| CHRIS JENKINS INSISTS that defending his British title – as well as competing for the vacant Commonwealth title – on away soil against Paddy Gallagher makes absolutely no odds to him at all. In fact, every big fight the likeable Welsh welterweight has entered into has taken place on enemy territory, so to speak, or an away show. He fought Tyrone Nurse for the British title twice in Manchester, Phil Sutcliffe jr in Belfast, Akeem Ennis-Brown in Gloucester, Darragh Foley in Glasgow and, finally, his crowning glory at the Royal Albert Hall in London where he parted Johnny Garton from his Lonsdale belt. He now ventures over to Falls Park in Belfast to face Gallagher as part of Féile an Phobail on August 3 and has resisted looking too deeply into who he will be confronted by on the night, live on BT Sport. “I haven’t really, to be honest with you,” admitted the 30-year-old, who goes by the stage name ‘Rok’n’Rolla’. “I saw his last fight against (Liam) Wells and I saw him the time he boxed Freddy Kiwitt, I think it was. “I know what I am expecting and that is a tough, come forward night’s work where I have got to be on my game plan from round one to 12 and basically don’t get caught.” Jenkins doesn’t read too much into the losses on the record of Gallagher and was actually unaware of one of the reverses. “I think he lost against Kiwitt, who is a boxer, on a split decision, against Brad Soloman and I didn’t know until you told me that he lost to Tamuka Mucha. I sparred Mucha a couple of years ago and he is hard work for anyone!” Now Jenkins gets the opportunity to double his title-tally against the 16-5 30-year-old known as Pat-Man and is more than happy to be heading into another away fixture. “I am known as the road warrior and I know it sounds stupid, but I can’t shift tickets back at home so I have to go and fight people in their back yard. I done it with Nurse – going up north to fight him – then to Gloucester against Ennis-Brown with about 1,200 of his fans and two of mine. “I’ve already been to Belfast to fight Sutcliffe so I have got no issues with going anywhere,” he added, conceding that he only recently researched the setting where the ring will be located on the night. “To be honest with you, it was last night or the night before when I thought ‘I’d better have a look where I am fighting’. I text Gaz (trainer Gary Lockett) and said ‘I am fighting outside in a field!’. “I think it is going to be awesome.” |
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