Jason Booth and Jamie Arthur are two lovely guys who have given the game everything and have both had their ups and downs along the way.
We know all about Jason's but Arthur has talked about retirement a couple of times if he loses and has actually retired a couple of times, but then he's come back again and carried on!
Booth: there's another chapter left in his story, says Jim
Usually when fighters talk about hanging up the gloves I think that's a bad sign and that they're better off doing it, but Arthur is a little different. He's always in great shape, always fit and you know he is not coming back to pick up some holiday money.
We saw that last time when he came back and beat the Scot Kris Hughes to take the Commonwealth title. Arthur may be Welsh, but I was delighted for him; he thoroughly deserved it.
As for Jason Booth, well you just can't help but love him and his whole story. To think that he was in the gutter but has somehow turned his life around means we all want him to do well, all have a soft spot for him.Jim Watt
Quotes of the week
LIVE ON SKY SPORTS
British & Commonwealth
Super-Bantamweight title
Jason Booth v Jamie Arthur
8.00pm, Sat, Sky Sports HD1 & 1As for Jason Booth, well you just can't help but love him and his whole story. To think that he was in the gutter but has somehow turned his life around means we all want him to do well, all have a soft spot for him. It would have topped it all off had he beaten Steve Molitor and become a world champion in September, but it wasn't to be.
I felt sorry for Jason because if ever Molitor was beatable it was that night; he just wasn't at his best. But give Booth a lot of credit for not allowing him to be at his best and the fact that one of the judges had it level, shows you how well he did.
To take any world champion to a majority decision shows you are a world-class boxer and I was happy to see Jason acknowledging that himself afterwards. He has boxed for European and won British titles but he showed what he can do and while some fighters build up and up towards a world-title fight and if they lose, it really hits them hard, dents their whole confidence, I don't see that happening with Jason.
Because he kept it so close, he can be pleased with his performance and because of where he has been in his life, he is probably able to put defeat in perspective more than most fighters. It was only a defeat and not a blight on his whole career.
Advantages
He is taking this at short notice but it was a match made at short notice, so that shouldn't be a worry. Had Arthur been in training for someone else it would have made a difference, but they are both in the same boat on that front.
Arthur though, will be in great shape; he always is. He thrives on conditioning and you always know that fitness and stamina will not be a problem. This is pretty much a case of Arthur's workrate versus Booth's skill and we know Jamie is going to be throwing a lot of punches.
He also has all the physical advantages in terms of height and reach but you would probably say that is the case for the majority of little Jason's opponents! Arthur will be the one who leads off and will probably set the pace, but Booth is so skilled, so good at making people miss, that he will nullify some of that.
He will also land with plenty of counters, which he has done throughout his career Booth has only ever lost to decent fighters, at European level or above and you have to say that Arthur is not as good as any of them.
If he can take advantage of his height it is a fight the Welshman can win, but I just think there is another chapter in the Jason Booth story. I can see him banging shots in on the counter which should make for the perfect match-up - and be enough for him to win this on points.
