Croydon fighter Craig Richards ready and confident for British light-heavyweight title shot

BY MATT VERRI

Craig Richards is confident he will be at his best when he finally meets Shakan Pitters in the ring tomorrow night.

The fight, for the British light-heavyweight title, has been pushed back on multiple occasions, most recently from a November 14th date after Pitters withdrew with an injury.

But the Croydon fighter (15-1-1) is in high spirits as he looks to finish the year in style on the last boxing card in Britain in 2020.

“I’ve been waiting for this fight for ages now so I’m excited and can’t wait to get in the ring,” Richards said.

“This is the best I’ve felt, and I’m ready to put everything we’ve been working on in the gym on show on fight night.

“It’s been a very difficult year. I’ve just had to try and stay focused, and believe there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”

When he enters the ring on Friday night it will be a day short of a year since his last fight, but Richards has no concerns that ring rust will be a factor.

“I’m not worried at all,” he insisted. “During the amateurs, the times when I had long periods out of the ring were followed by some of my best performances.

“I’ve seen great fighters in the past at the highest level have 12 or 18 months out and then come back looking their sharpest.

“I believe if you’re good, you’re good. I’ve prepared for 12 rounds, but I don’t believe it will go that long.”

Richards was in negotiations for a world title shot in February, against Dominic Boesel in Germany, before the coronavirus pandemic brought things to a halt.

A viral infection further unsettled the 30-year-old’s plans, but his trainer Peter Sims believes that some good has come out of what has been a disruptive year.

“The lockdown has probably been the best thing to happen to Craig,” Sims said.

“He’s grown into a full-blown light heavyweight. He was still on the border when he fought Andre Sterling and Jake Ball, but he’s really grown into the weight now.

“It was a bit of a disruption with Pitters pulling out. I took Craig out of the gym for a couple of weeks – he was ready to go, and would have peaked too soon otherwise.

“He doesn’t like Pitters, he’s got a proper resentment towards him – this is the best I’ve seen Craig.”

Pitters goes into Friday’s fight with an unbeaten record (14-0), though he has stopped his opponent just four times.

He possesses a style that Sims feels his fighter is well-placed to overcome.

“We know what Pitters brings to the table – he’s tall, he’s awkward, he doesn’t want to commit and he doesn’t want to get involved in a fight,” Sims said.

“It’s a fight we never even looked at to be quite honest. When Craig beat Sterling in a final eliminator for the British, we were looking at other names in that bracket.

“It was only when Pitters got elevated to the British title position, which we thought was strange, that his name came up.

“I’ve watched every video of him. I’ve seen him get dropped by a journeyman, he got shocked by Spelman at times, and he got hurt by Sugden in the first round.

“I don’t think he’s going to be able to take Craig’s power – when he gets hit he’s going to be in for a shock. I can’t see this fight going the distance.”

As is the norm with fights cards taking place under coronavirus restrictions, Richards and his team will enter the bubble this week, along with all those involved in the show.

They won’t be able to leave the hotel until they make their way to the venue on Friday night, but Sims believes that won’t be an issue for such a close-knit team.

“It’s not going to bother us – if anything it will give us more time to go over the fight plan,” he said.

“Craig’s been living with me for a couple of weeks anyway – we always stay very close.

“The most important thing is the relationship you have with your fighters, that’s the foundation for every good fighter.

“The families don’t get enough credit either, with everything they go through. If training doesn’t go well and we have the hump, they’re walking around on eggshells.

“My partner has been unbelievable, and so have Craig’s family, and that’s been so important in our preparation.”

Watch Pitters v Richards live and free on Channel 5 this Friday at 10pm

 

PICTURES: HENNESSY SPORTS