British Scene: Scott Lawton vs Leva Kirakosyan Preview

Dave Oakes previews Friday night's Sky Sports show featuring the vacant European super-featherweight title clash between Scott Lawton and Leva Kirakosyan.

Scott Lawton steps down in weight to challenge Leva Kirakosyan for the vacant European super-featherweight title this Friday. It will be Lawton’s fourth attempt at a domestic title but his first in front of his home fans and his first at his new weight.

The fight is being seen as Lawton’s last, and possibly best, chance to secure a title. He’s failed in attempts at the British and Commonwealth titles in the past and at the age of 33, he knows time is running out for him.

Lawton is at his best when he’s allowed the room to jab and pick his opponent off at range, he’s very tall for a super-featherweight but is quite upright and easy to hit, which could be dangerous against someone with Kirakosyan’s punch power.

Kirakosyan isn’t that great technically, he can be slow, he’s got dreadful footwork and gets caught square on, but the one thing he has got is a huge punch. He’s stopped 21 opponents in his 31 wins and boasts two knockout victories over former British champion Carl Johanneson and a multiple knockdown stoppage of Giuseppe Lauri up at light-welterweight.

Kirakosyan will be fighting to regain the title he lost against Sergey Gulyakevich just over two years ago. Gulyakevich showed the best way to beat Kirakosyan – jab, move and don’t let him settle long enough for him to set you up for the big punch. It was a great performance and one which Lawton should be looking to replicate.

As well as the Johanneson victories in Britain, Kirakosyan has also faced Michael Gomez over here in a plucky but ultimately unsuccessful visit for him. He was doing okay in that fight before Gomez landed a few hefty blows that seemed to dishearten him.

Lawton is coming off a good stoppage victory over Derry Matthews and should be confident of claiming the title. The two main worries for me are that he’s fallen short at championship level thus far in his career and hasn’t got the solidest of chins. He was holding his own against Jon Thaxton before wilting under pressure in the seventh round. He was blown away by Amir Khan in four rounds having barely landed a punch and John Murray outworked him and bludgeoned him to defeat in the sixth round of a one-sided fight.

Whilst I don’t believe Kirakosyan is as good as Thaxton, Khan or Murray, I do believe his punch power is enough to have Lawton in serious trouble. Kirakosyan slows in the later rounds and I think Lawton has a chance if he can see out the first six rounds without getting hurt, but I’ve got a feeling that Kirakosyan will land a damaging blow at some point and will take advantage of it to stop Lawton inside eight rounds.

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