By Terence Dooley

London’s Sam Webb has lit the blue torch paper ahead of his British title showdown with Anthony Small at Goresbrook Leisure Centre, Essex on March the 26th.  Webb, who boxes out of the Isle of dogs, intends to drag Small into a dog fight before reliving the brash Deptford-based boxer of his hard-won titles.

“I don't like him and I've said that to him.  We've got a history of not getting on.  He'll be mouthing off for weeks before the fight.  If there were world titles for talking he'd be a multiple winner,” declared the 28-year-old when speaking to wharf.co.uk.

“You've got to be able to back it up and he can't.  Guys like Naseem Hamed and Nigel Benn could talk, but they had the ability to back it up.  They did the business and so will I on March 26.  I've fought Small twice before, when we were amateurs about four or five years ago.  I beat him then and I'll do it again.  We've both improved since, but we'll see who has improved more,” stated the 15-1 (4) fighter.

Small fulfilled his potential when destroying Matthew Hall last July to annex the British and Commonwealth titles.  However, a tepid snoozefest against Thomas McDonagh in November saw Small’s reputation as an entertainer take a damaging hit.  Anthony needs to impress against Webb, who has been working with Ryan Rhodes in the build up to this one.

“I'm confident,” Webb said.  “I've been waiting for this opportunity since I was 11 and now it's arrived and I'm really looking forward to it.  I'm loving the preparation.  I've been working hard, and the harder it gets the more I'm loving it.  I always felt I had another level and now I'm finding it.  I'll stop doing the hard sessions a week before the fight.  Then it'll be a week of padwork, skipping and sharpening to make sure I'm right at my peak for fight night.”

Webb won the right to fight for the British title by decisioning McDonagh over ten rounds in May of last year; Thomas, however, was selected as a voluntary defence by Small, leaving Webb waiting in the wings; now, though, Sam is ready and the fighter intends to weave a web of woe around Small.

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