The 28 year old from Hull outscored reigning IBF king Lee Selby over four rounds in Stoke back in May 2009. It remains the sole reverse on the Barry manâs 22 fight pro record.
âA convincing win over Ryan will edge me closer to a rematch. Iâm sure Selby would want one to clean up his record.â recalls the 2007 ABA finalist who hails from the cityâs highly regarded St Paulâs ABC gym.
The solitary defeat on Samâs 17 fight slate (one draw) came in November 2013 when he was rescued 93 seconds from the end of a Commonwealth title class with Leedsâ Josh Warrington when he broke two knuckles in his lead left hand at the end of round three.
A strong sharpshooter, he has rebounded with three points wins over the last 16 months, dropping just one round in the process.
Samir says: âAfter losing my â0â, I became a much calmer fighter. It was all part of learning the game. Today, Iâve far more knowledge, I use a strength and conditioning coach and Iâve cut out the daft shots. I pick my punches far better.â
Managed by Steffy Bull and coached by ex amateur handler Paul Kershaw, the lad from Humberside is confident heâll be coronated at the second attempt and insists he wonât be fazed by his Cromer rivalâs portside stance.
âIâve always been good with southpaws because I grew up with Luke Campbell since the age of seven. I was always his main sparring, the only one who could handle him,â says Samir who makes his challenge on the huge SSE Arena show in Wembley on September 26th.
âRyanâs a good fighter, strong, picks his shots well. Thereâs respect. Weâre pretty similar, both like to switch. I think heâs got a lot more about him than Warrington. Heâs got more flair.
âBut Iâm well prepared and really looking forward to it. This is an absolute 50-50 fight – itâs sure to be very hard – but Iâm confident.
âIf Iâm right on top of my game, I just think I do everything a little bit better. Iâm coming to ruin the party!â
Priced at £40, £50, £75, £100 and £150* tickets are available here
Buglioni v Chudinov headlines âMan vs. Machineâ with London hotshot Frank Buglioni challenging WBA World Super-Middleweight Champion Fedor Chudinov for his crown.
The Channel Of Champions, BoxNation, will televise, live and exclusive on Sky 437/HD 490, Virgin 546 and Talk Talk 415. Subscribe at www.boxnation.com or watch online at Livesport.tv or via iPhone, iPad or Android.
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