Sam Gilley expecting ‘explosive’ Louis Greene fight he targets Commonwealth and domestic supremacy

Sam Gilley expects an ‘explosive’ fight when he challenges for Louis Greene’s Commonwealth super welterweight title at York Hall on Saturday, to be watched live Air sports.

Gilley, known as ‘Magic Man’, is looking to add to his 16 professional victories, and while he says there is no “bad blood”, he expects an “explosive” and “aggressive” fight.

To up the stakes, the winner will get a shot at the British title, currently held by Sam Antwi.

“We don’t need to sell it as bad blood,” said the 29-year-old, who hails from Leytonstone and plays on home turf in east London.

“We’re both very aggressive, very strong, we both hit, so it makes for a good fight.

“His strengths work for my weaknesses and my strengths work for his weaknesses, so it’s up to whoever makes the fewest mistakes.

‘So it will be explosive.

“That’s what professional boxing should be about: two professionals against each other in one evening, scaring the hell out of each other.

“Some people go to work in the office for the day, some people kick a ball around, for some reason we hit each other on the head – that’s just the way it is.

“Luckily they didn’t give me an easy opponent; the last thing I wanted was someone who had lost 15 and won one.

“Louis only came onto my radar when he won the Commonwealth title.

“It has nothing to do with Louis, but the next belt is the next step on the ladder. Louis is the one who has him, so he’s my target, and that’s what I’m going after.

“Louis does what he does best, but that’s all he can do.”

Gilley is highly motivated to fight for this television bill, and relishes the opportunities a victory in York Hall would bring.

‘I don’t watch films, I watch Air sports or Only fools and horses” Gilley said. “You almost get that ‘I made it’ feeling.

“The next two fights are set up perfectly. We win this, and we go on to Sam Antwi for the British title, and then we’ve cleaned up domestically, which we always intended to do.

“That will be a huge goal to achieve and after that the sky is the limit.

“I’m very grateful to be fighting for the Commonwealth, but when I was at school I had a little Blackberry and on the screen was a screenshot of the British title – I’d had that for years because that’s the title that every British fighter wants to win.

“If you look through the top ten of the division, there isn’t one easy fight; it’s such a competitive division, but I’m blessed enough to be in a position to be able to challenge for the top spot.

“So I’m excited for Antwi – it’s another great fight for me – it’s not a fight where I believe I can win straight away.

“A very good path has opened up for us, so I’m very excited about that fight.

“You can’t think about the British title, no matter how exciting it is, because you have to think about the fight ahead.

“But this is not a fight where we think this is difficult. It will be a hard-fought battle, but we have all the tools to win this fight well.

‘You have to have self-confidence.

“Everyone seems to want to go door-to-door a bit, but when you do a 100-metre sprint you’re racing, and that’s what boxing should be about: you line up, fight each other and see who’s the best. is..”

Watch Sam Gilley fight Louis Greene on the undercard for Mikael Lawal vs Isaac Chamberlain on a big Saturday night of boxing, live on Sky Sports.