Andrew Facey tells skysports.com why Homecoming could lead to a new title tilt.
Facey still confident of getting another British title tilt
Win, lose or draw, you can be certain that Andrew Facey will have a smile on his face this Saturday night.
The 36-year-old takes on Thomas McDonagh on The Homecoming undercard in Manchester for the English light-middleweight title.
For the Wolverhampton-born boxer the fight can't come soon enough, not for the reason that he'll be fighting in front of a bumper crowd at Eastlands but because he's just grateful to be in action at all.
Nicknamed Smiley for his happy demeanour, the lanky Facey has been ducked throughout his career because of his awkward style and stoic defence.
He has had chances to become British champion, twice falling short when challenging Jamie Moore, the most recent of which saw him stopped in the 11th round.
Now he could put himself in line for a third tilt at the title with a win over McDonagh, a local favourite in Manchester who has lost just once in 34 fights.
Fantastic
"I'm looking forward to it," he told
skysports.com. "(Ricky) Hatton has now made his name in the US, so this is a fantastic bill to be on.
"I suppose it's one of those things that you can be avoided, but I'll carry on and hope something comes out of this. Most promoters will look at styles and wonder if their kids will be perfectly matched with me.
"For me, when have watched back the fights I've had I generally do pick up on the fact that the commentators always say that the favourite who I am boxing, has always been ring rusty.
"Yet since the Jamie Moore fight in 2003 I must've had about five or six fights in the last five years (he's actually had eight). It's not always easy for me to get an opponent."
The defeat to Moore last November still wrankles with Facey, who trains at Brendan Ingle's Wincobank gym in Sheffield after he's finished his day job.
He feels the stoppage in the penultimate session was a little too hasty, particularly as he had pushed the champion all the way until then.
Disappointed
"It was a fantastic fight, I was a bit disappointed with how it ended," he said. "I thought the referee jumped in and stopped it rather than giving me the count.
"I was gutted at that because I think he was getting a bit disheartened. Every time he was coming out for a round I was still there."
Smiley would be happy to have another crack becoming the best in Britain, though that would likely mean a showdown with long-time friend Ryan Rhodes.
The two fighters sparred together way back in 1994 and Facey could put himself in line to be Rhodes' mandatory challenger with a victory this weekend.
"I've sparred with Ryan since 1994 and with always said we wouldn't let politics get in the way of our friendship," he added.
"If it's for a million pounds then we'd agree to it, but it depends on what is on offer!"
