Scouse Duo Aiming for Prizefighter Glory
The new domestic boxing season is now two weeks old but the first local involvement occurs this Thursday evening when Liverpool pair, Nick Quigley and Steve Harkin, take part in Prizefighter's latest instalment which is being held at light-middleweight and will take place at Bethnal Green's York Hall. Both young fighters are still in the prospect stage of their respective careers but each believes they have the right formula to emerge from the capital with the coveted Prizefighter trophy.
"This tournament is definitely one that I feel that I can have a lot of success in," buzzed a confident Quigley. "I go forward quite a lot and I'm always aiming to be the aggressor but that doesn't mean that I'm not a good boxer. I've been working on a little more technical stuff in the gym so if the time comes when I need to adjust, I'll be able to make the change quickly. I've got a similar style to some previous winners and I've got the stamina to last all night so I just want to get in there now."
Equally determined is the Stockbridge Village based boxer. "Preparations for Prizefighter have been a little different than usual but I'm feeling fresh," buzzed Harkin. "The sparring has been a little more fast-paced and we've been doing a lot more rounds than usual against a different range of guys but that's exactly what it's going to be like on the night. With no draw this time around, you really do have to be prepared for anything."
With the privileged Prizefighter platform providing gloried opportunities for a number of our region's fighters, both Quigley and Harkin know that success in the shortened format of their sport can provide a lot more riches than the £32k prize that goes to the winner. Both share the same title aspirations that have greeted many a Prizefighter winner before them.
"Obviously, it's got to be some kind of title shot that is my motivation for winning this," revealed Harkin. "I'm in this sport to win titles and winning Prizefighter is a good way to get recognised and to get your name into the title mix. I'm only used to four and six rounders but I know I'm more than capable of stepping up a level. Hopefully Prizefighter will give me the chance to do that."
Like Harkin, Quigley is also using the popular tournament as an ideal path to fast-track himself to the prestigious heights of championship class. With elder brother, Tony, a former Lonsdale titlist and younger sibling, John, being tipped for great things, Nick is extremely optimistic that he can play a significant part in his family's success story.
"Like every boxer, I want to be fighting for titles against good names," declared the unbeaten Kirkby prospect. "Winning Prizefighter has done so much for other fighters and there's no reason why I can't be doing the same. I firmly believe that I'm going to go in there and come away with the trophy because everything has just gone so well. If that happens then I'll be sitting down with my dad and the rest of my team and deciding what the next step is but for now I've got to think about Thursday."
Prizefighter: The Light-Middleweights can be seen live on Sky Sports 1 from 8pm on Thursday September 15th
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