YORK Thai boxing ace Richard Cadden will this weekend fight at a higher weight category in a bid to further his domestic career.

The 27-year-old, who was recently elevated to 12th in the world rankings at the 62kilogramme grade, is to take on Holland-based Lee Colville, originally from Kent, in a 64kg fight at the George Carnell Sports Centre in Manchester on Sunday.

There are 15 fights on the bill, with Cadden's prestige bout one of three 'main events'.

Cadden, who fights out of Leeds' Bad Company Gym, is ranked number one in the United Kingdom at his own weight but says he has to move up a notch to find domestic opponents willing to take him on.

He explained: "It's getting more and more difficult to get domestic fights now I've beaten everyone who was above me in the rankings, but I'm looking to keep pushing myself forward and the only way to do that is accept the weight difference. That's the only way to make progress on the domestic front."

Tomorrow's bout - the afternoon's event begins at 1pm with Cadden due in the ring at about 4pm - will be followed seven weeks later by Cadden's appearance for a British team taking on a "best of Belgium" line-up in Oldham.

Cadden's adversary will be the Belgians' top exponent of the art, who goes by the fighting name of 'Jalala'.

"He's supposed to be the next big thing to come out of Belgium, so it will be a good test for me," said Cadden.

As reported by the Press last month, Cadden will also take up the offer of a fighting scholarship in Thailand later this year thanks to help from his employers Jarvis Rail.

The invitation arose from a successful two-week trip to the Orient last year when he impressed a national coach.

That same coach has asked Cadden to return for a two-months-plus training regime that will include three contests in the northern province of Buranam, near the Cambodian border, and a major breeding-ground for some of the best Thai boxers, followed by a fight in one of the top stadiums in Bangkok.

However, Cadden right now is concentrating only on tomorrow.

"I'm focusing on doing well this weekend. Lee is an experienced guy with about 40-plus fights behind him.

"I see this as the next stage on the domestic front before the fight against the Belgian in April."

He added: "I'll be getting a lot of support coming over from Acomb, from the Green Tree pub in Beckfield Lane, and Jarvis have been looking after me as well, and I'm grateful for all their support."

Updated: 10:14 Saturday, February 28, 2004