Frankie Gavin (17-0, 12 KO) has his sights set on fighting for a world title. The undefeated 28-year-old welterweight from Birmingham, West Midlands will attempt to take a step towards that goal on Saturday night at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, Yorkshire in the United Kingdom.
He'll be the clear fan favorite against 31-year-old Ghanaian Joseph Lamptey (16-5-1, 11 KO). Lamptey has only fought outside of his native Accra, Ghana once. That bout didn't work out so well for him. He was stopped in the second round by light middleweight contender King Davidson in Southampton, Hampshire.
Obviously, he's hoping this trip to the UK will be different.
Gavin is one of the brightest young welterweights from England, and he's looking to further his increasingly solid reputation. Here's how you can catch the action.
When: Saturday, Dec. 21, at 2 p.m, ET
Where: First Direct Arena, Leeds, Yorkshire, United Kingdom
TV: Box Nation
Live Stream: LiveSport
The Book on Gavin and Lamptey
Challenging the Best in Europe
Gavin wants his name mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Amir Khan and Kell Brook. Both Khan and Brook are regarded as the best British welterweights and among the best 147-pound fighters in the world.
Hungry for the same status and paydays, Gavin called out both when speaking to Martin Domin of the Daily Mail. He is really confident he can take out Khan. He told Sky Sports:
Some people will say 'no chance,' because of his speed. But I'm not a bad puncher myself and if I hit him on the chin, anything can happen with Khan. He's got the Mayweather fight and I don't think he's going to win. So as long as I win my next few fights, hopefully he's going to decide to rebuild his career in Britain and hopefully I'll be his banana skin.
Gavin is certainly ambitious, but he'd be wise not to look past Lamptey.
147 is Better than 154
Until recently, Lamptey had been fighting at light middleweight. His bout against Davidson proved he didn't have the size necessary to compete at a high level with bigger 154-pounders.
BoxRec.com doesn't list his height, but if you watch the fight with the 5'10" Davidson, you can estimate Lamptey's height is somewhere between 5'6" and 5'7.5".
Gavin does stand 5'10", but he won't be carrying the extra seven pounds of a light middleweight. Lamptey wants to trade, and judging by his 11 KO wins at 154 pounds, he can punch. He's hoping welterweight is the right move for him at this stage of his career.
Prediction
Gavin can make this fight a lot easier for himself if he boxes and uses his movement and length. If he decides to go inside to make a power statement, he could be opening himself up for some difficulty.
Lamptey is strong and sturdily built. The only way he can win this fight is if it's fought in a phone booth. Gavin is hungry, so his fire will have him trading in a few exchanges, but aside from that, I expect him to keep his distance and outbox Lamptey for a unanimous decision victory.
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