McGuiness to make debut on Elcock bill by Tom Podmore Jun 12th 2008

Logan McGuiness' trainer thinks his charge has limitless potential. The Canadian lightweight, who makes his professional debut on the undercard of the Birmingham versus Black Country British middleweight title fight between champion Wayne Elcock and Dudley challenger Darren McDermott at Coventry Skydome on June 20, has been tipped for the top by a man qualified to predict such things. He is trained by 1992 Olympic middleweight bronze medallist Chris Johnson, a Canadian portsider who won Commonwealth Games gold two years earlier and also trains Andrew Singh Kooner, born in England, and the current IBF super-bantamweight boss, silky southpaw stylist Steve Molitor. Neither Molitor nor Kooner are strangers to Britain and 20-year-old McGuiness also hopes to become a popular fixture over here. Molitor easily outpointed Nicky Booth for the Commonwealth bantamweight title in 2002 and then beat John Mackay over eight in 2004. He would famously return to win the vacant International Boxing Federation belt with a five-round thumping of previously undefeated Michael Hunter in late 2006. Midland-born puncher Singh Kooner, the reigning Canadian bantamweight champion and former Commonwealth silver medallist who has only lost once in nine, has split a pair of fights in England. He shockingly lost in three to Carlisle-based Mongolian Shinny Bayaar in 2006, but recently scored an eye-catching and brutal eighth-round knockout over decent Gavin Reid earlier this year. Johnson also had a handful of pro outings on these shores, perhaps being most famous for losing in eight rounds to an ageing but no less dangerous Herol Graham in 1997 – a defeat that snapped his unblemished run at 18 and ended his hopes of a world title fight. Although he would go on to win the fringe WBF belt, his career never really recovered from that, winning eight of eleven, and was badly knocked out in his last fight by Antonio Tarver. But he seems to be impressed with the latest fighter to join his ‘Fighting Alliance' gym: “Logan listens to me and applies everything I teach him,” said the 37-year-old Jamaican-born trainer to the Ontario lightweight's local paper, The Mississauga News. “I'm looking forward to his transition from the amateur ranks to the professional side. “I think he will excel and Hennessy Sports also have some big things planned for him after his four-rounder on June 20. There is a chance he could box in Ireland if he comes through his first few bouts unscathed,” he continued,” and that would get him even more known throughout Europe. The future looks bright for him.” Sky Sports televise the Hennessy Sports and GoldenPalace.net-promoted card in the West Midlands, a night that sees the professional debuts of two amateur champions from Coventry's Cassidy Triumph ABC. 2000 ABA light-flyweight champion James Mulhern and crowdpleasing Rhys Davies, the reigning Welsh ABA light-heavyweight champion, both see action over four rounds. Other local men on show include another former Cassidy Triumph amateur, former top five-rated Coventry light-welterweight James Flinn, 1-0 (1), Atherstone warmonger Danny Coyle, 2-0, and Birmingham welterweight Callum Archer, 0-0-1. Northern Ireland welter Stephen Haughian, 13-1 (5), and Bradford light-welter Nadeem Siddique, 22-0 (6), also box. A limited amount of tickets are available from the Skydome Box Office on 02476 630693.

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