COACH Pete Taylor says Tyrone McKenna could have "an easy night" if he sticks to the gameplan in tomorrow night's Golden Contract light-welterweight final against Ohara Davies.
That's a big 'IF' of course because McKenna has a long-standing beef with Londoner Davies and the stage is set for a long-awaited war between the pair of them. However, going toe-to-toe and letting his hands go will be playing into Davies' hands, says Taylor.
"McKenna is looking great, we've had a great camp and he's looking really, really good," said Dubliner Taylor.
"I'm looking forward to the fight and, if he follows instructions, it can be an easy night for him. Tyrone likes to get stuck in and that's his nature.
"You can't take that away from him either and you have to let him unleash that a little bit at some stage but it's picking the right time to do that. That's the most important thing."
The two losses on Davies' 21-2 record have come against quality opposition in Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall (the only man to beat 21-1-1 McKenna). Sixteen of the Londoner's 21 wins have come early but experienced coach Taylor says his punching power is over-rated.
"He is a good puncher but I think his power might be a little bit over-rated," he said.
"He has been knocking out journeymen but once Tyrone uses his attributes - his height and his southpaw stance and starts moving away from his right hand I don't think he'll have much trouble.
"Ohara Davies' legs are fairly slow and, all-round, Tyrone is a much better boxer... if he boxes!"
Davies came through his semi-final in February against Jeff Ofori before McKenna got a disputed decision against Mohamed Mimoune. Davies is the odds-on favourite with the bookies tomorrow night with 'Mighty Celt' McKenna a 3/1 outsider.
"I don't know how they make that out," said Taylor.
"They've fought equal calibre of boxers and I think it's going to be an exciting fight either way. At some stage Tyrone will stand and fight and he has prepared great, this is the best I've seen him in camp.
"I don't think he suffers from nerves, he's just that kind of a person, he's so relaxed. Before a fight, he's just standing talking away to everyone, you'd think he was heading out for a meal! If the nerves get to anyone it'll be Ohara Davies."
Meanwhile, Taylor says he would like to see Derry's Tyrone McCullagh return to action against Ionut Baluta, the man who scored a shock win over David Oliver Joyce on Saturday night.
"That would be a good fight for Tyrone to get back in," he said.
"I'm sure his management will get the right fight for him and he'll be out before Christmas."
STEVEN Ward admits it took him a week to get over the disappointment of his loss to Ricards Bolotniks in December. The only surprise is that it didn't take him longer.
Ward's WBO European title and his number 11 ranking were on the line in the Golden Contract light-heavyweight quarter-final when Bolotniks ripped up the pre-fight script with a perfectly-timed left hook midway through round one.
Ward tried desperately to recover but an uppercut sent him to the canvas again and the towel came in from his corner as he went down for the third time with 40 seconds of the opener remaining.
It was a devastating defeat, the first loss of his career for the affable Belfast man who returns to action at cruiserweight against Gateshead-based, Fiji-born Jone Volau in Wakefield tomorrow night.
"I just got caught," says Ward of the Bolotniks experience.
"It's the name of the game. I feel completely different now, I feel stronger and healthier because I'm not killing myself as much with the weight.
"I didn't really dwell on getting stopped too much, it wasn't as if I was thinking: 'Ah that's the end of my career'. It was what it was.
"It took me a week to get over it, I was gutted for a few days. I had a few pints and felt sorry for myself. We had a plan to move up in weight but when the Golden Contract (offer) came along it was too good to say 'no' to."
That was his last fight at light-heavy and it was a disappointing way to end that chapter of his career but Ward is looking forward, not back.
"I met with my nutritionist and strength and conditioning coach and we put a plan into place to move up to cruiserweight and that was it, I just got over it," he said.
Having fought previously at 12st 7lb, he'll fight tomorrow night at 14st 8lb and says: "It's mad to think of the difference.
"I am literally fighting just over two stone heavier than what I was fighting at originally. So it will be a good test to get in and see how my body is at the weight and how I perform. I feel like I'm going to perform very well."
His preparation tomorrow night has been unusual. During lockdown, with no fights on the horizon, he contacted a sponsor to ask if he could find him some work. 'The Quiet Man' was soon labouring on a building site.
"There was no boxing and everything dried up and I'm not the type of guy to sit about the house," he said.
"I messaged Parr Group and said 'Could you get me a turn on the sites?' and he got me out and I was out working, doing a bit of grafting, a bit of real work for once and enjoyed it. It was good in a way and it made me realise how lucky I am to do what I do."
His 37-year-old opponent Valau (5-5) is physically imposing but he has lost his last four, the last three by stoppage, and hasn't fought since May last year. He'll be durable but Jamie Moore-trained Ward should get the Bolotniks loss out of his system without any major problems tomorrow night.
"I don't know too much about him but the team have watched him," he said.
"He'll come to win which will be good for me - it'll show me how I am sitting at the weight - but I'm confident that I can beat him."
