10:00am Thursday 25th June 2009
By Anthony Marshall
PADDY Fitzpatrick insists age is not an issue for his latest protégé, and is confident the “fine wine” will be toasting success tomorrow night.
Vatche Wartanian is the latest professional to train under Fitzpatrick’s tutelage at the Boxing Academy, Maxwell Street, following three years on the periphery of the sport.
The 34-year-old, pictured right, takes on Stourbridge’s Kevin McCauley at The Christie Miller Sports Centre, in Melksham, knowing an impressive victory can reignite his career in the ring. And Fitzpatrick believes his man has the ability to achieve that in style on Friday.
“Vatche is supposed to win,” he said. “We are not going there thinking we might win or lose - we are supposed to beat him.
“But it’s just a case of how you beat him because he’s never been stopped.
“Do you go in there and just try to beat him like everybody else? Or do you try and look good?
“For me, I want him to go in there and look good so we enhance our chances and people want to come and see us. We can’t scrape by a guy like this - we are supposed to put him in his place and beat him.
“Vatche has been off a long time but I’ve been surprised how good he looks since he’s been back, especially in his sparring.
“And I get sick and tired of people talking about age. Some of the best in the business are older than him, and age is just a number - it’s not going to hold him back. If anything, Vatche is becoming a better fighter the older he gets.”
Wartanian has made Swindon his home for the last couple of months ahead of his four-round clash with McCauley.
And the Swede paid tribute to his trainer, who he has worked under for the last eight years in America and Germany, saying: “We’ve been together for a long time and Paddy is the best trainer I’ve ever had.
“Variety is what makes him so good. He’s not afraid to say he’s learning from other trainers, and his training has variety all the time so you learn new stuff.
“You need variety and to have the confidence to try different stuff. OK, you may take a punch or two along the way, but it makes you a better all-round boxer. You need different game plans for each fight. You can’t just have A and B. You need A, B, C and D.”
And when it comes to tomorrow’s bout, the man dubbed ‘The Warrior’ cannot wait to step in the ring.
“I’m as well prepared as I can be, and I’m confident,” he said. “I’m confident that it’s going to be a great victory.
“People say I’m like fine wine - I get better with age. So now it’s up to me to go out there and prove it.”
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