Morris confident of becoming two-time British champion

Following the withdrawal of Ricky Burns, Andy Morris has stepped in to challenge Gary Sykes for the vacant British super-featherweight title this Friday (March 5) in Huddersfield. Morris has previously held the British featherweight title, winning it against John Simpson in 2005 and remains the only man to have beaten Rendall Munroe.

“I’m totally confident I can win,” said the 26-year-old Morris. “I’ve been in there before, I’ve been a champion and I know what you need to become a champion. I’d like to thank Hatton Promotions for getting me the title shot so quickly. They said that I would have two keep busy fights and then a title shot and they’ve stuck to their word.”

Although Sykes is undefeated with a 14-0 record, Morris is unfazed by the 26-year-old Yorkshireman. “He’s not been in with anyone (well, with the exception of Morris's stablemate, Anthony Crolla - Assistant Ed) but you can’t go in being complacent. I’ve seen Sykes fight, he’s got fast hands, tricky feet, but he makes a lot of mistakes. There are gaps that I’m going to take advantage of on March 5th.”

Despite the late notice, Morris had previously been in training for a fight on last week’s Hatton Promotions bill in Stoke and admitted that going the distance would not be a problem.“I always train for 12 rounds and beyond, no matter whether it’s a 4 rounder, 8 rounder or set over 12 rounds, I always train hard.”

Unlike Sykes, Morris has completed the championship distance on two occasions, when he won the title against John Simpson and when he defended it against Rendall Munroe.

Morris was also keen to stress that if he wins he’d be open to a fight with many of the super-featherweights currently under the Hatton Promotions banner, such as Anthony Crolla (who lost to Sykes on points in a British title eliminator last May - Assistant Ed) and Stephen Foster Jr.

“If you call yourself a champion you fight the next best opponent. I don’t pay much attention to the ratings, but I’ll fight whoever fancies it next.”

There is also the option of Leva Kirakosyan who recently stopped Scott Lawton on in Stoke to capture the European Super Featherweight title, a man Morris thinks he can defeat. “I think Scott boxed the wrong fight by standing tall. I’ve got the style that can beat him [Kirakosyan] and he’s at the right age to be beaten.”