Boxer aiming to be one of the county’s greats...

HINCKLEY’S Musa Moyo is planning to be the county’s next great middleweight.

City fight fans got behind Tony Sibson and Chris Pyatt on unforgettable fight nights in the 1980s and 1990s.

Sibson won the Lonsdale belt outright and twice challenged for world middleweight honours, while Pyatt was crowned WBO world champion in front of his home crowd at the Granby

Halls in May, 1993.

Moyo is convinced he will follow in their footsteps.

He has his fourth professional fight at Solihill Ice Rink on Saturday, July 2 – and the 26 year old plans to send out a warning to the rest of the middleweight division.

“I want people talking about me the same way they talk about Tony Sibson and Chris Pyatt,” said Moyo, who grew up in Beaumont Leys after leaving Zimbabwe as a boy and now lives in Hinckley.

“I guarantee, if I get a shot at the British title next year, the Lonsdale belt is coming back to the county. I want people to get behind me. I want people to get excited about me.

“I sparred (current British middleweight champion) Denzel Bentley and for someone who’s only had seven amateurs and three pro fights I did well.

“I didn’t become a boxer to make up the numbers.

“I do this because I want to change my life and become a world champion.”

However far he goes, Musa is guaranteed to be fun to watch.

“If I want to entertain the fans I can out on a show for them,” he said, “but if I want to, I can be nasty and put people to sleep.

“I have the power to knock people out, but sometimes I just want to have fun.”

Moyo may struggle to knock out his next opponent.

Elvis Dube is a hard-asnails veteran of 111 fights who has boxed up at light heavyweight, but Moyo would rather be a fighter than a footballer.

He had trials for Leicester

City after catching the eye of scouts while he was playing for Beaumont Town.

“I played on the right wing or midfield,” he said, “and I didn’t make the grade.

“But I didn’t really put everything into it. My boxing was picking up at the time and I knew that was how I was going to change my life.

“I’m not hoping boxing will change my life. I know it will.”

Tyler Rivers makes his pro debut in Solihull and in the top of the bill fight, Joe Ducker challenges Ish Ellis for the Midlands lightweight title.