I can show the Commonwealth title to kids after I retire, says Blackwood boxer

Blackwood boxer Chris Liddell is confident of winning the Commonwealth Silver light-flyweight title in Glasgow tomorrow night, and wants a belt to show any future children.

Liddell, 31, takes on 28-year-old Paul Roberts from Somerset for the title in front of a vocal home crowd, and with an undercard to Crunch Time 2.0 that also features East Kilbride’s David Jamieson, at the Doubletree by Hilton.

Winning the title would enable Liddell to retire with a smile on his face, which he intends to do after his next two or three fights this year.

Whether those are further titles depends on how he does tomorrow, but Liddell is brimming with confidence for a fight that saw both boxers drop down a weight.

He said: “This is massive. I had been away from the sport for about 10 years, chose to come back, hoping to win a title.

“This is a second opportunity for me, so I intend to grab it with both hands.

I would absolutely love to win that belt.

“I think I’ve got another couple of fights in me this year and I’m going to retire and think about starting a family.

“If I win this belt, it means I’ve got something there, so maybe when you’ve got a young kid in the future you can say ‘your dad was a boxer’.

“Rather than just telling a story, you’ve got a belt in the background to back it up with.

“I’m confident about it, I do genuinely believe this is the one for me.

“If I win this, doors are opening for more opportunities, moving forward.

“I have made the decision, regardless, a couple of fights after this one, but if those couple of fights can potentially be more titles, then great.

“But it’s one fight at a time for me just now.”

Liddell had a crack at a Celtic title in Belfast last October, but was defeated by Conor Quinn, who has gone on to bigger and better things.

Liddell said: “I had a fight in Belfast in October for a title, but unfortunately I fell short of that one, I got stopped in the seventh.

“That boy has now been signed by Frank Warren, he’s all over the news in Ireland, and they’re talking about him being the next world champion.

“I’ve definitely learned from that fight, and this is another opportunity for me.

“I’m really excited. I weighed in today, so it was good to get that out of the way.

“It’s a new weight class, I’m coming down a weight and I’ve never done that before, so it’s good to get that done.

“It’s like a home match, if you like, instead of going away, because I had been over to Belfast for the last one.

“I’ve sold a lot of tickets, just under 100, and I’m really looking forward.

“I know Paul Roberts’ last two fights were area titles, so he’s already got a couple of belts.

“I know he’s coming into it pretty confident, but I don’t look into it too much, I leave all of that to my coach, and just focus on me.”

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