Small can take out McDonagh on Friday.
2/1 SMALL TO WIN BIG
By Derek Bilton
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Anthony Small, hot on the trail of big domestic rival Ryan Rhodes, will be looking to send out a message to the Sheffield man on Friday night by disposing of British and Commonwealth light-middleweight title challenger Thomas McDonagh in Wigan.
Small of course won said belts earlier this year with a hugely impressive stoppage win over Matthew Hall in front of a hostile crowd at the MEN Arena. And with Rhodes having recently stopped Jamie Moore to win the European title at light-middle - and put himself in line for a crack at the WBC world title - Small knows he needs another big showing at the Robin Park Centre to stoke interest in a possible Small v Rhodes showdown in 2010.
With Moore having now admitted defeat in his battle to make 154 and moved up to middleweight it's clear that Rhodes and Small are the two best light-middles in Britain.
A fight between the pair would be intriguing but Small knows he has to keep winning and keep winning well if he is to get a shot at the evergreen Rhodes. The bookies are not expecting him to come unstuck against McDonagh with the Londoner a 'best' price 1/7 for the win.
Mancunian McDonagh has been a pro for over a decade and has amassed a pretty impressive 34-2-3 (7) record. He has won a WBU international title at the weight and his best win probably came against Bradley Pryce over 12 rounds in 2004.
That's the same Bradley Pryce who stopped Small at the O2 Arena in 2007. To date that is Anthony's sole defeat as a pro but he has rebounded well winning five on the spin (all inside schedule).
At his best McDonagh is a crafty, elusive fighter who should still have plenty of fight in him at 28. His only defeats as a pro have come via contentious decisions against Wayne Alexander (2006) and in his last fight against Sam Webb when he lost a British title eliminator by a solitary point up in Sunderland back in the summer.
Eyebrows were raised how he actually got this fight ahead of Webb despite having lost on Wearside but he won't be complaining and he knows this is a massive opportunity to really kick on.
The 'Storm Boy' has plenty of ability but was criticised early in his career for not taking the sport seriously enough. He'll need to be serious against Small who is a spiteful puncher with fast hands who throws shots from wildly unorthodox angles.
Styles make fights and it is possible that this could end up a stinker as neither protagonist has a particularly fluid style. However buoyed by his recent success against McDonagh's former stablemate Hall I fancy Small to go looking for his Manchester opponent and try and take him out.
McDonagh has never been stopped as a pro but he's never been in with a banger such as Small, who has the momentum in this one having won his last five inside and who can land odds of 2/1 by making it six stoppages in a row.
On Saturday night the forgotten man of the super-middleweight division, Lucien Bute, again defends his IBF world title against Librado Andrade.
The pair met just over a year ago with Bute claiming a decision win in Quebec.
However many observers felt he was massively fortunate to hold onto his title after he was dropped heavily in the final round. Bute looked 'gone' but after a dubiously long count was allowed to continue and somehow managed to cling on till the final bell.
The physically strong Andrade will be looking to right a perceived wrong in this return, also in Quebec, but I'm not sure if the 28-2 (21) Mexican has the technical ability to beat Bute, who is a classy operator who has yet to lose in 24 pro bouts.
29-year-old Bute has dropped under the 168-pound radar somewhat due to his non-involvement in the ongoing Super Six series but 'Le Tombeur' has beaten some decent names such as Sakio Bika, William Joppy and Fulgencio Zuniga and he's a portsider who is difficult to look good against.
I was somewhat surprised to see Bute chalked up as such a hot (2/7) jolly for this return given what went on in their first fight but I expect the Romanian to have make the adjustments this time round and win far more convincingly on points.
Sadly the layers also see Bute via decision as the most likely call and with such an outcome no bigger than 4/9 then a watching brief is best advised.
Preview posted at 0800GMT on 25/11/2009
