Kurt Walker Grateful for Hard Start Going into Beech Bash
Kurt Walker has more than once jokingly suggested he is due ‘an easy one’ after being forced to battle his way past tough away opponents since turning over.
The Olympian has found himself matched quite hard by Jamie Conlan and found himself in with game, aggressive, and teak tough foes across his first ten fights.
The 29-year-old hasn’t been given ‘know your role’ journey men with the likes of Jonatas Rodrigo Gomes de Oliveira and Darwing Martinez in particular, coming to take his scalp by taking his head off.
It’s an approach that has prompted the Conlan Boxing fighter to roll his eyes in jest post victories he was made to work for, but they are workouts he is grateful for going into his first headline fight in Belfast this weekend.
The skilled featherweight fights James Beech for a vacant WBA ranking title at the Ulster Hall on Conlan Boxing’s Breakout card this weekend – and believes the hard rounds have him ready for the step up.
“Thankfully, the way Jamie has matched me I think only one opponent has been negative but every other opponent I have fought has tried to beat my head off,” he told Boxingscene.
“I don’t know if that’s because they see an opportunity to beat an Olympian when he’s new to the pro game or what it was but Jamie matched me quite tough in a journeymen sense. Those boys were trying to win. Maybe one or two of them were there to mess about but the rest of them were hard fights.
“You can be 100 times more talented than someone and it can still be hard fight. That’s the thing I’ve felt most. In the amateurs it’s three rounds and if you’re better than somebody you’ll show it. In six and eight round fights you can be levels and levels above but they can hit hard and bring you down. Things are just different in that kind of way. You can never be too sure.”
Despite the fact he hasn’t had it easy, Beech Jr still represents a step up for the Canal BC graduate.
He has shared the ring with reigning British and Commonwealth champion, Nathaniel Collins and fancied prospect Hopey Price among others.
The English fighter has lost the majority of times he has stepped up but has been keen to point out his defeats have come against southpaws of note, and that the experience of a higher-quality fight will stand to him against the Belfast man.
“Listen, every fighter’s different,” comments a calm Walker. “I’m not gonna go around saying I’m a knockout artist because I’m not. My main thing is my boxing and my brain. Ten-round fights are completely different compared to doing six or eight. You can break people down and get them out of there late when you’re giving them a lot of punishment. I’ve been working on stuff in the gym and I think this fight at this stage of my career is perfect for me.
“I think it’ll be an exciting fight because it’ll sway in both ways. I think your man will come and try and have his moments early so he’ll put a bit of pressure on. I think it’ll be a good little fight and there will be levels to it.”
