Chester prospect Goodwin gets Carl Johanneson
After years of watching Chester grow from a boxing wasteland into a hotbed of young, domestic talent, the big fight everyone was waiting for has now arrived. On March 3rd, local hot-shot Chris Goodwin will face off against Leeds warrior Carl Johanneson over ten-threes in a classic crossroads fight at Chester's Northgate Arena.
The show will be promoted by Fight Options and bring together a mixture of young talent and experience.
Lightweight Goodwin (14-1-1) has earned rave reviews over the last few months (most of them by Mr Dobbing - Ed.), a time in which he has gained two International Masters titles. He remains something of an unknown quantity however, and will be facing easily his toughest battle against Johanneson (31-5 20 KOs), a man who has gained a reputation as one of the best domestic operators at his weight of the last decade.
When you look at the record of Johanneson you see exactly why he is thought of so highly. A victory over current WBO interim champion Ricky Burns and a knockout victory over Manchester legend Michael Gomez are just two of the victories that have highlighted a glittering career.
He has also fought for the European title (iced in four by Levan Kirakosyan), and took Kevin Mitchell to hell and back, before finally succumbing in the ninth round back in March 2008. Only last year he floored then British champion Gary Sykes before going on to lose a narrowly on points.
Some will be arguing right now that this is a step to far for the largely untested prospect. This isn't a view shared by Goodwin's trainer (and father) Steve Goodwin.
“Chris has looked so good in his last two fight and we feel this is the right time to make an assault on that top ten. But we know what we are up against. Carl has been an absolute legend over the last decade and is still a fearsome opponent. Mark my words, we know what he is capable of and there will be no disrespect coming from our camp towards him. All we will say is that we think this is our time.”
Chief support will see Paul Economides (12-2) face off against domestic counterpart Dai Davies (8-18-1 1KO) over ten rounds. The fight will hopefully be for the Welsh featherweight title, but that still needs to be confirmed by the Welsh council. Either way this will be another good learning encounter for the 'Spartan', a man who has earned two titles in as many fights.
After dethroning champion Shaun Doherty and claiming the British Masters super-bantamweight title, he impressively outpointed Gavin Reid over ten rounds. That earned him the Masters featherweight title and plaudits from those at ringside.
Dai Davies has gained a reputation has one of the toughest men on the circuit. Despite his unflattering record, he possesses a stoppage victory over Robbie Turley (a man who has defeated Economides) and a number of recent wins over young prospects. An even bigger indication of his form is his creditable defeat at the hands of Stuart Hall only last month (a man who had nearly beaten Jamie McDonnell in his previous fight). Economides' trainer Goodwin once again realises that his charge is in for a tough night.
“We are not looking past Dai Davies. Dai is a really good fighter and here he is getting eight weeks' notice. But I am confident Paul has what it takes to beat him. You saw what Paul did against Gavin Reid and it's got even better since then. Every day he learns something new, in sparring he is beginning to look really special. I tell you something, he could give any of them a big test, Quigg, Frampton the lot. That's for tomorrow though. Today is Dai Davies and we need to keep that focus.”
Also appearing on the bill will be Joe Lovell, Paul Davies, Lee Quinn, Cameron Halfpenny, Andy Keates, Rob Hunt, Sean Dodd and Sean Lewis.
The night Chester's hardcore fight fans have been waiting for is just eight weeks away. The Goodwin-Johanneson match up has many variables but one thing is for certain - if Chris Goodwin is to come through this night he will have to go to places he has never even dreamed of. Carl Johanneson will make sure of that.
