Cooper is ‘supremely confident’ as British title fight draws near

Owen Cooper…victory would be life-changing, says his coach

THE date and venue for Owen Cooper’s British welterweight title fight is locked-in.

The Worcester wizard will face Commonwealth champ Constantin Ursu – born in Moldova, based in Plymouth – for the vacant Lonsdale Belt on February 28 in the headliner at the Vaillant Live Arena, Derby.

The 25-year-old and his trainer Malcolm Melvin go into the contest “supremely confident”.

“He’s a southpaw which can make things a little more difficult, but it doesn’t present a problem to us,” said Melvin. “It’s just a thing we have to deal with.”

Cooper goes into the biggest fight of his life with only one loss on a 12 bout record. He was stopped in the 10th and final round by Ekow Essuman in a clash he was winning. Owen bounced back in May with comprehensive victory over Chris Kongo, a full blown light-middle.

Cooper, a human buzzsaw with a whiplash left hook, is something special.

In Ursu, who he meets for the domestic title vacated by Conah Walker, Owen faces a boxer considered one of the division’s true dangermen.

In Ursu, he’s tackling a heavy-handed opponent who has established himself as a real dangerman. In March, he sparked out Eithan James in seven for the Commonwealth belt and successfully defended it with a points win over Ryan Amos. The 25-year-old is unbeaten in 14, six bouts ending early.

This one looks an absolute cracker.

“We are buzzing,” Melvin said. “He (Ursu) does a lot of thing right, nothing outstanding. He has to be respected, which he is being by us – we are training very, very hard. That’s a measure of our respect.”

To date, Owen has sparred southpaws Tyler Denny, Ollie Cooper and Ryan Woolridge in preparation for the scheduled 12 rounder.

“Owen is very easy on the eye,” Melvin said, “a great watch and he brings a fantastic skill set to fights, people can resonate with that. His boxing brain is superb – southpaws can be a nightmare, for us it won’t be. We are really, really confident.

“Winning this fight will bring Owen on in leaps and bounds. The British title gives you an extra 20 per cent as a person and a fighter. For me, it’s the best belt in the world.

“Owen’s a dream to train, he always does that little bit more. Tell him to run five miles, he’ll run six, he does everything asked of him and more. Do everything asked of you and you’ve half won the fight – nine times out of 10 you’ll reap the rewards.”

Melvin, a former British title challenger, relished the chance to capture a belt that eluded him. He’s leaving no stone unturned. “There are a few old school trainers left in the game and I believe I’m one of them,” he said.

“Owen so much wants this, he’s looking super sharp. He’s ticking all the boxes and more. Thirteen fights in and he’s headlining the bill – that shows what people think of him.”

Melvin added: “The whole thing is massive and could be life-changing for Owen. He knows what he wants to do, where he wants to be.”

It could be life-changing for Ursu, too. That’s why the battle has all the hallmarks of a classic encounter.