It's just business in this Midlands title fight
Fight night's Midlands middleweight title contenders are promising to bring will and skill in equal measure to the ring tomorrow evening.
Hometown hero Ryan Aston and champion Craig Cunningham will go toe-to-toe in a 10-rounder at Dudley Town Hall,
The two headline promoter Paul 'PJ' Rowson's 'Resurgence' bill, in Aston's third shot at an area title and Cunningham's first defence.
The Black Country fighter has flattered to deceive as a professional so far, failing to pick up a bona-fide belt in three attempts, including a tilt at the IBF International title.
The 25-year-old southpaw still possesses the natural gifts to be a major threat, though, and will have a boisterous near sell-out crowd on his side.
Defeat is not an option for 'Tank' who, even at a relatively young age, dare not contemplate the consequences to his career should his challenge go awry again.
There was no trash talk between the two at yesterday's weigh in, at the Castle Hall Casino in Dudley near to the fight venue. This is just business.
Aston, who tipped the scales at 11st 5lb 4oz, said: "I'm feeling good. I'm strong and fit, as I always am, and I'm ready to roll.
"People who come to boxing want to see a proper fight and I think they are going to get that here. We don't need to hype it up, it's pretty much sold itself.
"He knows what I'm going to do, try to outbox him and then we'll see what happens. I'm in no rush, I'm in it for the long haul.
"But he's got to bring his belt into my backyard and get away with it. I won't feel the pressure, I've boxed on the big stage before.
"I was on the (David) Haye under-card (Haye versus Wladimir Klitschko, 2011 in Germany) in front of tens of thousands of fans and that was only my second pro bout.
"I've had some bad results, I've been robbed before, so this is about me getting the result I deserve, which is me winning. I'll take this chance with both hands. The old 'Tank' is back.
"This time, it's going to be different. I think middleweight is more natural for me and where I've always boxed at my best. Maybe the mistake I made was dropping down."
Brummie Cunningham, who lives in Oldbury, should also be at the peak of his fitness after undergoing two training camps.
He was training for a title defence against Mike Byles that was called off when his opponent got injured, with the Aston fight made some weeks later.
A brief break was needed for the 28-year-old, also a left hander, in the middle to avoid burn-out and he should climb through the ropes at his peak.
Cunningham has 14 wins out of 15, his only defeat in a three-round Prizefighter affair to Tom Doran. It's compared to Aston's 18 victories from 23, with three losses and two draws.
Just two TKOs to his challenger's eight makes Aston, on paper, the more likely to get the stoppage, but the titlist insists he hits harder than you think.
His most eye-catching display of power saw him become the only man to remove Gilson de Jesus - who has been the distance with Aston - after just 58 seconds in 2013.
Cunningham, who came in at 11st 5lb 8oz, said: "I spent a bit of time out of the gym and then picked up where I left off. I've trained very hard.
"I just want to get in there and get the job done now. It doesn't matter that we are both southpaws, no two boxers fight the same way, even left-handers.
"I've never been given easy opponents, ever since I turned pro, that's why my knockout ratio is so low. There's very few opponents I can remember who weren't durable.
"I'll just get my head down and keep chipping away at Ryan. I'll be clever about it but, ultimately, I'm here to keep my title.
"Any time Ryan has been stopped, it's looked to me like it's because he's got into a war. I'll be keen to take him into the trenches again.
"We are both boxers, but I think that would suit me better than him. I think he'll be going for the knockout - and that's when he could leave himself wide open."
A small number of tickets have become available and will be on the door tomorrow night. For more information, call the promoter on 07976 283 157.
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