Gary Cornish will enter this weekend’s O2 Arena headliner as a Heavyweight, but an even heavier underdog. The 12-rounder will see both fighters putting their undefeated records on the line, with the victor set to take home the Commonwealth strap.
But Cornish, who hails out of Scotland, is confident he can silence his doubters and put a stop to Joshua’s 13-fight winning streak which has seen him knockout every opponent. Cornish may not be a household name himself, but boasts a record of 21 wins, 12 knockouts knockouts. And at 6′ 7″, he’s of ‘good Heavyweight stature’.
“Too many people in the media have talked about this fight,” said Cornish in a recent press release. “I know that many people are underestimating me and I’m not bothered about that. I’m a quiet guy who just goes about my own business. I don’t listen or pay any attention to what they say. I’m not going to give anything away on what we are going to do – but I will surprise people on the night.”
The humble Scotsman plans to do his job as usual, and to leave London with his unblemished record intact.
“I’m going to turn up to fight and win as I always do. I’m there to have a fight with Joshua and I’m confident I can outbox him and I can stop him. We are two undefeated fighters who are willing to put their 0’s on the line – both big punchers and it definitely won’t see the final bell, someone is getting knocked out. I’m relaxed and quietly confident in myself, I respect him but we will be victorious.”
If Cornish was to conquer Joshua, it would be a tremendous upset, indeed. Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing has a lucrative future planned with Joshua, which will kick off in December with the help of fellow Brit Dillian Whyte – provided the pair remain undefeated on Saturday.
Whyte (15-0, 12 KO), an Olympic prospect who holds a win over Joshua in the amateurs, will be facing Brian Minto (41-9, 26 KO) in the co-support. Also on the card, Dave Ryan (17-8, 4 KO) and John Wayne Hibbert (15-3, 9 KO) will be squaring off in a Junior Welterweight rematch, and Ricky Boylan (13-2, 4 KO) will be facing Cassius Conner (12-9-2, 1 KO) in another 140 pound clash. See the full Joshua-Cornish line-up.
Joshua vs Cornish will air live on Sky Sports 1, September 12th.
Give us your take on Gary Cornish’s words of determination. Does he have a shot at derailing the Anthony Joshua train?
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