Rendall Munroe is out to prove a point to the world

Leicester Mercury

From the moment Rendall Munroe's fight with Scott Quigg was announced, the Leicester man has made it very clear that he believes he has a point to prove to the boxing world.

The pair meet at Manchester Velodrome tomorrow night with Quigg's British super-bantamweight title on the line, together with the interim WBA crown.

Effectively, the winner will be in line for a crack at the world championship, hence Hatton Promotions tagging the show the 'Road to Glory'.

Munroe has already had one tilt at world honours. He lost a unanimous decision to Japan's brilliant Toshiaki Nishioka in Tokyo in October 2010.

Since then, it has been a case of Munroe marking time. He has had three contests in that time, winning them all, but has had to take something of a back seat as Quigg – together with Irish puncher Carl Frampton – has come to the fore.

Quigg has taken the British title, while Frampton has won the Commonwealth belt at 8st 10lb. All the time, though, Munroe has retained his position as the top-ranked British fighter in the division – and he is determined to prove that he is still top dog.

The fight has all the classic ingredients of the seasoned campaigner tackling the young, rising star, and has captured the imagination of British fight fans.

Many feel that the quality Munroe has operated in during the past few years is the key to the fight.

He has twice defeated Spain's hard-hitting Kiko Martinez in European title fights, while he also added the Commonwealth crown to his collection.

Just over two years ago, he took on and beat Victor Terrazas in the WBC title eliminator which paved the way for the memorable trip to the Far East six months later.

In contrast, Quigg may have won all 24 of his fights to date but his record is hardly littered with big names.

However, he has seen off Jason Booth and Jamie Arthur in his last two outings, suggesting that he is maturing nicely.

Booth, though some way beyond his prime, was beaten in seven rounds, while Arthur was stopped in the eighth – though interestingly he did floor Quigg in the fourth, something which will not have gone unnoticed by the Munroe camp.

There is no question that the Bury man is a highly-talented operator and, at 23, has plenty of time on his side.

At issue is whether he is taking on Munroe too soon in his career.

From Munroe's perspective, the major issue is whether he still has that hunger. Everything he has said and done in the build-up to the fight suggests that he still has a burning desire and inner-belief that he can become world champion.

He is adamant, too, that the sponsorship deal he has with Elite Construction, which has enabled him to give up the day job on the Leicester bins, has made him an even tougher nut to crack.

The key is for Munroe to set out and impose himself early on and not allow Quigg to get into the fight.

If Quigg is able to set the pace, he will build confidence and prove a real handful with his two-fisted attacks.

But if Munroe dictates from the off, he has the strength and know-how to make that control pay in the second half of the fight and move to within touching distance of world glory.

Source>  www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/Boxing-Rendall-Munroe-prove-point-world/story-16376429-detail/story.html