Cook stronger for Harrison fiasco

By Ben Dirs

Cook is undefeated in 27 professional encounters

Nicky Cook insists last year's Scott Harrison debacle made him stronger as he prepares for his WBO featherweight clash with Steve Luevano on 14 July.

Cook, from Dagenham, was to have fought then WBO champion Harrison last December but the troubled Scot failed to turn up for the weigh-in.

"One minute I was fighting for the title, the next I wasn't," said Cook, who meets Luevano at London's O2 Arena.

"But I'm over the disappointment and I will come back stronger for it."

Cook, the former British, Commonwealth and European champion, is undefeated in 27 fights and believes he has spotted some chinks in Luevano's armour.

Cook said: "Steven's a quality fighter, he's had 32 wins in 33 fights and doesn't do a lot wrong. But we've seen a few things we can work on.

"I'm over the moon about it being in London and it will take me up to another level knowing it is in a massive arena with all my supporters there.

I'm a counter-puncher - I move around, I jab, I make you miss, I make you pay Steve Luevano

"It's as exciting as it can be - you turn professional at a young age and your aim is to go and win a world title, and to win one in your back yard is even more special."

The 26-year-old Luevano has never fought outside of the US, but does not think he will be overwhelmed by Cook's raucous support.

"I watched the Ricky Hatton-Jose Luis Castillo fight and I was thinking, 'that's the way it's going to be for my fight against Nicky Cook'," said the Los Angeles-born southpaw.

"Everyone will be against me. But on fight night, those people are not going to matter because my focus will be on the fight and Nicky.

"He looks like he's a strong fighter. He moves around and looks like he likes to come in straight at you.

"But we've got a lot of ideas and plans as to how we're going to approach the fight.

"I'll just do what I do best - box. I use my head - I'm not a typical Mexican fighter that just comes straight in and tries to knock your lights out.

"I'm a counter-puncher - I move around, I jab, I make you miss, I make you pay."

The card also features Amir Khan v Willie Limond for the Commonwealth lightweight crown and Matt Skelton v Michael Sprott for the Commonwealth heavyweight title.

And it is the first boxing show at the O2 Arena in Greenwich, formerly the Millennium Dome.

"The O2 Arena is without a doubt the best venue in the world," said promoter Frank Warren.

"This has the makings of a classic fight. You've got two guys who'll give everything and the winner gets into a really good position in a very sexy, very lucrative division."

Warren said he was still trying to negotiate a television deal for the fight - his current contract with ITV expires at the end of this month.