Sunday Mercury
January 9, 2005, Sunday

Andy Halder cannot wait to fight Arsen Khachatrian

IAN CLARKSON DETERMINED

ANDY Halder is being lined up for a crack at the WBF World
Middleweight title in March.

Halder, 31, currently holds the WBF Inter-Continental belt and his
manager, Jack Weaver, is in talks to set up a fight with Arsen
Khachatrian.

He came of age in 2004 when he picked up the Midland Area title as
well, and would relish the chance of fighting the Armenian-born,
French-based champion.

Khachatrian has won 25 of his 26 fights and the plan would be to
bring him over to Coventry in early March.

But there is also a possibility of Halder meeting Donovan Smillie in
a British title final eliminator. It would double up as an English
title fight with the winner taking on Scott Dann later in the year.

But Halder has slammed rumours that he is being lined up to fight
Coventry’s other middleweight hope – Steve Bendall.

Bendall, who lost against Dann for the British title in September,
has been based in Bournemouth but looks set to return to the
Midlands.

Yet Halder insists he will not be locking horns with Bendall in the
foreseeable future.

‘People have been asking me when I am going to fight Bendall, but it
isn’t going to happen,’ said Halder.

‘He has spoken to Jack recently, so could well be in our camp soon,
and we have no reason to fight each other at present either. I have
got a feeling that 2005 is going to be my year as I have improved
enormously in the last 12 months.

‘I told Jack that I had a dream recently where I won a really big
fight – I hope it comes true.

‘If there was a world title fight in Coventry I am sure we could pack
out any venue.

‘Whoever I fight, Smillie or Khachatrian, I am confident of winning.
The French bloke has won 25 of his 26 fights, but a lot of his fights
have been set up for him.

‘It is easy to have an impressive record if you are fighting
debutants and journeymen.

‘I reckon that people look at my record, see that I only have one
knockout and think that they have a chance.

‘But they don’t realise that I have been in against some good people.
I haven’t fought any mugs.

‘The power is there but it is harder to knock good fighters down.

‘However, when I beat Roddy Doran earlier in the year, I was the
first person to knock him down.’

Halder, who is now full-time following his decision to quit his job
as a trucker four months ago, will be raring to go when his schedule
is announced.

‘The Technician’, as he is known, has been training flat out over the
festive period, apart from Christmas Day.

And Halder hopes that he won’t have any more false starts after a
frustrating end to 2004.

‘I think that the BBBC should introduce a rule that stops boxers
cancelling on the day of a fight.

‘I drove all the way up to Sunderland for a bout in November, only to
be told that my opponent had pulled out at the last minute.

Frustrating

‘That can’t be right and I was fuming. I ended up boxing in an
exhibition, which is basically a glorified sparring session. And then
I was due to fight Jason Collins in December – who is from the same
camp as Smillie – and he pulled out on the morning of the fight.

‘Something needs to be done as it is really frustrating. However, I
won’t be ring-rusty when I get my title shot his year – I know that
for a fact.’

Meanwhile, Stourbridge’s Rob Norton could well be taking on John
‘Buster’ Keeton for the vacant English cruiserweight title next
month.

Norton is hoping for a crack at the British title against Mark
Hobson, but may well take the fight against Keeton to keep busy.