BOXING

by Stuart Martel

Jorvik Warrior Jamie Warters craves a "coming of age" outcome from his War of the Roses battle with Warren Stowe.

The York light-heavyweight puts his six-fight unbeaten record on the line against wily campaigner Stowe next Tuesday.The 23-year-old Warters takes on his 33-year-old opponent over six three-minute rounds in his favourite arena at the Leeds Irish Centre.

Lancastrian Stowe, at the centre of a hair-raising shooting incident while fighting Simon Maseko in South Africa in 1995, has won 18 of his 21 professional fights.

Numbered among his losses is a technical knockout defeat at the hands of Wales' current WBO super-middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe in 1996.

Stowe is a previous holder of the central area title and also fought for a Penta-continental title, which he lost on points.

The Burnley fighter is enjoying a renaissance after some time out of the ring, beating Warters' last opponent PR Mason, of Sheffield, within two rounds in his comeback fight last month.

Warters clinically despatched Mason inside two rounds with a series of knock out blows at the Irish Centre in February, a fight which led to a chance of sparring with legend Herol 'Bomber' Graham.

Trainer Terry O'Neill declared next week's bout a yardstick fight for the York ring man.

"Stowe is a good fighter and has good credentials. This could be a coming of age fight for Jamie," said O'Neill.

"When Stowe was boxing in South Africa, somebody in the crowd had a gun and started firing it around. The fight was declared a no contest."

O'Neill recalled that the shooting occurred during a robbery on the fight venue and that, while the boxers escaped unscathed by diving under the ring, several other people were seriously injured.

Number ten ranked Warters, meanwhile, declared his desire would overcome the experience gap against Stowe.

Said Warters: "He has been around a bit and is by far my most dangerous opponent. He is very experienced. I haven't been able to get any videos of him so I do not know what he is like, apart from that he is shorter than me.

"I am younger than him and more hungry than him. I am lacking a lot of experience and he has got bucket-loads of it. But you only learn by fighting good fighters. You do not learn anything by fighting nobodies.

"I am confident and I have trained hard."

The York fighter revealed training was back in full swing after a lull caused by a bout of 'flu.

"I have been suffering from 'flu and found training very hard when I had it. But I am over it now and I have not lost much time. My weight is right, I am down to my fighting weight."

The choice of an experienced fighter such as Stowe indicates the O'Neill camp's eagerness to earn Warters a shot at the coveted central area title.

And the Jorvik Warrior firmly believes that is the next stepping stone in his progression towards a future tilt at the British title, currently held by Crawford Ashley.

The Irish Centre event features four fights, two of which are under the new UK Masters championship organised by small hall promoters and the Boxing Board of Control.

O'Neill charges Andy Green and Steve Tuckett are fighting in the preliminary stages of the Masters, which will eventually lead to a final fight-off for a new belt.

Promising Leeds fighter James 'Gipsy' Lowther, who accompanied Warters for his Graham sparring session, is also on the bill.

Tickets, priced £20 or £15, available from Jamie's uncle Peter Warters on 01904 622298. A coach is being run from York Acorn ARL.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.