Alex Arthur vs Nicky Cook - 9/6/08 - Results Thread.

[TommyGunn]

Alex Arthur vs Nicky Cook - 9/6/08 - Sky Box Office

12 rounds, WBO Super Featherweight championship

MEN Arena, Manchester.

[the_godslayer]

Alex Arthur is taking Nicky Cook more seriously than any of his previous opponents as he prepares for his first fight since being installed as WBO super-featherweight champion.The 30-year-old Scot will make the first defence of his crown since being upgraded from 'interim' champion at Manchester's MEN Arena on September 6.
He won the title after the previous holder, Joan Guzman, decided to move up to the lightweight division in May.
Arthur believes Cook could prove his toughest opponent yet and has trained accordingly.
He said: "I don't know if I've quite prepared for a fight and taken things to the extreme that I kind of have for this particular fight."
The Arthur-Cook bout will top a bill that includes Amir Khan and Arthur, who is being trained by Wayne McCullough, is predicting a potential classic.
"I think you get fights like this abroad, with two Mexicans facing off against each other, or even two Americans," he said.
"I think it's got that kind of element: it's Scotland versus England.
"We both want it as much as each other and I think it could end up being a bit of a classic."
Cook added: "I wouldn't be taking the fight if I wasn't confident of winning.
"Whatever Alex can throw at me, I'm sure I'll be throwing back twice as much. I've just got all the tools there to match him.
"It's not going to be a walk in the park - it's going to be a great fight."
Arthur beat Koba Gogoladze in July last year to become interim champion and followed that up with a successful defence against Stephen Foster Jr in December.
The Edinburgh fighter rejected any suggestion he still needed to prove himself worthy of the belt.
Arthur said: "I definitely feel I earned the place [after] the fight with Koba Gogoladze.
"I got the horrible job of stepping in to fight him, so I feel that was my title victory.
"I beat a former Olympic medalist and a virtually unbeaten pro when I took him on.
"I still feel I won the title that night."
Both Arthur and Cook have suffered only one defeat in careers approaching 30 fights, with Cook's sole loss coming in his previous world title bid.
Last July's defeat by WBO featherweight champion Steven Luevano proved a painful lesson as Cook struggled to make the weight.
He said: "I'm grateful for a second chance at a world title.
"Obviously, I came unstuck during my first title fight due to weight problems.
"I can guarantee I'll be a lot stronger."

source - - - ARTHUR PREPARING FOR BIGGEST TEST | Sporting Life - Boxing News | Amir Khan, Manny Pacquiao, Ricky Hatton, Joe Calzaghe, Oscar De La Hoya

[TommyGunn]

Setanta cant be happy with this, they have Warren down on a contract yet his biggest card so far this year is going to Sky.

[the_godslayer]

Arthur - ready for Cook test.
ARTHUR ENJOYS INTENSE TRAINING


Alex Arthur is delighted with his preparations ahead of his WBO super-featherweight title clash against Nicky Cook next month.
The 30-year-old Scot has been sparring with two former opponents during what he claims is the most intensive training camp he's ever known as he bids to defend his crown on September 6 at the MEN Arena in Manchester.
Wayne McCullough has been overseeing proceedings and the former world champion has been watching Arthur spar with follow countrymen Willie Limond and Ricky Burns in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
"There were a few problems ahead of the Steve Foster fight, but I couldn't have asked for a better training camp this time round," said Arthur, who has also been doing rounds with future prospect Jason Hastie.
The former British, Commonwealth and European champion had to climb off the floor against Foster amid concerns he was struggling to make weight.
But he said he will comfortably do 9'4 this time around.
He said: "With three weeks to go I was just seven pounds over the limit, so there shouldn't be a problem.
"This is definitely the most intensive training camp I've ever had."
Meanwhile Cook has revealed his torment at trying to make the nine stone featherweight limit in previous fights.
Cook said: "I was getting down to super-featherweight without too much problem, but trying to shift those last four pounds was absolute hell.
"It was eating into my muscle and leaving me weak at the weight. It affected my performance against Steve Luevano when I lost for the first time, but I'll be much stronger at 9'4."
Cook has been sparring former European light-welterweight champion Colin Lynes.


source - - - http://www.sportinglife.com/boxing/n...al_091933.html

[the_godslayer]

Cook warns confident rival Arthur



Cook (left) feels Arthur might be struggling at the weight



Romford's Nicky Cook says Alex Arthur will pay for his over-confidence when the two meet in Manchester on Saturday.
Edinburgh's Arthur, 30, will make the first defence of his WBO super-featherweight crown at the MEN Arena.
"Arthur's been talking about fighting Joel Casamayor, Manny Pacquiao and whoever," Cook, 28, told BBC Sport.
"But Arthur's got to do his job on Saturday first. I'm 100% sure I'll be holding the belt above my head at the end of the night."
Cook's clash with Arthur is on the same bill as Amir Khan's match with Colombian Breidis Prescott. Arthur weighed in bang on the 130lb super-featherweight limit, Cook was half a pound under.
Cook is making his second world title tilt after last summer's unsuccessful bid to dethrone WBO featherweight champion Steve Luevano.







Cook was floored five times by the American en route to an 11th-round knockout, but the former British, European and Commonwealth featherweight champion says he will be a different proposition at the higher weight.
"I'm going to be a lot more solid and a lot stronger than I was at 9st," said Cook, who has been defeated only once in 28 fights.
"Super-feather is the weight I should have been at for my first world title fight, it makes so much difference.
"Before, making 9st was absolutely killing me and the weight was definitely the issue against Luevano. At world level you have to have the whole package - the strength, the stamina, the sharpness - and obviously I fell short in the strength department.
"[Arthur's camp] must realise that against Luevano I was being put down by body-shots because I was too weak at the weight. Let's see if Arthur can withstand my body punches when he's trying to boil down to 9st 4lb.









"Arthur keeps talking about fighting at lightweight, so I believe that's the division he believes he should be in. And if he's struggling [to make the super-featherweight limit], he will come a cropper on Saturday like I did against Luevano."
Cook is also unconcerned about being outmuscled and believes Arthur's unconvincing win over Stephen Foster Jr last December showed the Scot could be given problems by smaller men.
Cook said: "Foster gave Arthur nightmares, and Foster looked like a super-bantamweight up against a light-welter. Arthur put that performance down to not losing weight properly, but whether he did or he didn't, it was a terrible performance."
Arthur, whose only defeat in 26 fights came when he was knocked out by Michael Gomez in 2003, has been told by promoter Frank Warren that he could land a fight with Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera if he gets past Cook.
And trainer Wayne McCullough, who puts the Foster blip down to complacency, says his charge's training could not have gone any better.
"When you're number one in the world, the smaller fights don't mean anything so you're not going to do the proper training and eat the right food and do the right things," said McCullough, a former bantamweight world champion.
"When you become world champion, they're like a bunch of hungry wolves trying to get your belt. So you've got to train even harder. Alex knows that and he's prepared that way." Also on the bill at the MEN Arena, former Olympic gold medallist Audley Harrison takes on Brazilian George Arias.


source - -- BBC SPORT | Boxing | Cook warns confident rival Arthur

[TommyGunn]

Nicky Cook wins via 12 round UD.