Boxing fan Luke Young urges Villa to deliver knockout Carling Cup victory

Oct 17 2010 by Mat Kendrick, Sunday Mercury

BOXING fan Luke Young will be hoping Aston Villa can deliver a KO blow of their own when they return to Carling Cup action against Burnley on Wednesday.

Young’s rocky relationship with former boss Martin O’Neill meant the defender’s claret and blue career was on the ropes when Villa twice made it to Wembley last season.  

Back then the popular right-back seemed out for the count at Villa Park after being transfer-listed, but this term he has dragged himself off the canvas and come out fighting.

Young reckons cup success has a nice ring to it and is looking forward to Gerard Houllier’s heavyweights taking on Brian Laws’ Championship challengers in midweek.

The competition is opening up after surprise KOs for Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool and a win on Wednesday would put Villa into the last eight.  

Young admits the claret and blue corner could go all the way to Wembley again if they box clever – and he admits his own passion for pugilism helps him relax between bouts.

“I’m a big fan of boxing,” he revealed. “My brother used to watch it a lot. Marvin Haggler, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran – I’ve read books on them all.

“That middleweight era fascinated me. They were all massive names and they were all fighting each other. Since then I’ve always followed boxing.

“Brian Doogan (Villa’s head of media) writes in The Ring boxing magazine and I buy that and Boxing Monthly and stuff.

“I always try to keep up to date with what’s happening. I enjoy it. I’ve got a lot of respect for them. It’s a one on one contest.

“The hype and the talk that they give and then suddenly they’re in the ring and it comes down to a fight.

“I just think it needs to match up the best fighters in the world a little more. A lot of the time it’s all about names at the minute.

“They’ll get a fighter who’s about 40 but is a name and put him up against someone else and put it on pay per view and it’s not really a great contest but makes a lot of money. I think people want to see the best fighters.”