BoxRec

Wayne McCullough was today warned to be wary of Oscar Larios' "dirty tricks".
McCullough bids to become a two-time world champion when he takes on WBC super-bantamweight champ Larios on Thursday.
Larios has already fought another Belfast man, John Lowey who believes the Pocket Rocket is in for a rough night.
Lowey, who lost on points to the Mexican in 2001 and has the scars to prove it, said: "Larios caught me with a pearler of a headbutt late on. There was no messing about - he just went straight out and caught me so Wayne will have to watch out for his head.
"He has plenty of dirty tricks and Wayne will have to be ready for that.
"He's a very good fighter and he has become a better one since he fought me.
"I could have stopped him in the eighth, I wobbled home but I let him off the hook."
McCullough, 34, is having just his second fight in two years, since the night he took a severe beating from WBO featherweight champion Scott Harrison.
Despite the fact that McCullough has dropped down to his more natural weight of super-bantam Larios will enter the ring as favourite.
Lowey added: "You have to say that Wayne is up against it; everyone says that Wayne has a granite chin but can he take the barrage of punches that Larios is going to be throwing at him?
"Wayne may say that Larios has not fought in his class but those top fighters that Wayne has fought like Daniel Zaragoza and Erik Morales have all beaten him.
"I hope he can do it but I just think it's going to be very hard against a good champion and he's a good bit younger as well."
As for Lowey he still regrets not getting a chance at fighting McCullough. "He never wanted it. It would have been good but that's history now."


From the Belfast Telegraph

For those who don't know this fight is being shown (delayed) on Friday BBC1 NI 11.35pm. UK Sky viewers will also have acsess to this.

Good luck to Wayne tonight, think he'll need it though. He's talking a good fight as ever...

that's a very odd photograph....

its gotta be superimposed, he would be freezing hois cods off otherwise!

For a guy of has had some many hard fights in both codes, Wayne looks like a million dollars. That photo must be what 1995 ish - he looks very similar now.

Its remarkable that Wayne hasn't got a Magri esque nose.

stujones wrote:
That photo must be what 1995 ish - he looks very similar now.

I thought it might even be in Japan, after he'd just won the title.

From the BBC -

McCullough is now 34 but says he feels fresh and ready to take the WBC super-bantamweight belt from Larios.
"I was at ringside for his last defence and I saw weaknesses which I can exploit," said McCullough.
"Larios is a good champion but he has not fought in the class I have. He will not know what has hit him.
It is the last chance for me and I intend to get that second world title that I have always dreamed about."

Now he is focused on taking Larios' belt, 10 years on from his first world title success in Japan.
"He is a good champion but he is not in the class of Hamed, Morales or Daniel Zaragoza and I gave them all hard fights," said McCullough.

"Morales said he never wanted to fight me again and Hamed always avoided me.
"I have fought for the WBC super-bantamweight title twice and lost both so it is about time that I finally got my hands on this title.
"I am supposed to be done, an old man, so he is the one with it all to do. The pressure is all on him to show what he has got.
"So we will see how he handles that pressure and how he handles the pressure that I am going to be putting on him in the ring."

It's true, I saw McCulloch in the flesh at the Marquez v Pacquaio fight, he's as clear as a bell in the eyes, and was very alert and chirpy, hardly a mark on him, which is incredible considering the punishment that noggin of his has taken.