Eggington v Pigford: It’s an absolute war

Poster for the fight - it’s going to be explosive

IF ever a fight was guaranteed to create an explosion great enough to make the ground shake it’s the collision between Black Country warrior Sam Eggington and Southampton’s thunderous punching Joe Pigford.

The pair meet at Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium on May 27 in a contest that will not be for the faint-hearted. The Boxxer promotion will be televised on Sky.

Sam, former British and European welter champ and IBO world light-middleweight titleholder, already has two back-to-back British fight of the year gongs to his name.

This could be the third.

Make no mistake, it’s a thriller.

Pigford carries near unbelievable power. He’s won all 20 contests – all but one by stoppage. The 29-year-old has dynamite in both hands, but has not boxed since last July.

Fans know exactly what Sam brings to the table. At 29, and with 41 bouts under his belt, the fighter has shown a near super-human ability to drag victory from the jaws of potential defeat.

He has been to the well time and again. He, too, carries power, but opponents usually crumble from an accumulation of blows.

Just when you think the wars are catching up with The Savage, he peels off another thriller. He is the king of the crowdpleasers.

The 2020 points defeat to Ted Cheeseman and distance victory over Frenchman Bilel Jkitou a year later were breath-taking: a case of two men simply standing in front of each other and slinging punches for the duration.

He’s more active than Pigford, having scored a fourth round stoppage in March. He’s more experienced than Pigford and he’s faced far better men.

Pigford has the one punch power.

It will be violent, it may be short-lived either way, but this one is going to be memorable.

The blue touch-paper has been lit. Now stand back and wait for the explosion.