MCALLISTER: BRING ON THE ENGLISH

Hennessy Sports8th January, 2009

Lee McAllister believes boxing away from his home in Aberdeen will bring out the best in him when he challenges John Murray for the British Lightweight Title at the Robin Park Centre in Wigan on Saturday, 17th January 2009.

In a fight that will be shown live on ITV4, Murray (Manchester) makes the first defence of his British title since beating fellow Hennessy Sports boxer Lee Meager in July.

McAllister will try to end the unbeaten record of Murray and for the Scottish boxer it will be the first time he has fought south of the border in two and a half years.

There will be a lively atmosphere at the venue on the night for the England versus Scotland fight, and McAllister is looking forward to it.

"I’ve got quite a big following up in Aberdeen and it’s a great atmosphere when I box, but not so many of them will be there on the night when I fight John in Wigan," said Lee.

"But that doesn’t bother me. I might get booed but that won’t affect me because the pressure will be on Murray. He will have all his supporters there and he is champion.

"When you are away from home it takes away all the pressure on you, and that’s a good thing for me in this fight. I don’t know anyone in Wigan.

"When I’m fighting in Aberdeen, I might sell 2,000 tickets and they will all be coming to see me and I have to keep them happy by doing the business in the ring.

"But for this fight I don’t have that added pressure and I can just think about the fight and not worry about keeping my home fans happy."

McAllister hopes victory over Murray will lead to an all-Scottish fight with former world super-featherweight champion Alex Arthur.

"It would be a great fight for Scotland if I could fight Alex and anything is possible in boxing," said Lee. "I know Alex but I don’t know which direction he’s going in next but it would be something I would be up for."

Tickets are available from the Ticketline Box Office on 0871 424 4444 or via www.ticketline.co.uk

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