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English champ wants to be best of British
SHEFFIELD boxer Ross Burkinshaw has sent a cheeky message across to South Yorkshire's latest champion: "You're just keeping the belt warm for me."
Doncaster's Jamie McDon-nell won the British bantamweight title in Brentwood, Essex, last month.
He is now set to challenge for the European title in France shortly.
Burkinshaw, England's English super-flyweight title-holder, wants to take the Lonsdale Belt off him.
The Sheffielder lost an attempt at the British super-flyweight title in Sunderland last July - but that hasn't put him off.
He said: "I'm still super-flyweight English champion, which obviously isn't as good as a British and Common-wealth crown, but I have stepped up to bantamweight.
"He is just keeping it warm for me until I get the opportunity to fight him, if he'll give me the opportunity, which I think he will. He is a good lad, an excellent fighter."
Burkinshaw said he would bring a contingent of fans if they boxed, in either Doncaster or Sheffield.
"It would be brilliant, an excellent fight. And I am confident I'll beat him, but not taking anything away from Jamie. He has got skill and determination. He is the same age as me, 23, and an inch taller," he said.
"If he wants to keep it (Lonsdale belt) outright, obviously then he has to defend it three times so he should be confident enough to beat me.
"I am coming off a British title loss, he is coming off a British title and Common-wealth win, so it's in his favour to fight me and if he wants to be the best in Britain, then he needs to fight the best in South Yorkshire."
Burkinshaw claimed his "big right hand" would be a deciding factor.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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