O’Hare and Cooper go head to head at big fight press day

O’Hare (left) and Cooper…eyeball to eyeball. Pics: Julie Lockley

THE title clash of unbeaten prospects Liam O’Hare and Ollie Cooper has been rightly dubbed, by TV pundit Steve Bunce. a 50-50 contest between two real fighters prepared to risk it all.

The November 28 showdown will not, Cannock’s Cooper insisted today (Saturday), go the full distance. If O’Hare, from Hereford but trained at Birmingham’s Eastside gym, performs as poorly as he did in his last contest, it won’t go beyond four rounds, Ollie predicted.

The Midlands super-middleweight showdown takes place on the Excelsior Sporting Club’s stacked St Andrew’s Night card – an evening of haggis and hardmen, bagpipes and big punchers.

Former British, European and IBO champ Sam Eggington boxes on the Cannock bill. So does unbeaten hometown hero Zach Evans and white-hot prospect Shabir Haidary.

But it’s the collision between tall Cannock southpaw Cooper and champ O’Hare that has captured fans’ imagination and become the talk of fight gyms.

It’s a magnificent meeting of two men on the way-up. And promoter Scott Murray is giving the 10 rounder the build-up it deserves.

Today Ollie, aged 24, and 28-year-old O’Hare went head-to-head during a packed press conference at Scott’s Premier Suite, Cannock, venue.

Liam O’Hare is all smiles at Cannock press conference

I’m pleased to report respect was shown by both boxers. No false feuds, no boorish bad-mouthing.

Rightly so. The clash between Cooper (8-0) and O’Hare (10-0) doesn’t need the pushing and shoving panto that has become a tiresome – even poisonous – part of our modern game.

As O’Hare put it: “Jon (trainer Jon Pegg) is trying to get me firing with this hate, but, to be honest, there’s no hate in my heart, but there’s no love, either.

“I think Ollie is a very talented kid. He has my maximum respect for being where he is and what’s he’s done.”

“I do think there’s a lot of respect there,” said Ollie, part of Richie Carter’s bulging Wolverhampton gym. “We know what each other has to do. Nothing is ever personal – none of my fights have been. He’ll try to knock my block off and visa versa.”

It’s a point that has been lost on boxing’s social media followers. Professional boxing is purely business – emotions such as hatred are a hinderance.

“Ollie’s a really impressive opponent,” O’Hare said. “He’s tall, he’s awkward, there’s a lot for me to work out in there.

“When people are trying to hit you as much as you are trying to hit them, it leaves them open. Ollie will look to exploit gaps and that leaves gaps for me, too.

“To me, this fight is just as important as my last fight. It’s the same old in the gym – train hard. I enjoy all this, the noise is no different.”

I have a lot of time and respect for Cooper’s trainer Richard Carter, a man who has near single-handedly revived pro boxing in Wolverhampton.

Ollie Cooper…facing the biggest test of his unbeaten career

But I have to question his insistence Ollie hits with real power because I haven’t got the evidence before me to back that up. Cooper is yet to stop an opponent or really rock a man to his bootlaces.

Carter has seen him in the gym, I haven’t. If he does hit hard enough to cause real damage, then O’Hare has a hard night ahead of him because I’ve pondered the fight’s twists and turns in my mind. Each scenario sees Ollie building an early lead.

If Cooper can’t deter and put a dent into the champ then he’ll be dragged into a gruelling dog fight.

And O’Hare, who has made national headlines because of his background as a ballet dancer, loves a dog fight. He’s the toughest ballet dancer I’ve encountered, but, then, he’s the only ballet dancer I’ve encountered.

Nureyev may have been a handful on the cobbles.

“I think I’ve been a bit too nice in the past,” Ollie said at the press conference. “I’ve had that stigma in my head that I’ve been fighting journeyman. I’ve wanted someone like Liam who will come to have a go and when he comes to have a go he’ll be put to sleep.

“We are bringing the heat, the fight is not going the distance. I was very, very disappointed with his last performance. It won’t go four rounds if he fights like he did last time.

“Liam is in my way for a Midlands title, then move to English level and British level. You build good foundations that way. If you’re not in the game to go as far as you can, then I don’t know why you’re here.”

Scott Murray told today’s press conference the big fight night is already a near sell-out with only two tables left.

That proves in a world swamped by big names, bigger egos and plain bull****, a proper scrap still sells.

O’Hare-Cooper is a proper scrap. Someone’s “O” is going to go.