Matty Fagan expects his clash with former British super-featherweight champion Gary Buckland on Saturday night to be an entertaining fight.
Ellesmere Port’s Fagan is in confident mood going into the fight at the Cardiff Ice Arena but will be under no illusion of the challenge ahead of him when he goes toe-to-toe with his experienced Welsh opponent.
Buckland has been a professional since 2005 and the former Lonsdale Belt holder has beaten some high quality opponents in the process in Gavin Rees, Stephen Foster, Gary Sykes and Derry Mathews, but the 30-year-old has been out of the ring for 10 months after his shock defeat to Birkenhead’s Sean Dodd.
That win transformed Dodd’s career, who since then has been involved in two epic battles with British lightweight title holder Scott Cardle and claimed the WBC International belt.
Fagan will start as the underdog but the one-time Vauxhall Motors ABC amateur knows that victory in the six-round contest could have the same impact on his career as it did on Dodd’s.
“It’s going to be an action-packed six rounder let’s say that,” said Fagan, who will be fighting on the undercard of a show featuring WBO lightweight world champion Terry Flanagan and Cuban superstar Guillermo Rigondeaux
“I know I’m fit so the rest will take care of itself. I’m 100% confident of the win.”
It has been a testing 12 months for Fagan who has not fought since his win over Newark’s Adam Kettleborough at Ellesmere Port Spots Village in July 2015 .
Chester-born Fagan has seen several planned fights fall through including a meeting with unbeaten Romeo Romaeo, who pulled out at late notice.
Fagan explained: “It’s been unbelievably frustrating and financially it has been really tough. It costs me £20 a day to get to Manchester but I’ve stuck in there doing bits of work.
“Each fight that fell through, another popped up so I thought I was due to box soon only for it not to happen again.
“I’d rather take tougher fights than be let down on other ones. I know I’m good enough anyway.”
While he's not looking past Buckland, Fagan hopes the fight with Romaeo can still happen.
"If the fight is there I’ll be interested,” he said.
“It’s tough to get fights often so as long as I train hard and get good sparring I’ll be ready when fights come along.
“I’ve only had nine fights and should really be on at least 12-15 fights. It’s all ticket related and when fights fall through so often it’s hard to generate it so hopefully this fight gets me going now."
Fagan turned professional in 2011 and trains with Anthony ‘Arnie’ Farnell in Failsworth near Manchester, He has won eight and lost one of his nine professional contests with the sole blemish on his record coming against Latvian Andrei Podusov in October 2014.
Cardiff’s Buckland, whose record stands at 30 wins and seven defeats, will be fighting in front of his home crowd in South Wales and the one-time Commonwealth lightweight title challenger has something to prove after his loss to Dodd.
