Philippines, 27 Mar 2026
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


HARDING JR: HE AIN’T GOT HEART LIKE ME!

PhilBoxing.com





'Pester Superstar' promises war with Udofia

John Harding Jr is aiming to win the English Middleweight Title at the second time of asking when he clashes with Luton’s undefeated Linus Udofia in the opening bout of tomorrow night’s show at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, shown live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in the US.

‘Pester Superstar’ (8-1-1, 2 KOs) turned his life around after being released from prison for a third time in 2015 – and he says his journey is only just beginning with Heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte in his corner.

The Brixton fighter fell short in his first attempt at winning the English Title in August 2019 when he was stopped in eight rounds by Little Lever’s Jack Cullen at the Exhibition Centre in Liverpool after taking the fight at short notice.

Harding Jr has been training alongside his manager Whyte in Portugal as ‘The Body Snatcher’ prepares for his huge rematch with Alexander Povetkin on Saturday November 21, and with a longer camp behind him, the 36-year-old is predicting he will become the first man to defeat Udofia.

“My heart separates us,” said Harding Jr. “He ain’t got heart like me. He ain’t fearsome like me. He hasn’t been through what I’ve been through. He might have more experience than me in the ring, but there’s things that have happened outside of the ring that have given me so much experience.

“My heart is too big. I’m not going to back down. I’m a real champion. I know there’s going to be an opportunity for me to land, and when I do land cleanly, he’ll go down. I visualise myself stopping him and the ref waving it off.

“I go into this fight with no fear in me, I know what I have to do to win and I will. I am going to stop him, maximum violence! Linus Udofia is tailor-made for me. He has a bag of tricks but nothing that concerns me, he has cherry-picked his opponents on his way to winning the title which is also why he is still unbeaten. This time he has picked the wrong opponent.

“With Linus we know he’s going to come and box. He’s going to be tight on the back foot, move and do his little fake Lomachenko thing. I know what to expect from him, but he doesn’t know what to expect from me. I’m expecting war because I’m bringing the war. Hopefully he expects that because I’m going to leave it all in the ring. This is going to be fight of the night.”

Udofia vs. Harding Jr is part of a big night of action that sees Croydon’s rising Light-Heavyweight star Joshua Buatsi (12-0, 10 KOs) defend his WBA International Title against undefeated Croat Marko Calic (11-0, 6 KOs), Chantelle Cameron (12-0, 7 KOs) lands a World Title shot in her very first bout as a Matchroom fighter as she takes on Brazil’s Adriana Dos Santos Araujo (6-0, 1 KO) for the vacant WBC Super-Lightweight crown, ‘The Savage’ Alen Babic (4-0, 4 KOs) returns to the UK looking to impress again as he locks horns with Irishman Niall Kennedy (13-1-1, 8 KOs) in an eight round Heavyweight contest, Aqib Fiaz (5-0) and Kane Baker (13-6) look to settle the score after their Fight Camp disappointment and recent Matchroom signing John Hedges make his pro debut at Super-Middleweight against Jan Ardon (2-4).




Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • “Lucky Boy" Alicaba Ready for Action Friday in Thailand
    By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 26 Mar 2026
  • WBO & WBA World Champion René “El Chulo” Santiago Hosts Open Media Workout Ahead of April 3 Title Defense in Tokyo
    , Thu, 26 Mar 2026
  • Former WBA FEDELATIN President Panamanian Aurelio Fiengo passes away
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Thu, 26 Mar 2026
  • The 19th edition of the Kamatyas Rapid Open and Kiddies Chess Tournament on March 28, 2026
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 26 Mar 2026
  • WIG-WHAM! MILLER PLANS ‘OLD SCHOOL’ BEATING OF PERO IN LAS VEGAS
    , Thu, 26 Mar 2026
  • ProBoxTV Bringing a Storm of Flying Leather to Thunder Studios This Saturday, March 28, as Bryan Acosta Collides with Ronny Rios in Crossroads Bantamweight Slugfest
    , Thu, 26 Mar 2026
  • Vito Mielnicki Jr. Training Camp Quotes
    , Thu, 26 Mar 2026
  • Remembering Mr. Elorde: Still the Gold Standard
    By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, , Wed, 25 Mar 2026
  • House of Representatives say yes to the Boxing Revitalization Act and it is now sent to the Senate
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 25 Mar 2026
  • Ryan ‘The Polish Prince’ Kielczweski To return after 4-year layoff to fight at home on Granite Chin’s ‘Rumble at the Rink II’ card
    , Wed, 25 Mar 2026
  • Ellaine Summer Abanco wins silver medal on tiebreak
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Wed, 25 Mar 2026
  • Catubig, McDowell win in DC Athletic 4
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Wed, 25 Mar 2026
  • Team Juna wins first competition in IRONMAN 70.3 Davao
    By Kim delos Reyes-Teves, , Wed, 25 Mar 2026
  • Round 12: Without Promoters there is no Boxing
    By Mauricio Sulaimán, , Wed, 25 Mar 2026
  • Mexican female IBF Champion Irma Garcia to defend on April 5 in England
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 25 Mar 2026
  • 14-0 super middleweight prospect Tommy ‘The Governor’ Hyde to headline April 18th at home in Cork, Ireland
    , Wed, 25 Mar 2026
  • MMA legend Jon Jones joins IBA Bare Knuckle as global ambassador
    , Wed, 25 Mar 2026
  • GOLDEN BOY SIGNS NEW EXCLUSIVE MULTI-YEAR PARTNERSHIP EXTENSION WITH DAZN
    , Wed, 25 Mar 2026
  • “The Takeover” Teofimo Lopez Confirmed for Ninth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Cinco De Mayo Weekend, Saturday May 2, in Las Vegas
    , Wed, 25 Mar 2026
  • Boxlab Promotions Fighters Shine with Statement Victories in Orlando
    , Tue, 24 Mar 2026
  • Red Owl Boxing Presents Box Fest XVII on Friday, April 3rd at The Archer Music Hall in Allentown, PA and LIVE on DAZN
    , Tue, 24 Mar 2026
  • Boxing world fans waiting Isis Sio prompty recovery; Team Isis Sio statement
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Tue, 24 Mar 2026
  • National Master Nika Juris Nicolas rules National Youth & Schools Chess Championships
    , Tue, 24 Mar 2026
  • SD FIGHT NIGHT: FAMILY BUSINESS DOUBLE MAIN EVENTS SET AS JULIUS “JUJU” BALLO SQAURES OFF AGAINST ROMAN REYES AT FRONTWAVE ARENA ON SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2026
    , Mon, 23 Mar 2026
  • "I'M A MAN OF MY WORD": GEORGE LIDDARD COMPLETES MATCHROOM BRENTWOOD HALF MARATHON FOR CHARITY – HOURS AFTER DENNY WIN
    , Mon, 23 Mar 2026




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2026 philboxing.com.