Former ABA champion targets quick British Title Shot by Tom Podmore Jul 18th 2008

James Mulhern looks at Darren Langley's 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games achievements and knows it could have been him. The Coventry flyweight makes his paid bow on First Team's card at Wolverhampton Civic Hall on Thursday evening (July 24) with the knowledge he outscored the future two-time Commonwealth Games silver medallist when they crossed swords almost a decade ago. But it was the Hollington ABC fighter, still rated at number one in the most recent Four Nations amateur rankings, who was sent to the prestigious tournament ahead of him. Mulhern felt he should have gone. An ABA champion, he'd won his senior light-flyweight (48kg) crown in 2000, outpointing Manchester's tough and top-rated Owen Trainor, Shannon's ABC, at the Barnsley Metrodome. He thought the ABA success, the victory over the country's premier fighter at the weight and his high rating would be enough to secure his passage to the Commonwealths. It wasn't to be. The pocket-sized Midlander also went to battle with the likes of West Ham's Matthew Marsh, the recently-crowned British super-bantamweight champion, Martin Power, former British bantamweight titlist, and Wembley's crowdpleasing Billy Corcoran, a former English champ at super-featherweight, during a testing unpaid career. All three won national amateur crowns – Marsh twice won the ABAs – and Mulhern is positive that amateur grounding will stand him in excellent stead for future title challenges. He said: “Maybe I should have been given the chance [to box in the Commonwealth Games]. I had beaten Langley and had also won the biggest national title available. It wasn't as if I was a novice who'd scored a fluky win and hadn't done anything afterwards,” reasoned Mulhern, 26, who joins former Triumph ABC clubmate James Flinn, undefeated in two, under Errol Johnson's tutelage. “But he was an established fighter with a proven international pedigree. “That's all in the past now and I'm excited about making my professional debut,” said the 85-bout stylist, originally marked in to make his debut without the vest and headguard at the Coventry Skydome last month. “I'm raring to go and I can't see many men at flyweight touching me when I'm on red-hot form. “There aren't too many boxers at my weight and I could be fighting for the British title if I can string eight or nine wins together.” Former British welterweight champion Young Mutley, 24-3 (13), continues on the road back to his old belt in the main event. The popular West Bromwich-based puncher, 32, tackles durable Latvian Sergejs Savrinovics over eight rounds and is then pencilled in for a British title eliminator against Shepherd's Bush southpaw John O'Donnell before the end of the year. Other men on the First Team-promoted bill include undefeated Stourbridge light-welterweight Scott Evans, 4-0 (2), Dudley southpaw Jamie Ball, 1-0, Telford middleweight Keiron ‘Slammer' Gray, 2-0 (1), Birmingham heavyweight Neil Perkins, 2-0 and who boxes Preston's Howard ‘Demolition' Daley, and Halesowen welter Kevin McCauley, 0-1, who takes on Tamworth's Matt Seawright. Brierley Hill's Martin Gordon, a former top-rated amateur who hasn't brought that form over with him to the paid ranks, looks to get his first win in his seventh fight (one draw), taking on Leeds' winless Chris Thompson. Returning Joe Skeldon, 1-2, the son of former British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight title challenger Roy, sees action for the first time since a six-round loss to Clive Johnson nine years ago. The 36-year-old Tipton scrapper will make his comeback at middleweight. Tickets are available from Paul (PJ) Rowson on 07976-283157, Errol Johnson on 07852-268333 or the Wolverhampton Civic Hall on 0870-3207000.

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