Quigg on Carroll: ‘I’m Not Scared Of Him’
With 26 wins via knockout, Scott Quigg knows what it takes to earn the big wins. Primarily fighting in the bantamweight division, Quigg will look for a new challenge when he faces Jono Carroll in a super-featherweight showdown on March 7.
“I respect any fighter that gets through the ropes,” Quigg stated about his opponent. “It only takes one punch to change a fight. He’s the slightly bigger man. I’m strong enough, I hit hard enough, I’m tough enough, and the main thing is I’m more than smart enough to deal with the bigger guys.”
Quigg (35-2) is coming off of a TKO-win against Mario Briones back in October inside Boston’s TD Garden. It was a rebound following a loss to Oscar Valdez back in March 2018 via unanimous decision. The bout was for Valdez’s WBO Featherweight World Title. After the fight, Quigg announced he fractured his foot while training, resulting in Quigg coming in at 142.2 pounds, about 6.6 pounds more than his opponent.
The former WBA Super-Bantamweight Champion lost the title against Carl Frampton in 2016, ending a reign that started in 2012. He now faces Carroll (17-1-1), who is coming off of a unanimous decision win over Eleazar Valenzuela back in August. That ended a streak in which the IBF Inter-Continental Junior-Lightweight Champion went 1-1-1. His last fight before the Valenzuela fight was a unanimous decision loss to Tevin Farmer back in March for the IBF Junior-Lightweight Title.
“I proved that day in day out at the Wildcard,” Quigg continued. “People like Jono come through the Wildcard door every day and I’ve sparred and dealt with many people like him. I’m not taking it lightly, but I know what I need to do. I’ve put the right preparation in and I’m more than ready.
“The amount of nonsense he talks, because he talks that much, he starts to believe it. If he didn’t believe it he’d start going into himself, he’d start having the doubts. He hopes I’m scared. Unfortunately for him, I’m not scared of him.”
Quigg teams up once again with Joe Gallagher, who has helped fighters like Anthony Crolla, Callum Johnson and Liam Smith. The 31-year-old is hoping for a Super-Featherweight Title fight down the line. A win against Jono could help his cause.
“When I beat him, this will put me back where I want to be, at the forefront of getting a World Title shot,” Quigg stated. “The big thing I’m happy about is being back at home, showing the public I’m back. I’d love rematches with the two people that beat me, Frampton and Valdez, I’d love to get rematches with them. All of my focus at this moment is on Carroll. Once I’ve dealt with him, that’s when I’ll think about what’s next.”
Quigg v. Carroll takes place inside the Manchester Arena in London. The event will be showcased on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in the United States.