Jamie Moore, Ryan Rhodes Eye a Sergio Martinez Shot
By Terence Dooley
Both Ryan Rhodes and Jamie Moore have a WBC world title shot within their sights but only one man will progress to a bout with Sergio Martinez. Rhodes and Moore clash at the Bolton Arena on October the 23rd with Moore’s EBU title on the line. There is also the small matter of a possible WBC rankings boost for the winner of the fight, who should find himself within touching distance of a long-overdue WBC title shot.
Jamie Moore has told The Bolton News that he is aiming to destroy Rhodes and continue his own march onto the world scene off the back of a big domestic win.
“I can’t wait to get into the ring and do a number on Rhodes. Then hopefully we can arrange a world title fight in Bolton, which would be a dream come true,” said Moore.
“The Arena is the perfect venue as it is only six miles from where I live and close for my fans. We hope to sell 3,000 for the Rhodes fight but it can go up to 7,000 if we land a world title chance. My fans always turn out in numbers and give me great support. I was in the corner on the two occasions that Amir Khan fought at the Arena and it was a fantastic atmosphere.”
Rhodes angered Moore’s team earlier this week when failing to show for a scheduled press conference. Sources close to Ryan claim that the presser had been moved forward without prior notification and that Ryan’s co-manager, Frank Warren, was unable to attend as a consequence of this switch.
Steve Woods, who manages Moore, blasted Ryan and his team claiming that, “They’ve known about the new date. To get a phone call last night to say that his co-manager Frank Warren couldn’t come was a disappointment. I’m just hoping that he [Rhodes] is going to show up on the night.”
Moore, though, is just looking forward to the fight itself and he believes that a solid win will earn him the right to challenge for the WBC light-middleweight belt.
“People have been saying for the last two or three years that I have deserved a world title shot and I have done it the hard way,” claimed Moore.
“I have worked my way into the position of number two in the ratings. After this one they should make me the mandatory challenger. It is basically the semi-final to the final. It will be discussed a couple of weeks after the fight, so after I have done a number on Ryan Rhodes in an impressive way, they should have no option but to make me the mandatory contender.”
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