Levan Kirakosyan is a world-class fighter but Stephen Foster Jnr does have a chance, says Jim Watt.
Kirakosyan the favourite, but Foster Jnr has the skills to shock him
Sometimes in Britain I think we are guilty of over-estimating visiting boxers, but in Levan Kirakosyan I don't think you can doubt the size of the task facing Stephen Foster Jnr.
Kirakosyan has already come here a few times and proved how good he is. He looked tremendous against Carl Johanneson, far too good against Scott Lawton and even way back in 2004, showed us how good little Michael Gomez was.
I think it is widely accepted that Stephen will be the underdog here. People will say Kirakosyan is 36, but he's not what I would call an old 36 and he is still winning fights that matter. And you would have to say this is a world-class fighter we are talking about. He is ranked third by the WBC, fifth by the IBF and fourth by the WBO, which tells its own story.
Ok, he may not have made an impact on the world stage or in America, but that can all depend on your promoter, what clout you have behind you; far lesser fighters than this guy have got themselves a crack at a world title, for those reasons alone.
With all due respect plenty of people wondered how Ricky Burns got his shot at Roman Martinez, but he worked his way in to a mandatory challenge - and thank God he did!
Burns is a case in point here though, because Foster only has to look at what he achieved not so long ago to realise he does have a chance. As I said at the start, it is a British trait to play down our own capabilities but I have to say Stephen Foster Jnr is a decent little fighter.
We know he's tough; he proved that against Alex Arthur when he had him on the deck and hurt him several times and he is probably a much better all-rounder than either Johanneson or Lawton, who Kirakosyan dealt with so impressively.
Precise
Johanneson was flying when they met but the trouble was they had similar styles and he tried to be aggressive and tee off on him - and there are not many who can do that and come out on top.
Foster can mix it up, though. He can box very well, pick the pace up, drop it again and although he will never be rated as a puncher, he does have a decent enough dig to remind Kirakosyan he cannot do as he pleases all the time. He does have lovely timing with his punches and he is precise, he can usually find the point of the chin, much the same way Nathan Cleverly used to before he started knocking people out.
The champion is on a roll so will come looking for a quick knockout I'm sure, but Stephen will still have to look to win some of those early rounds - or at the very least, stay with his man.
You cannot go into a title fight planning to pick up the pace in the second half of the fight and you cannot let someone of Kirakosyan's calibre get into the driving seat early on, do that and it will be very hard to get him out of it.
Also people have been telling me he might be tight at the weight, but I am not convinced. This guy has been a super-featherweight throughout his career and I know from my experience, I found it easier to make lightweight at 31 than I did at 21!
Plus, Stephen has only boxed four six-rounders since that defeat to Arthur in 2007 which is not ideal preparation for a title fight. It has been a frustrating time for him, but rather that than a man going through the motions, fighting for the money. If your heart's not in boxing, you shouldn't be in boxing - and I don't think we can ever criticise Stephen Foster Jnr's heart.
But at the end of the day we know - and I think he knows - he is the underdog, in for a really tough fight. I would expect Kirakosyan to win this later or on points, but you have to give Foster a great chance because he can box and he can punch enough to let the champion know he might be in for a hard night of his own.
