British lightweight champion Scott Cardle eyes step up to world level - if he can beat Kevin Hooper in title defence

The lightweight fighter makes his final defence of the British title against Kevin Hooper at the SSE Hydro, on the undercard to Ricky Burns’ world title defence against Kiryl Relikh.

Cardle remains undefeated as a professional and he is hoping his promoter Eddie Hearn will secure him some big fights at either European or World level if he can put on a sparkling display in Glasgow.

He said: “I’m hoping to step up to world level, it’s a big jump so we’ll have to see. The good thing for me is in the lightweight division in Britain is there is two world champions.

“I might get shortlisted for that but I’m all about taking my steps carefully, I’ll just have to wait and see what Eddie Hearn has to say.

“I’m happy with going for a European shot first, but I’m totally focused on this fight first. Being back in Glasgow I want to prove myself more than anything and start building a good support base around Glasgow.”

Cardle was born and raised in Lytham St Annes but his mother and father hail from Barrhead and several family members still stay in the area.

His Scottish heritage is clearly very important to Cardle and he says he has a lot of fond memories of visiting family in Barrhead and still feels a strong bond with the town.

He said: “All my family are based in Scotland, most of them are around Paisley, Barrhead and Glasgow. I’ve lived in Lytham all my life, I’ve picked up an accent that’s not really North/West of England, it’s a bit of both.

“I’m proud to carry on the heritage.

“I used to come up to Barrhead a lot, we have a lot of cousins from there. I used to love coming up and seeing the family and going to Tony’s Central Cafe for an ice cream.

“I’ve got some very fond memories from Barrhead, I have a great connection with the area.”

For tickets to see Scott Cardle’s title defence contact Joe Cardle on 07889947147 or visit scottycardle.com for more information.