Another Sheffield boxing derby on the way?

Crookes’ veteran Carl Wild has used The Star to call out Eckington cruiserweight Joss Paul - and it looks like he might get his wish at some point next year.

Wild watched Paul stop his opponent in round three of an undercard scrap on the Sam Sheedy v Liam Cameron Commonwealth title classic, at Ponds Forge a week last Friday.

And the boxing binman is now moving up from the Light Heavyweight sector, so his experience (W15 L 27 D5) against the likes of Martin Murray, Luke Blackledge, Enzo Maccarinelli and Ricky Summers and otehrs could be something that would help the development of the unbeaten eight-fight Paul.

“I’d like to fight” said Wild. “In theory I’d be quite a small cruiserweight, which is probably in his favour.

“The Central area title is vacant so I would like to step up and face Joss Paul for that.

“It would be a good night’s fight. I have been around a while, if he faces me who has boxed at a good level, a top level... why not? And if he beats me, which he won’t do, the world is his oyster.

“I am the gatekeeper for the division!”

As for Paul’s fight against 48-loss fighter Florians Strupits from the Ukraine, Wild, 31, said:

“I wasn’t impressed, to be quite honest. The kid was just put there to fall down, pretty much, so I think he got him out there quite late, he should have got there faster.”

Paul said he would be interested in a contest with Wild, and has discussed it already with promoter Dennis Hobson.

“Hopefully we can sort it out for some time early next year” he said.

“His record isn’t great but he’s been in with some top fighters and hardly been stopped.

“He has a lot of experience over me, I believe I’m still learning but this fight would be great for me, I think.

“I am not really sure how a fight with Carl would go, it depends on how many rounds it was. I’ve never been more than four rounds whereas he has fought 10 rounds on several occasions; so maybe I’d have to get a 6/8 rounder under my belt first to see how I’d fare doing more rounds.”

As for his own last fight he said: “I would have liked it to go on a bit longer as I could have done with the rounds but another TKO win on the record is good.

“I’d say my performance was good; I was just getting into my stride before the stoppage.

“I am a lot more confident now.”