Ricky Boylan and Danny Connor are both eyeing Carshalton bragging rights tonight as the boxers who grew up in the same suburb meet at the O2 Arena.
The pair have grown up together and gone through the ranks but simmering anomosity has led them to come face-to-face in the ring.
Boylan will be considered favourite with 13 wins and two defeats in his career, but 29-year-old Connor, who has 12 wins and nine losses, is ready to upset the odds.
“We’ve fallen out but I don’t care,” he said.
“We’ve fallen out in the past when we were kids, like 18 or 19 – young boys. We went our separate ways and as we’ve got closer with the boxing rivalry, we’re now worst enemies.
“But I couldn’t care less about the animosity. I just want to get in there and do my job.
“It will affect reputations in Carshalton because we’ve both won the Southern Area titles and we have mutual friends.
“It won’t matter in the long run though and doesn’t matter to me more than any other fight.”
Boylan, on the other hand, will look to use the unique geographical aspect of the fight as motivation to win.
“There are three or four of us from the area, all light-welterweights,” he said.
“Obviously Tony Owen beat him – he’s from our area too – then I beat Tony for the Southern Area title in the fourth round.
“I’ll be the king of Carshalton if I win this one.
“There are bragging rights at stake, it’s a grudge match.
“For this training camp, I’ve trained my heart out and I’ve got to take that into the ring.”
The fight is on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s Commonwealth heavyweight title boutwith Gary Cornish.
Feature image of Danny Connor, left, and Ricky Boylan, right, courtest of iFL TV, via Youtube, with thanks
