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'Heal' the pain!

Dave Lawrenson
3/ 7/2008

SALFORD’S Jamie Moore believes that he is on the cusp of boxing greatness – and he is determined not to let Ciaran Healy spoil his big plans.

The two fighters go head-to-head for Healy’s Irish Light Middleweight title at the National Basketball Arena in Dublin on Saturday night, July 5.

Moore, aged 29, insists that he is 100 per cent confident of winning the 10-round fight, which will be shown live on Irish television.

He will then turn his attentions to his long-awaited European Light Middleweight battle with Ukrainian Zaurbek Baysangurov, which has been pencilled in for Friday, September 26.

And Moore is convinced that he can be a world champion by the end of next year.

Moore said: "Doors are opening up for me now. I believe that I am on the cusp of something really big.

"This is the make-or-break stage of my career. I am at my peak as a boxer and this is the right time to have my biggest fights.

"I can win a world title by the end of next year if I perform like I know that I can do. But I can’t afford any slip ups. In boxing one punch can change everything.

"First up is Ciaran Healy. I am in great shape and I am 100 per cent confident of winning Saturday’s fight.

"With my ability, I should be able to stop him at some stage.

"But he is the Irish champion and he’s not going to give up his belt easily.

"For him, this is the biggest opportunity of his career. Beating me would help his career no end and he’s had a lot more time to prepare for this fight than he usually gets.

"I am sure that he will have trained really hard for this fight.

"I expect it to be a tough fight for me while it lasts and it’s up to me to prove that I am ready for bigger and better things by doing a good job on him."

Healy’s professional record leaves a lot to be desired.

The 23-year-old has won only half of his 16 fights and on Saturday he will be making the first defence of the Irish title he took from Lee Murtagh in December.

Former British champion Moore’s record is far better with him having lost just three of his 34 bouts.

He undoubtedly has the heart and the ability to be fighting on the world stage but his career has been stalled by boxing politics and a series of untimely illnesses and injuries – the latest of which saw him undergo a second shoulder operation in December.

As a result, Moore, who is eligible for the Irish title through his family heritage, has been forced to cancel his plan to retire from the sport at the age of 30.

He said: "I’ve always said I’d retire at 30 but that’s been put back a little with all the injuries and setbacks I’ve had.

"I plan to go for about another two years or so and so I’ll be 12 or 18 months out.

"But I still want to get out nice and early with my marbles intact."