Moore out to take advantage of second shot at the big time

IRISH light-middleweight boxer James Moore is confident he can take full advantage of a second shot at the big time when he faces Pawel Wolak at Yankee Stadium tomorrow night.

New York-based Moore (17-2, 10 KOs) will be fighting in the co-feature event on the card of Yuri Foreman’s WBA light-middleweight defence against three-time world champion Miguel Cotto in the first title fight at the new baseball arena in the Bronx.

Moore’s fight with Wolak (26-1, 17 KOs) comes 18 months after a unanimous decision North American title defeat to Foreman in Atlantic City that not only propelled the Israeli fighter towards a world title shot but looked to have signified the end of the road for the Irishman.

Foreman went on to win the WBA belt with another unanimous decision victory, this time over Puerto Rican southpaw Daniel Santos on the undercard of the Cotto-Manny Pacquiao clash in Las Vegas last November.

And Foreman’s elevation to world champion status has re-ignited the 32-year-old Moore’s appetite for boxing.

After just one fight in 2009 – a low-key six-rounder in New York over rookie Joseph De los Santos – Moore is planning to come back with a bang on the first card at Yankee Stadium since Muhammad Ali defeated Ken Norton on points in 1976.

Moore said: “I’ve spent some time out. I was very disheartened but after Foreman won the world title that put things in perspective a little bit for me, so I thought I’d come back and give it another shot.

“This is a good opportunity for me now in front of the world’s media, a good chance for me to get back on the world stage. This is a second chance for me, definitely, and this is an opponent that I can beat.”

Moore, from Arklow, County Wicklow, did not turn professional until he was 27, following a stand-out amateur career that saw him claim bronze for Ireland at the 2001 world championships. He has fought out of Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn throughout his professional career and has seen plenty of Wolak.

“I’ve seen him fight loads of times around New York and I’ve done my homework,” Moore said.

“We’ve never sparred but we’ve been in the same gym training and working out several times.

“I definitely think this fella gives me the opportunity to show what I can do and if all things go well Saturday night I’ll get a crack at something decent after. He’s ranked 13th in the WBC and IBF so a victory here would put me closer to the top 10 in both and once you’re in the top 10 you’re always like to get a title shot.”

Moore is also hoping a strong Irish fanbase in New York will help his cause, both on Saturday night and in securing future contests.

He added: “After Cotto I’ve sold the most tickets on this card and with all the tickets I can sell in New York, promoters love that and they’re willing to give a guy a chance if it makes a difference to them financially.

“So victory here will give me a crack at something better.”