After putting on a masterclass in his ten round victory over Ryan Toms in November, Upton returns to the historic York Hall, Bethnal Green against an opponent who has lost just once in 15 professional outings.
Both men will be in familiar surroundings at ‘the Home of Boxing’, but Upton insists it will be his fans that leave applauding a sublime performance.
“The Upton Clan always come out in force to cheer me on to victory at York Hall and I believe they will do again,” Sonny said.
“I think it’ll be a packed house and a lively atmosphere. McCarthy is from down the road in Tilbury so he’ll have a lot of fans as well, but my supporters are the best in the world and they’ll get behind me, make more noise than McCarthy’s, and spur me onto another win.
“McCarthy’s a good boxer and I’m sure he’ll be giving his all. I just know I’ll have too much for him.”
Upton didn’t let his confidence slip when he suffered a couple of unexpected and controversial setbacks earlier in his career and he now feels it the time is right to make the boxing fraternity sit up and take notice.
He said: “There were probably people who wrote me off early on, but I’m slowly proving them wrong and this fight is just another step towards where I want to get to.
“In some ways I’m glad I haven’t had things all my own way because it’s kept my feet on the ground and made me more determined to work hard in the gym.
“A lot of kids get put under pressure when they first turn over, but I’ve had time to develop and people are starting to see what I’m capable of now.
“I think beating McCarthy will turn a few heads and if I go onto win the English title, those people who doubted me will realise they made a mistake.”
