Martin Ward, Tommy Ward, Daniel Cope coach wants boxers to impress

Boxers Martin and Tommy Ward with sponsors Paramount Group directors, Andrew Marshall, Ian Brown and Kane Hobson.

Three of the Hartlepool trainer’s star men are in action at the Houghton venue tomorrow night – the Ward brothers, Martin and Tommy, and Daniel Cope, one half of Fannan’s other sibling sluggers.

The Wards have foes from Baltic nations as they tune up for major championship tests in the early summer.

Martin, the elder of the brothers, tackles Latvia’s Dimitrijs Gutmans over six rounds.

Tommy will also get six rounds, taking on Simas Volosinas, from Lithuania.

Cope, meanwhile, has domestic opposition, when he faces the vastly-experienced Midlander, Kevin McCauley.

For all three of the Fannan stable, there should be no sleepless nights this evening.

But the trainer, as befits a coach of his standing, is refusing to take anything for granted and he feels his boxers will act in the same manner. In fact, he insists there is pressure to perform given there are huge occasions around the corner.

Martin is to challenge Abigail Medina for the European super-bantamweight title, while Tommy has a May 13 confrontation for the British belt against holder, Jazza Dickens, in Leeds.

“I never tire of watching the lads box, “ said Fannan. “I’m looking forward to it.

“There is pressure on them given they have title fights coming up.

“They can’t afford any slip-ups, cuts, injuries etc.

“They need a bit of a performance.”

Their opponents are not unfamiliar – Tommy has beaten Martin’s opponent in the past and vice-versa.

“It’s funny, when the matches were made, both my lads warned each other,” said Fannan. “Tommy said to Martin about Gutmans being strong and Martin mentioned about Volisinas being a tough lad.

“It was nice to hear them putting each other on their guards.”

Cope has a four-round sprint against McCauley, who recently picked up a win on the road.

“It’s not an easy fight,” said Fannan. “But Daniel’s done plenty of sparring – he did six rounds with Basi Razaq and looked good.

“This is not a foregone conclusion. I expect a hard night’s work.

“But Daniel is coming into this fight on the back of winning the Northern Area title, and I’m looking foer a performance to match his status.”

For tickets, call Neil on 07891101399.