McCullough eyeing Martinez upset

WAYNE McCullough says he is ready to shock European champion Kiko Martinez and then go on to fight for the world super-bantamweight title in 2008.

The 37-year-old former world bantamweight champion has not boxed in two years but insists that he does not need a warm-up before facing Spaniard Martinez in a non-title ten-rounder at the King’s Hall in Belfast on December 1.

Speaking from his adopted home of Las Vegas, Belfast-born McCullough said: “I’m always in great shape, I haven’t stopped training twice a day for two years so I know that I’ll be ready for Martinez.

“I believe if I beat Martinez then I can go on to fight for a world title maybe against (WBC champion) Israel Vasquez next year.”

Martinez shocked Irish hero Bernard Dunne when he took the European title from him with an 86-second defeat in August in Dublin.

McCullough, though, says he is unconcerned about the Spaniard’s punching power.

“He’s unbeaten and has a lot of knockouts on his record but I’ve been in with bigger punchers — guys like Erik Morales and Naseem Hamed and they couldn’t put me down,” added McCullough.

“He hasn’t fought in my class before — when he beat Dunne he caught him cold and caught him around the temple and that can happen to anyone.”

Dean Francis will make a defence of his Commonwealth light-heavyweight title on the same show against Nigeria’s Michael Gbenga, while new Irish middleweight sensation Andy Lee is also on the bill.