By Terence Dooley

Ryan Rhodes comes home live on Sky Sports Friday night when defending his EBU light-middleweight title against Luca Messi of Bergamo, Italy at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge Arena,.  Rhodes won the 154lb belt by stopping Salford’s Jamie Moore in seven rounds last October.  Uncertainty over his promotional situation was put to bed when signing with Ricky Hatton earlier this year; ‘The Spice Boy’ now hopes to move onto a world title fight, though the division is currently mired in uncertainty after Sergio Martinez’s win over Kelly Pavlik up at middleweight.

“I really enjoyed the Jamie Moore fight,” stated Rhodes when speaking to Sky Sport’s Adam Smith.  “But I've been out of the ring too long now.  Frustrating things behind the scenes.  I want a world title shot.  We'll wait to see what weight Sergio Martinez stays at.

“WBC number one Julio Cesar Chavez jnr is now at middleweight.  Number two is Antonio Margarito.  That astounds me - he should have been banned for life.  Then there was the Paul Williams-Kermit Cintron farce.  I'm right up there.  Number four with the WBC and IBF.  And three in the Ring Magazine.  I've never been in their ratings in my life!  I must be one or two fights away from a world title shot.”

He continued: “I am treating this as though it's my last contest.  I haven't seen much of Messi, but what I have seen - he comes forward and fights like he can really punch…I'm looking at him as dangerous.  I must be 100%.  I can't look past Messi.  I used to look past opponents - everyone said I was just like Naz [Naseem Hamed].”

Rhodes is in the form of his life after moving down to light-middle, he’s punching harder than ever and showed real grit and determination in the win over Moore; Rhodes was quick to credit trainer Dave Coldwell when speaking about his recent resurgence.

“My trainer Dave Coldwell,” said Rhodes when acknowledging those who had faith in him during leaner times.  “He always knew my potential.  Dave and my conditioner Mark Willey were at Brendan's all those years ago.  I still talk to Johnny [Nelson], Naz, Kevin Adamson, Clifton [Mitchell], and am good mates with Kell Brook - who I watched growing up in Wincobank.”

The ‘Bergamo Bomber’, 36-7-1 (12), intends to ruin the Ryan Rhodes story, tonight’s contest is made still the more interesting by Rhodes’ seven month lay-off, though the 33-year-old showed in the Moore fight that he is too experienced to go let things slide at this point in his career.  Luca, 35, has swept to six straight wins since a 2006 TKO loss to Michele Piccirillo yet the opposition has left a lot to be desired.

Rhodes, 43-4 (29 early) holds wins over the likes of Moore and Vincent Vuma in recent times, he goes into this one knowing that he is on the cusp of world honours; there will be no slip up from ‘Old’ Spice as he bids to become Ricky Hatton’s first promotional world titleist.

Sky Sports 1 and HD1 televise the Hatton-promoted show from 10pm tomorrow night.

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