Sid's TV mission by Tom Podmore Jun 5th 2008

Unbeaten Nadeem Siddique thinks his upcoming television appearance in Coventry will catapult him towards a shot at the British and Commonwealth titles. The confident Bradford stylist is the ten-round chief support to the long-awaited Birmingham versus Black Country British middleweight title fight between champion Wayne Elcock, Birmingham, and Darren McDermott, Dudley, at the Skydome on June 20. He knows that an impressive display in front of the Sky Sports cameras will lead to bigger and better things. The 30-year-old meets undefeated Calgary-based southpaw Julius Odion, a big-hitting Canadian who hasn't tasted defeat in 13 professional outings (11 wins, four inside), on the Hennessy Sports and GoldenPalace.net-promoted card after impressing with a two-round dismissal of a long-armed Ghanaian in another Midlands city, Nottingham, last month. Accra's Alex 'Wild' Brew arrived in the East Midlands with a repuation as a wild, uncompromising fighter with fight-ending power in either hand (seven stoppages in nine wins). He had taken touted Wolverhampton light-welterweight Dean Harrison seven in the contest before and the consensus was that Siddique would be extended to the latter stages or even taken the distance. But the West Yorkshireman ripped through the African in quicker fashion than top 15-rated Harrison. A overhand left made Siddique, who offered his services to English champion John Murray when his opponent, Sheffield's John Fewkes, pulled out on the same card, touch down early but got up and finished the job in the next round with a cracking left to the body, a punch that convinced Brew to take the full ten count. Despite hitting the deck in his last contest, although it was a flash one, Sid claims there is nothing wrong with his jaw and is eager to prove that in Coventry. He said: "Without sounding cocky, Junior Witter hits me with shots a lot harder than that and from so many angles. I'm sparring with middleweights and light-middleweights in the gym so I was surprised to find myself on the deck. "But everybody wants to see more of me now and I'm really excited about being shown on TV," said the unbeaten and improving Ingle-handled light-welterweight, 22-0 (6), ahead of his intriguing-looking 30-minute test in the West Midlands – probably the hardest of his six-year paid career. "The better the opponent, the better I'm going to be. "I'm definitely a worthy and capable challenger for the big boys. They know that, which is why people have been avoiding me," the always-confident Yorkshireman, a former British Masters and current Central Area welterweight boss, told his local paper, Bradford's Telegraph and Argus. "I'm already well known in the game because of the size of my fan base and it would be a massive occasion when I get the chance to fight for a title as big as the British or Commonwealth. I really want to bring success back to Bradford. "Boxing needs personalities and I'm definitely one. I'm still fresh and know that my best fights are still in front of me." And that's a view that is shared by his manager: "This is a massive opportunity for Sid to show the country what he's all about," said John Ingle. "His last performance went down well with ITV and now we're giving him a chance to show what he can do on Sky Sports," added Hennessy Sports' matchmaker. "It's now up to Sid to walk the walk."

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