David Williams’s Welsh Boxing Blog – No. 2

YOU could forgive Tommy Karpency for feeling slightly overwhelmed when he enters the ring at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena on February 25.

The 26-year-old starts as a massive underdog against WBO world light-heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly.

And the scene will be set for a triumphant homecoming for the unbeaten Cefn Fforest star, who makes his first appearance in Wales for more than four years.

Not only will Cleverly, without a blot on his copybook in 23 fights, be widely expected to deal with Karpency well inside the distance but he is going to have a sell-out crowd behind him.

But the American, who hails from a coal mining family in the tiny town of Adah in Pennsylvania, is determined to go the distance if necessary.

Eyebrows were raised when Karpency’s name was confirmed as the Welshman’s third opponent as world champion – he’s only really known in the UK for taking Karo Murat 12 rounds four months before the Iraqi was beaten by Cleverly.

Trained and promoted by dad Paul, Karpency has only lost twice in 24 bouts with 14 of his victories coming by stoppage.

And even Cleverly has scotched suggestions that Karpency will be nothing more than a walkover.

He may be gearing up for a big summer show, with promoter Frank Warren in talks to hold his next fight at the Cardiff City Stadium, but Cleverly is focused on making February 25 a night to remember for the right reasons.

In fact, the whole of that weekend could be a corker for Cleverly. Before he takes to the ring he will watch Wales face England in the Six Nations and 24 hours later a trip down the M4 awaits the maths graduate for the Carling Cup final between his two favourite teams, Cardiff and Liverpool.

But he knows he must take care of his own business first and that means giving Karpency the respect he deserves.

“It would be disrespectful to underestimate any opponent in boxing, especially in a world championship fight,” he said. “It would be naïve and a recipe for disaster.

“Boxing writers and enthusiasts have written off Tommy Karpency but they are not the ones who have got to step into the ring.

“You’ve got to be on your game at this level and I’m on it for this fight. I’ve prepared for this just as I have for any other fight.

“I’ve got everything to lose and I know I can’t give it away because there are bigger prizes at the end of the line.

“Talk is cheap and anybody can sit back and disrespect my opponent, saying he’s not good enough to fight me.

“I’m 24 and working towards bigger fights but I can’t take my eyes off what’s in front of me.”

Going into his rival’s backyard, or fighting anywhere come to that, is a world away from where Karpency grew up.

The sell-out crowd of around 5,500 will be more than 50 times the size of the place he was born and bred, ironically in an area of the USA where Welsh immigrants settled in the late 17^th century.

All he is bothered about though is having the respect of the Cleverly camp.

“The public and so-called analysts have probably written me off but Nathan Cleverly and his camp haven’t and I’m prepared for this fight,” he said.

“Being written off doesn’t bother me and I’m confident I can beat any light-heavyweight in the world.

“I think it’s going to be a great fight. I’ve been training hard and I believe I’ll be ready to fight 12 rounds.

“It’s by far the biggest fight of my career.”