HOMETOWN favourite Damien Lock says his middleweight bout against Joshua Butler at Battle on the Goldfields 3 could potentially be his swansong in pro-boxing.
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The 39-year-old, whose seven fights have yielded two wins, four losses and one draw, will lock horns with Joshua Butler (2-5) over six rounds at the September 8 showcase at Bendigo Stadium.
Lock and Butler are no strangers to each other having previously met in the ring in Melbourne in late 2006.
The Bendigo fighter took the honours in their four-round bout with a unanimous points decision.
Undecided whether the rematch would be his last as a professional, Lock is nevertheless eager to impress after his last bout in Bendigo ended with a first round knockout loss at Battle on the Goldfields 2 against Cameron Kaddour in 2016.
“The last time out wasn’t so great, so hopefully I can put on a good show this time and hopefully get the win in what could possibly be my last fight,” he said.
“I’m turning 40 later this year, so I am getting to the stage where I need to weight things up – we’ll see how it goes.”
Lock, who played 18 AFL games with Carlton in 1998-99 as recently as last year was the playing coach of Loddon Valley club Marong, likened his recovery from in-ring battle to that of a football pre-season.
“To get yourself fit enough to get through a fight is very demanding and time consuming,” he said.
“I didn’t start boxing to well into my 30s and only tuned pro at 37.
“To get eight fights out of myself, I’m pretty happy with that, so hopefully I can get a win on this card and see how it ends up.
“I’ll leave no stone unturned to get myself in the best shape I can.”
Lock is one of three fighters from the Eaglehawk-based Tribe Boxing gym on the card, which will be headlined by fights involving Tim Tszyu, the son of Australian boxing legend Kosta Tszyu, and world super flyweight title contender Andrew Moloney.
He will be joined by Scott Tuddenham and Lorrinda Webb, who will become the first female fighting out of Bendigo to have a professional bout.
Lock anticipated he would have his hands full with Butler, who lost his most recent fight in April by majority decision.
“He’s improved quite a lot and I know it’s going to be a very tough fight,” he said.
“He’s very tough and keeps coming – you have to be on your toes for the full duration.”
The former Carlton midfielder, who football journey included stops at Eaglehawk, Colbinabbin, North Bendigo and Marong, said he had relished his time away from the game in 2018, but hinted at becoming involved again once his boxing career is done.
“I’d like to coach again one day, but I’m not sure when. We’ll have a look at it down the track,” he said.
Tickets for Battle on the Goldfields 3 are available through Ticketek.
I’ll leave no stone unturned to get myself in the best shape I can.
- Damien Lock