Luke Campbell proved himself to be one of the world’s most promising Lightweights after crushing fellow Hull-native Tommy Coyle in August. The Olympic Gold Medalist, who boasts an unbeaten record of 12 wins, 10 knockouts, will now feature on the Anthony Joshua-Dillian Whyte undercard on December 12th.
The 27-year-old fighter will be looking to shine on another nationally watched UK event, though his O2 Arena opponent has not yet been confirmed. Given the bout is a long way off, we’ll be hoping promoter Eddie Hearn can find him a worthy challenger. Perhaps a risky-ish match-up against puncher Derry Matthews? Or even Scotland’s former champ Ricky Burns?
(Don’t miss our Luke Campbell vs Britain’s Top 5 Lightweights feature!)
Campbell has always told the media his plans are to soar to the greatest heights of boxing, and has now mentioned he’s eyeing a rumble with Jorge Linares. Venezuela’s Linares shattered the dreams of Britain’s Kevin Mitchell last May, after the Londoner failed in his third bid to capture a world title. It was an emotional night for Brits, to say the least.
“Of course he [Linares] is on the radar,” Campbell told Sky Sports. “Anyone who’s got a world title belt is on my radar. For me, he is probably the lightweight that stands out in world boxing the most at the minute. He’s a three-weight world champion.
“I was sat ringside when he boxed Kevin Mitchell. I was gutted for Kevin because I wanted him to win but he put Linares down. It was unfortunate his eye swelled up and he fought half the fight blind – it’s hard enough fighting a good guy with two eyes!”
Campbell will need another step up from the likes of Tommy Coyle before Hearn lets him anywhere near someone of Linares’ caliber. Or so you’d think, if business has any part to play. It’s easy to envision a huge domestic clash like Campbell-Mitchell materializing sometime next year. Now that would be a great setup for a world title fight for Campbell – assuming he wins.
Campbell-Mitchell wouldn’t quite be Brook-Khan, but it would certainly hit the sports pages, maybe even warranting a PPV price tag.
What are your thoughts on Luke Campbell co-featuring on Joshua-Whyte? Who do you want to see Mitchell in with, and how long will it be before he’s ready for a hard clash with someone like Linares?
Mark Phillips is the Head Staff Writer/Assistant Editor at BoxingBase.com, and provides worldwide news, coverage and analysis – he can be reached via our Contact Page.
