Catterall sure of title defence

JACK Catterall is set to return to the ring at the Manchester Arena on April 8 when he defends his WBO inter-continental super lightweight title against Martin Gethin.

Manchester-trained Catterall will be competing on the undercard of Terry Flanagan’s world title fight with Petr Petrov.

He is glad to be back in action, and is expecting a difficult battle against experienced former British lightweight champion Gethin. “Martin had a good win last time out which will have given him a lot of momentum heading into our fight,” said Catterall.

“He’s been a good domestic fighter over the years and has some decent wins to his name. I know he’ll be up for this fight and I’ve got the bit between my teeth, so I’m well up for it too!

“I never overlook any opponents and I’m going to train the hardest and the smartest that I can so that on April 8 he’ll just be another notch on my belt. Watching Martin and how he’s been fighting of late I can see that he’s a come forward fighter who likes to try and break his opponents down with relentless pressure.

“His style is perfect for me, I’ll be able to find chinks in his armour and if he keeps coming at me it’s only going to get more painful for him.”

A number of other high-profile boxers are in action on the bill, including Liam Smith, Liam Williams, Nicola Adams, Jimmy Kelly, Zelfa Barrett, Mark Heffron and Jordan Thompson.