain a title once owned by the likesof Carl Froch,JamesDeGaleandGeorge


Groves. “The camp has been bril-.


Bant,” said Matvienko. “As soon asthefightwasconfirmedLuke’s


attitude completely changed. He’s starting to believe and we


are seeing some significant dif- ferencesnow. He’sdefinitely ma­ turing. He’s listening more and he’s adapted his lifestyle. . “It’s all coming together. He’s


starting to get a really good box­


ing brain. He knows how to set trapsnow.he’sgettingmore stra­


tegic and he’s planning. He’s not the kamikaze fighter that he oncewas. “He can fight on the front


foot or on the back foot, he knows when to rest and when to


stop off. He’s becoming a more rounded fighter.” He added: “Boxing is a game


of chess now. It’s about hitting and riot getting hit back. We want Luke to keep his aggres­ sion but we want him to control it and be clever with it. He has improved ridiculously. “IfLuke can stick to the game


plan that we’ve set for him then even more people will start to takenotice.He’sgotaprestigious title, he’s going to go down in his­ tory, but he’s not finished yet. “He’sbeenaprofessionalath-


lete for several years, but he’s only recently impleihented that mentality outside the gym too. “He’s only going to get better


and stronger now. His mindset has changed and he knows what he wants. He’s a confident fight- ernowandwiththatyoucanrun through walls." Anybody wanting tickets for


the fight can contact Luke on 07718948682.


to face Robert Whittaker in a middleweight tilt next month at the Etihad Sta­ dium in Melbourne, Aus­ tralia. However, the number


eight ranked fighter is set to undergo elbow surgery. The main event of UFC


' 193 sees Ronda Rousey de­ fending her UFC women’s bantamweight title against


Holly Holm. That could pave the way


for a marquee bout on the UFC’s London card, which will take place at the 02 on Saturday, February 27th. Tickets for the 2016


event, which could also feature Brad Pickett, will be released to the public on Friday, December 4th.


P 3 Computers: Sales & Repairs - Home and Business Tel: 01282 424041


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45