All thoughts of winning of the FA Cup will remain at the back of Cole's mind until Chelsea tie up the Premier League title — especially after Saturday's slip-up at Tottenham.But as soon as that trophy is in the bag, his attentions will turn to the Wembley showdown with Pompey.
And the England ace will trade the national stadium for old haunt Upton Park after the game to see good mate Mitchell battle Katsidis for the interim WBO lightweight crown.
Cole said: "I met Kevin when he had his first professional fight in 2003. I'd heard a lot about him, so I went along to see what all the fuss was about.
"He was a cracking fighter even back then, as well as a top guy, and I've followed him ever since.
"I've been to see him a few times and I wish I'd been at more of his fights. Unfortunately football and boxing often seem to fall on the same day, but I grab any chance I can to watch him."
Cole had the West Ham faithful on their feet on a regular basis before leaving the club for Chelsea in a £6.6million deal in August 2003.
And he reckons Hammers fan Mitchell will do the same when he slugs it out with Aussie Katsidis.
The midfielder added: "Not only is Kevin a skilled fighter who's exciting, he's going to put on a real show at Upton Park.
"Katisdis is a tough man. He's a come-forward fighter and has a lot of guts, but I think Kevin's got more skills, more shots and more variation.
"I'm talking purely as a punter and a boxing fan, but in my opinion he'll have too much for Katsidis.
"Fighting at Upton Park is going to be a dream come true for him. He said to me after his last fight with Ignacio Mendoza that this opportunity is what he wanted the most.
"They've managed to get it on and it's going to be cracking for him. Hopefully it'll be a cracking night for all the punters too and he'll get a really good turnout.
"We've got a young fighter going for a world title and it's important we support him."
Cole admits he may have a fight on his hands to get the rest of Chelsea's stars from Wembley to the East End to support Mitchell.
But he cannot wait to cheer on the undefeated 25-year-old — even if it means taking time out from celebrating winning the FA Cup.
Cole said: "I'm planning on being there to support Kevin. I'd love to come down and hopefully I'll blag myself a ticket somewhere!
"Believe it or not, there's not many boxing fans at Chelsea. They get into the big fights, like David Haye v John Ruiz, but Kevin's well on his way to being at that level.
"I've been telling them all about his fight so I'll get them down if I can."
Cole speaks about the sweet science with as much passion as he does the beautiful game.
And he is full of respect for the work boxers like Mitchell and Haye put in to become the best around.
The 28-year-old said: "Boxing's the hardest sport there is and I hope people get down there on May 15 because these boys deserve every bit of support they get.
"I've met David a couple of times and he's a top fella as well — like most boxers.
"They've had to come up the hard way as it's a right tough sport, yet they're all gentlemen.
"Every boxer I've met has been a real nice fella. Like I've said, all these boys deserve every bit of support and money they get."
As you would expect, Cole is confident his friend will leave Upton Park with the WBO title belt wrapped firmly around his waist.
But he expects Katsidis to last for longer than Mendoza, who Mitchell blasted out inside two rounds in February.
Cole added: "It'll be a right tear-up because of the styles they've got, although I reckon Kevin will win with a late stoppage."
No comments:
Post a Comment