British middleweight champion Wayne Elcock insists he is fully-focused on his first title defence against Darren McDermott on Friday.
World title ambitions can wait
British middleweight champion Wayne Elcock insists he is looking no further than Friday's fight against Darren McDermott as he prepares for his first title defence.
The boxer, nicknamed 'Mad Dog' by his loyal support, defeated Howard Eastman on points last year to secure the domestic crown and he now faces undefeated McDermott in what has been dubbed the 'The Battle of the Midlands'.
While the title has given him fresh hope of a world title fight in the near future, Elcock insists that the forthcoming British title clash, which will be screened on
Sky Sports 2 and
Sky Sports HD2 live from 10pm, is one he is taking seriously.
"There's no way I'm looking past Darren, that's why I had to be 100 per cent for this fight and didn't want to fight when I wasn't totally fit after having a chest infection which caused the fight to be postponed from 20th April," said Elcock.
"He's going to be even more fired up for this fight with it being a local derby and the atmosphere from the fans will be absolutely electric. This is a fight between two midlands boxers for the British title, the biggest fight in the region for a long, long time.
"I know it's going to be tough but I'm ready for it and can't wait to show I'm the best middleweight in Britain.
"Of course I want to fight for European and world titles, but first things first and I have to prove I'm the best in the midlands and Britain by beating Darren."
