Cornish excited about fresh start in Paisley
GLASGOW-BASED heavyweight Gary Cornish is hoping to get off to a flyer in Paisley on Saturday night ahead of his crack at the British title this year.
Cornish, who fought world champion Anthony Joshua in London in 2015, will take to the ring for the first time since joining forces with top boxing coach Billy Nelson and management team MTK Scotland. His opponent on the Impetus card at Paisley’s Lagoon Leisure Centre is the Georgian fighter Revaz Karelishvili who has won seven of his eight victories via knock-out.
Cornish believes he has taken giant steps forward since choosing to relocate to Glasgow from his Inverness base at the end of last year and hopes to notch up a win ahead of his proposed matchup with Sam Sexton for the British heavyweight belt.
He told Times Sport: “It’s all going very well. I’m working with world-class trainers, a new management team and am able to devote myself fully to boxing.
“My weight has dropped from 19st 7lbs to 17st 12lbs and that’s all down to hard work and good training. I’m feeling a lot fitter and I’m excited about getting back in the ring which wasn’t always the case in the past.”
Cornish is looking forward to returning to Paisley, a venue he has fought in twice before. Karelishvili will pose a tough challenge over six rounds but the 29-year-old is not fazed by what lies ahead.
“The Lagoon in Paisley is a brilliant venue the way it’s set out with the seats in the top tier,” he said. “It looks like it’s going to be a brilliant show.
“Revaz has got a few knockouts on his record but what heavyweight isn’t dangerous? I treat every fighter the same and respect anyone that steps inside the ring. It will be good to start a new journey with MTK and Billy as well. This is a new chapter and hopefully there are big things ahead.”
Cornish has no regrets about his first-round knockout to Joshua, the only loss on his impressive 23-1 record.
He revealed: “Losing didn’t set me back in any way – he’s a terrific fighter and a world champion – and it was a good learning curve for me with the venue, the media and walking out into that big crowd.
“Everyone dreams of fighting at occasions like that and hopefully that’s something I can try to get back to one day.”