“I’ve put my body through the mill and it’s responded well”- Keeler
By Stephen Leonard
LUKE Keeler is extremely confident that he is primed and ready to shock the boxing world by beating Demetrius Andrade in their WBO World Middleweight title fight in Miami on January 30.
The Ballyfermot man has been intense preparation for his greatest challenge yet and insists he has left no stone unturned in the build-up.
Luke Keeler has been in intense preparation
“I’ve had the perfect camp” he told The Echo. “Everything’s gone amazing. I’ve put my body through the mill and it’s responded well. My fitness and by boxing abilities are at a whole new level so I’m peaking at the right time.
“I’ve had a longer camp with great sprinting sessions and my recovery has been better than ever.
“I’ll be flying out [to Miami] on the 22 of January so I’ll have eight days over there, just getting used to it, tapering down and keeping sharp.
“All my work, all my sparring will have been done here. Everything’s on point now so it’ll be just about performing on the night” he said.
While Keeler has fought professionally in Dublin, Belfast and in various venues throughout England, the Meridian at Island Gardens in Miami represents a whole new stage for the 32-year-old boxer.
Still he is not fazed by such a prospect saying “It’s a huge stage, but it’s something I’ve always dreamt about, so it feels natural. I want to enjoy my time there, enjoy the build-up and not put myself under any stress.”
Inflicting on Andrade his first ever defeat represents a huge test for Keeler, but the Dubliner has been building up nicely for this opportunity.
Twice beating Conrad Cummings to get his hand on the WBO European Middleweight title before serving up another great victory over the highly-rated Luis Arias in Belfast last summer, he has certainly earned the right to challenge on the global stage.
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