Boxer Liam Conroy guns for third professional title

Conroy takes on Steve Cooper for the Northern Area Light Heavyweight belt at the Park Hall Hotel near Chorley on Saturday, hoping to keep his winning run going after landing both the British Challenge and WBC World Youth Silver light heavyweight crowns in 2016.

The Barrow ABC product hasn't been in the ring since beating Frenchman Baptiste Castegnaro on points last September, but is more than happy with his preparations under Preston-based trainer Johnney Roye and the MTK Manchester team.

"It feels like I've been training for ages and I feel ready," said Conroy, who is due for a very busy month, with him facing Tomi Tatham at Manchester Arena on Saturday March 25, on the undercard of the huge Anthony Crolla Jorge Linares II World Lightweight title showdown.

"I've stayed in the gym since my last fight and I don't think there will be any ring-rust there."

Conroy's preparations fir the ten-rounder have included plenty of sparring since an injury to his eye healed up, plus a week-long warm-weather training camp in Marbella with the MTK Manchester team.

"I got loads of round in in Marbella and was training twice a day out there. It was brilliant," he said.

"I've had a lot of time preparing for ten-round fights even though I've never had one yet. I've got loads of ten-round spars under my belt and I've had a couple of title fights now and boxed on big shows so I think all that experience is going to help me on Saturday.

"It feels like it is the perfect time for it. I can't wait. I wasn't really happy with my performance in September (against Castegnaro) so I'm looking forward to putting in a good performance."

With Conroy's last fight having taken place in the cavernous Manchester Arena on the undercard of the first Crolla Linares battle, returning to the more humble surroundings of a hotel will provide a different environment for the boxer and his Furness following.

"I don't know what the atmosphere will be like because I haven't boxed at a diner show since I was amateur, but we'll definitely be enough there supporting me to make a good amount of noise," he said.

Conroy goes into the fight with a record of eleven wins, a draw and three defeats from his 15 pro fights, while his 30-year-old Darlington opponent has won four and lost two of his six bouts.

Conroy is happy to leave the fine-tuning of his fight strategy to his trainer, saying: "I had a quick look on You Tube at a couple of his recent fights but I tend to let Johnney look because if I looked at it for too long it would do my head in. It's going to be a similar game-plan to what I normally have which I feel can work against most styles."

Conroy had been due to fight both Cooper and Tatham last year but they pulled out for medical reasons, and now he is facing them both in the space of a month, and he is relishing the challenge.

"I feel like it is just the right amount of time between them," said the 24-year-old BAE Systems mechanical engineer.

"Any longer and I'd be tempted to ease back on my training and go and eat and put a bit of weight on. Three weeks is just enough time for me to have a few days' rest and then get straight back training and in the groove.

"The Tatham fight is massive, but obviously I've got to get Saturday won first. I don't want to look past this fight so I've just been prioritizing this fight, even though it's hard because I'm dead excited about that one as well."

Conroy is grateful for the contributions of Matt Green of Dalton-based Cumbria Strength and Conditioning and Diane Singleton of Barrow's DS Fitness Centre in helping with his preparations.

* Promising Furness Catholic Amateur Boxing Club youngster Evan Jones bids to become a north west champion tomorrow when he fights in the North West Junior Cadet Championships in Manchester.

Team Ryan representative Paul Ryan said of the 13-year-old: "He's a really hard worker in the gym and takes everything in his stride, and has repeatedly boxed national champions both home and away in tough contests."