Preview: Kid Galahad and James Dickens meet again

Kid Galahad (real name Abdul Barry Awad) and James ‘Jazza’ Dickens renew their rivalry this Saturday as they battle for the vacant IBF world featherweight title.

The fight is a rematch of their 2013 thriller, which saw Galahad score a stunning 10th round knockout to claim the British super bantamweight title.

Eight years later, they find themselves in world title contention, their careers having taken divergent paths to get there. Galahad (27-1, 16 KOs) has passed seamlessly through the various levels of boxing, whereas Dickens (30-3, 11 KOs) had to start from scratch in 2017 after back-to-back losses.

Both fighters reside in the North West of England. They have a long history of sparring and know each other well, but Dickens made it clear he’s focused on exacting revenge on Saturday.

He told www.secondsout.com last week, “We’ve always used each other for sparring because we appreciate each other as fighters, but he’s not my friend.”

He continued, “I’ve visualized this so many times, when he beat me, I knew I would get him again, and I knew he wouldn’t fight me unless it was for a world title”.

Galahad,31, seemed in a relaxed and confident mood.

“The first fight was a very exciting fight, we were both 22 years old, we both put it all on the line, and I came out on top," he told IFLTV. "I believe I will come out on top again, and I will knock him out in a better fashion than the first one.”

While the Sheffield man has progressed to world championship level with more ease, Dickens,30, has also improved and comes into the fight with momentum - having won the eight-man Golden Contract tournament.

Dickens defeated recently crowned WBA champion Leigh Wood by majority decision last year - illustrating the levels at which the Liverpudlian is operating.

Galahad has been frustrated since his controversial split decision loss to Josh Warrington over two years ago. Fighting just once in that time his annoyance reached a peak in January when Warrington vacated the title he had been chasing, the same title he finally contests on Saturday.

In this respect, Dickens has a clear advantage in his activity. While Galahad has been waiting patiently for his shot, the Liverpool native has fought twice in that time against good opposition.

Their records make for an interesting comparison. ‘Jazza’ has fought most of the big names in the British Featherweight scene, while Galahad has fought only two British fighters in his last 16 contests, Warrington and Dickens.

The outstanding name on either man’s resume is Cuban sensation Guillermo Rigondeaux. Dickens was stopped in two by Rigondeaux in 2016. He’s since rebounded nicely.

They are both natural counter punchers. Galahad a switch-hitter from the famed Ingle gym, and Dickens being a southpaw, it would not seem like a good match on paper. Luckily fights are not fought on paper and each man has shown the kind of fortitude to adapt their style and lead with punches when the moment requires. The best example of this would be the first fight.

The pedigree, and boxing background, which lies with Galahad may be the deciding factor.