Ben Capps on Buttigieg rematch: “I’ll fight him differently this time”

 
IF Ben Capps has proven anything over the course of his enthralling fifteen fight professional career, it’s that he’s more than willing to take a punch to land one of his own.

 
Fight of the Year candidates with Oscar Ledlin in 2013 and Anthony Buttigieg last year have shown the mentality of a fighter that will fight anyone put in front of him – and more often than not – win in the process.

 
Fresh off an impressive stoppage win over talented American veteran Fred Tukes in March, a rematch of an earlier disputed draw, Capps (11-2, 3 KOs) will go into his second consecutive rematch, this time against local rival Anthony Buttigieg (7-0, 1 KO) on Friday night at La Mirage Reception in Somerton.

 
Last time around, Capps was outpointed in a gruelling eight round war with Buttigieg, 26, who successfully retained his Victorian light middleweight title.

 
With the understanding of what went wrong, Capps believes he will continue with his winning form in rematches.

 
“Buttigeg is a very defensive fighter,” said Capps in an interview with Aus-Boxing. “He’s awkward and comes home hard in the last thirty seconds of the round. I thought I threw more punches over the course of the fight.”

 
“I’ll fight him differently this time around.”

 
Some people question the motive of Capps’ team, who have put him in with Buttigieg again, despite being in a position to secure potentially bigger fights. When Capps was probed about the reasons behind the rematch, he made his thoughts clear.

 
“The rematch happened because my trainer Rick Breese insisted that we do it again, which I wanted anyway,”

 
“I think the fight will be similar to the first one,” Capps explained. “Anthony is a tough boxer but my trainer has got me doing different stuff this time round,”

 
The differences in camp were reflected in Capps’ most recent outing, a seventh around stoppage over Fred Tukes, a fighter who had never been stopped.

 
For Capps, 22, it came down to a decision to push the pace and force his will on Tukes, something he will look to do again on Friday night.

 
“I felt I’d done enough to get the nod first time round with Tukes, so I was fairly keen to make sure I got it done the properly the second time,”

 
“It was a very satisfying win for me and it’ll be the same with the Buttigeg fight,” insisted Capps. “I need to prove something to myself and to my supporters,”

 
 
Photo: Nathan Penhall