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A star in the making

Appleby should prove his worth against wily Pickering

Posted: 27th November 2008 18:56

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Appleby: confident kid

Appleby has a little bit of everything and he just looks like he is going to be a star. Some fighters seem destined for it, and this is one lad who already looks the part.

Jim Watt
Quotes of the week

APPLEBY v PICKERING
British featherweight title
Live on Friday Fight Night
10.00pm, Fri, Sky Sports 1

Also see

Young Paul Appleby might just be a superstar in the making.

I have seen most of his fights and although the last thing you want to do is build a young fighter up, I have been impressed with what I've seen.

Up here he is being touted as the latest hottest prospect of Scottish boxing and I do think that is definitely the case. You don't win the Boxing Writers' Club Best Young Boxer of the Year award without having something.

Appleby has a little bit of everything and he just looks like he is going to be a star. Some fighters seem destined for it, and this is one lad who already looks the part.

I have to admit when they put him in against John Simpson for the British title in June, I did think maybe that was too much too soon. But his camp clearly had confidence in him and they were proved right.

He was excellent that night and well worth his win. He has a little bit of everything; he is confident, he can punch and he doesn't mind taking a shot either.

In fact, he has that hot-headedness that sometimes works and he seems to love a tear-up. And I think that is good news for all of us when he goes in against Esham Pickering.

Reflexes

Don't expect to see the same Pickering that was so tidy, if a little cautious, under Brendan Ingle. He has changed a bit in his last few fights and now seems willing to get involved a bit himself. This has all the ingredients to be a real treat.

The old Pickering was hard to look good against but he has now been in real wars with Michael Hunter and Sean Hughes (twice) and he is a different fighter. His reflexes have slowed a little and now he is much easier to hit than before. And Appleby will not need a second invitation.

He will have to be careful of charging in though, because Esham is a wily old pro and you don't win a British and European title without the ability to make the most of your opponent's mistakes. The young champion still has that impetousness of youth, but I wouldn't take that away from him.

There aren't many glaring faults or technicalities that need to be ironed out in this lad, so I would let him go on as he is.

I do think Appleby will win this, simply because he is fresh, just starting out and Pickering is coming towards his own long and illustrious career.

Appleby is aggressive and he can punch hard and is capable of stopping him late on - but I wouldn't worry too much if he has to go the distance.

Either way this will be a nice little test for him, but I think if you tune in, you'll see what I see - a little star in the making.