By Lee Collier

Scott Quigg faced the highly experienced former European titleist Yuri Voronin in Wigan last Friday night.  For Quigg, 22, it was a step up in class as he was facing a fighter ranked fifth in the European Rankings.  Whilst Voronin is 36 years of age, the Ukrainian took Nicky Cook the full distance in a 12 round fight back in 2006 and, more recently, took current European featherweight champion, Oleg Yefimovych, the full 12 rounds.

Quigg, who only had around a dozen amateur fights before turning professional, increased his record to 16-0 (10 early) with an impressive sixth round stoppage win over Voronin.  The result left Quigg impressed.

“The fight went better than I expected.  I thought I was in for a very tough night.  It would have been a tough night if I hadn’t have prepared for a tough fight.  I knew I had trained well and that I could put a performance in like that,” declared Quigg.

In the early rounds, Voronin came forward, but the Bury youngster picked off his more experienced opponent with ease.

“I knew he was going to come forward because I look like a little kid.  He would have looked at me at the weigh in and thought, ‘He’s just a young kid - I’ve been there before’.  He’s been in with supposedly better people than me so I knew he was going to come out fast and the key was to block and counter and then move so he couldn’t catch me.  And that’s what I did,” beamed Quigg.

Quigg felt the stoppage from the referee came at the right time.  “I think the stoppage was good, he probably would have wanted to carry on because he is a tough opponent,” explained Quigg.  “It’s your pride that keeps you going and sometime you’re too brave to quit.  I think the ref was right to stop it as I would have finished it within one more round.”

There has been talk that a win would make Quigg the mandatory for the Rendall Munroe’s European belt, yet the youngster realises he needs to keep his feet firmly on the ground.

“It proves I can make it to the next level, but I have a long way to go yet.  I have a lot to learn and need to keep my feet on the ground.  He was ranked number five in Europe so it proves I can step up to the next level.  I enjoyed the fight,” stated Scott.

Quigg’s esteemed mentor, Brian Hughes MBE, 69, whilst impressed, feels there is quite a way to go before Quigg is ready to challenge for titles.  “I am happy he was won but there are a few things he didn’t do that we need to work on.  These were things we practiced before the fight,” quipped Hughes. 

“All in all over six rounds, and boxing a man like that, he was brilliant.  But he has to do better - he needs to think better than he did do in there.  He didn’t take any shots as you can see there are no marks on him, but I didn’t like when he was crouching down letting the fella throw shots to his body.”
 
Hughes, who has been in the game for many years and trained many top fighters, went onto explain what he was looking for in Scott.  “What we are looking for with Scott is perfection,” declared Hughes.

“You never get perfection in life but that’s what you have to aim for so you don’t get hurt.  If you make them think all the time it stops fighters getting hurt.  He wanted to go and have a go at him but I told him he didn’t want to go and have a punch up with this fella.”

Hughes, who started in boxing when there was one champion in each weight division, believes that Quigg is one of the best fighters he has had, and reminds him of fighters from his early days in the sport.

“Seriously I have been in boxing for nearly 50 years and have been involved with eight world champions, countless British, Commonwealth and European champions, and potentially Scott is one of the best I have ever trained and one of the most loyal kids I have ever had.  He listens to everything and studies boxing like an old timer, he is a throwback to the old time boxers from many years ago,” claimed Hughes.

He continued: “I was going to retire but because of young Scott and another couple of kids I am staying on.  I’m almost in my 70’s now and it’s very hard ducking through them ropes but when you get young kids like this is makes it all worthwhile.”

Whilst there is a lot of talk about British and European title fights, Hughes is in no rush to push Quigg to these fights, he wants Quigg to build up by having more tough fights like the Voronin one.

“He will be ready for title when I see the changes made in what we are working for.  I don’t want to put a time frame on it - I don’t want to rush him like other kids are rushed.  When I think he is ready I will take the blinkers off him,” promised Hughes.

“He needs a few more fights like tonight, against guys who are rough and tough, he needed to be careful how he dealt with him tonight.  He is not like all of these kids who have been to the Olympic Games, he has more credibility has he learned it all in the gym with seasoned guys.”