DERRY CALLS ON OLYMPIAN STALKER

By Elliot Foster, junior reporter

Beatles fan Derry Mathews is hoping for a 'little help from his friends' as he prepares for his IBO lightweight world title fight with unbeaten Italian Emiliano Marsili in January.

I caught up with Derry at Oliver's Gym in Salford on Friday and he admitted his preparations for the January 20th fight are "going superb." But he also revealed his sparring will step up a level after Christmas when he invites friend, Great Britain Olympian and 2012 medal hope, 27-year-old Tom Stalker to join his camp.

Derry said: "My preparation's been fantastic. I've been in training with Oliver [Harrison] already for around seven weeks. Training is going well and you only have to look at who I'm training alongside - Martin Murray , who come next week will be the new world champion. I'm also with the likes of Tony Dodson, Joe Tonks, Rocky Fielding and Karl Skeggs - we're just the Liverpool lads that come up to Manchester every day. At the moment the gym's buzzing and we're all bouncing off each other.

"But I need world class sparring too, to prepare me for such a tough unbtean opponent, and hopefully that's where Tom comes in. He's my first choice for sparring partner for this fight and I hope he's able to make it happen. I'm up against a tough opponent and I'm feeling capable of going out there and doing the job on my own turf, in front of my own fans."

Stalker will captain the Great Britain boxing team into the ring when the Games returns to London next summer. Like Mathews, a product of the renowned Salisbury ABC, the Huyton southpaw will be one of the nation's strongest medal hopes when the bells rings in the capital.

Tickets for the January 20th IBO lightweight title fight between Derry Mathews and Emiliano Marsili, which also includes an undercard packed with homegrown Scouse talent and 34-year-old American veteran Steve Forbes, are available from the Liverpool Olympia box office on 0151 2636633.