Elcock's playing with Fire by Tom Podmore Sep 12th 2006

Wayne Elcock has revealed that chips are off the menu for the foreseeable future after a severely burned hand hampered his victory over Vincent Baldassara. Elcock battered the Scot to defeat in six-rounds at the International Convention Centre (ICC) on Friday and finished the job with a crunching body blow. It handed the local the vacant World Boxing Foundation International middleweight strap but has him aim firmly fixed on Steve Bendall's English middleweight crown. The Coventry southpaw will go to battle with Birmingham's Elcock at the Aston Villa Leisure centre on December 1. The fight promises to be explosive with both men being heavy-handed and skillful. It also figures to be the biggest local derby the West Midlands has seen for a long time. Elcock wasn't at his brilliant best on Friday, but he had a legitimate excuse for his below par showing against the avoided Baldassara. A few weeks before his third hometown clash he severely burnt his right hand whilst trying to extinguish a chip pan fire in his kitchen. Wayne had shown me the hand at the weigh-in on Thursday and it looked in a terrible state. This restricted him to only a few days sparring as his hand was swollen and blistered. However, the former WBU champion has warned English champion Bendall he will make no mistakes. “I won't be having chips again, I promise you that,” said the Shard-End boxer. “The chip pan was on fire and I really burnt the hand trying to put it out. There were blisters all over my hand and I was in bandages for almost a month. But I was never going to pull out of the fight. “ If it was the English title with Bendall then we would not have taken the risk. But in all honesty it was more a case of underestimating him I think. “I'm taking nothing away from Vinnie, as he gave me a good fight and didn't lie down after taking some stick. “I thought he was blowing after two rounds and thought I'd have him out of there in three or four. “However, I lost my rhythm and that gave him a bit of confidence. “ He then cut me and he fancied it even more after that, but that played into my hands and that gave me an opportunity to finish him off. “Vinnie came down with nothing to lose and everything to gain. He could have picked up a title and added my scalp to his belt. “Instead of fighting the way I know I can I began to feel sorry for myself because I hadn't been able to train much due to the hand. “Paddy (Lynch, trainer) was going spare and said. “He thinks he can win this.” “ I started to look for excuses but Paddy didn't give me the chance. “It was tougher than I expected but as soon as the shot landed I knew it was all over. I felt the shot go straight through to my hand. “I'm not one to celebrate before it's over but I just knew he wouldn't get up. “Three fights in my city, three wins and three knockouts, what more can you ask for? “Bendall is going to be tough but I know that my supporters will try and roar me on to victory. “ I want the big fights to come back to Brum and the English title will be a great place to start.”

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