By Lee Collier
 
Craig Watson is looking at taking a change of direction in a career that he is in the process of rebuilding.  Back in May 2008, Watson defended his Commonwealth Welterweight title and, in what was probably his best performance to date, defeated Matthew Hatton on points on the Ricky Hatton homecoming bill at the City of Manchester stadium.  Since that date Matthew Hatton has won 4 fights in a row and in a couple of weeks time the younger brother of Ricky Hatton will fight Lovemore N’Dou for the IBO Welterweight World Title.
 
Watson, on the other hand, lost his next fight, against John O’Donnell, and his Commonwealth title.  With the lack of TV deals for UK promoters, Watson has left Hayemaker promotions and is now looking to rebuild his career with Hatton Promotions, only this time he is looking to take the light welterweight division by storm.

“I’m going to try and make the light welterweight limit, I want Lenny Daws [British Champion], I would walk right through him,” declared Watson.  “I am too strong, too slick, I think he is a one trick pony and I’d do the business on him.  After my next fight I am looking at a British Title Eliminator, then I want Daws and once I defeat him the world’s my oyster.”

Watson spoke about what he feels is the key for him at 140lbs.  “I am super strong at Welterweight so I will be even stronger when I am Light Welter, there will not be many boxers who can take my power in the Light Welter division,” he confided.

Craig Watson famously sent current WBA Light Welterweight champion Amir Khan to the canvas in an amateur fight, which Khan went on to win.  Watson is realistic in his chances of getting a fight with a fighter he almost beat in the amateur code.

“I’d love to fight Khan, but he’s at World Title level already and is looking at big names in the United States.  If he beats Salita I see him fighting Erik Morales or Alex Arthur next, and I don’t believe I am a big enough name to get a Khan fight,” continued Watson.

“I’d jump at the chance if I got offered the fight.  He’s a strong kid but I am stronger and he wouldn’t be able to keep me off him.  I’d keep pushing him until he was blowing and ran out of steam.”

The Manchester fighter still has options at welterweight if he decides the drop in weight is not the best option.  One fight that still upsets Watson is his defeat to John O’Donnell; he would love to get a rematch.

“I won that fight,” blasted Watson.  “I won all the early rounds and the late rounds - I just slacked in the middle of the fight.  I hurt him at times and he knows it.  How can one judge give the fight to me by three rounds, yet the other judges give the fight to O’Donnell.  The only reason he won was because the fight was in his backyard.

“I’d not boxed in a year and was rusty, if I had been busier in the lead up the result would have been different.  I will live and learn from that and come back stronger.  If I get to fight O’Donnell again I will destroy him.  I am going to keep busy from now on, get a bit of fluency in my boxing.  I don’t think there are many boxers at 140 or 147 who can beat me.”

Before Watson starts his attempt to conquer the light welterweight division, he is scheduled to fight Riad Menasria (28-1-1) over six rounds on the 27th of November in Wigan.  It will be Watson’s second fight since the O’Donnell loss, the other being a six-round shutout of Nottingham’s Matt Scriven back in August of this year.