If you search the names ‘Anthony Fowler’ and ‘Scott Fitzgerald’ on YouTube, you can find a old clip of both Commonwealth gold medallists being interviewed side-by-side about their respective medal hauls and aspirations for the future.
As the pair chinwag amicably with each other and the news presenters about relatively mundane subjects such as their diet and training schedules, it’s profoundly difficult at the point to envisage their futures once again becoming intertwined several years later, this time as undefeated professionals, in the form of a high-profile grudge match at Liverpool’s Echo Arena.
Indeed, in the current climate of British promoters enthusiastically fuelling domestic rivalries due to their inherently lucrative nature, fans could be forgiven for thinking that any animosity between the pair is somewhat contrived, for purposes of enhancing the viewership and interest.
But the truth is that even without the added needle, this remains an interesting fight for the fans. The spiteful exchanges on social-media, which have become increasingly heated and personal in tone as fight night inexorably approaches, will only serve to add to the intrigue when the two fighters once again come to face-to-face. It doesn’t appear to a typical pantomime regional derby akin to Whyte-Chisora or DeGale-Groves; it seems to be something much darker and much more significant for both fighters.
🎥 | FOWLER-FITZGERALD FIERY FACE-OFF! 🔥@afowler06 and @Scottfitz91 exchange verbals at today's face-off ahead of their WBA International super welterweight grudge match on Saturday on the #SmithEggington undercard… 👇
Who are YOU picking? 🤔#Boxing#FowlerFitzgeraldpic.twitter.com/b0TZsXi2ed
— Boxing Social (@boxing_social) March 28, 2019
Fowler, the betting favourite and more decorated fighter, defeated Fitzgerald in the amateurs; something which the Preston-born fighter is naturally keen to downplay. Recently, however, Fitzgerald showcased tenacity and punching power coupled with a merciless finishing instinct to stop a slippery and tricky Craig Morris in the final round of their fight. These attributes, in addition to his superior professional experience, is presumably why many commentators are tipping Fitzgerald to inflict Fowler with his first defeat in ten fights.
Fowler’s detractors will argue that unlike Fitzgerald, he hasn’t encountered any adversity in his career so far, and that this is something that will be both plainly evident on fight night and also be a crucial factor in determining outcome. The Liverpudlian’s trainer Dave Coldwell would no doubt counter this point with the suggestion that Fowler is simply too good and makes his fights look easy.
‘The Machine’ is also promising a continuation of that trend come Saturday night, in that he will violently dispatch of his adversary inside five rounds before moving on to challenge Ted Cheeseman for the British title or Sergio Garcia for the European title. Ultimately, it’s reasonable to expect a decision or perhaps a late stoppage victory for the home favourite, when taking into consideration the fact that he is fighting someone who is – albeit marginally less skilled – equally stubborn and equally motivated to settle a score that has been festering for months.