Jono Carroll: I’m at my best in front of the cameras and under the lights
Jono Carroll is a fighter that loves the limelight. He is a showman that revels in being centre of attention and in front of the camera. Anyone who witnessed his spectacular victory in PrizeFighter ‘The Lightweights’ last year will attest to that.
Carroll however is not driven by the fame factor that being under the spotlight brings – he is fueled by a desire to be the best in his chosen sport and to put on a show for the spectators whilst doing it.
The down to earth Finglas native makes his Matchroom Boxing debut this weekend on the undercard of the Josh Warrington Vs Dennis Tubieron bill in Leeds and he is confident that being under the spotlight and potentially on Sky Sports will bring out the best he has to offer.
“Its not confirmed yet if my fight will be on TV but with me winning PrizeFighter people say saying there is a good chance they will show it. I perform better when I’m under the lights. When the crowd is there screaming I will perform better because I’m a showman. This is a business at the end of the day and I want to be putting on a show and be exciting and put bums on seats” said the Celtic Warrior based fighter.
Carroll has had to face a last minute change of opponent with Spaniard Carlos Perez replacing original opponent Zoltan Kovacs but he is unperturbed and said he is ready and willing to fight whoever his team put in front of him.
“I’ve only just found out I have a new opponent. It’s one of those things in boxing you just gotta roll with the punches. I train hard and I just concentrate on me – I don’t really care who the opponent is as long as I’m fit. I’ve beaten the likes of Gary Buckland and Steve Foster so my team know what I’m capable of doing but I’m happy with whoever my team put in front of me. I’m a confident fighter so regardless of who I’m in with I’m going to have one-hundred perfect confidence in myself that I’m going to win.” said the Prizefighter winner.
Carroll drops down to super featherweight for his bout with Perez on Saturday and it is part of a strategy that he expects will potentially see him fight in the featherweight division.
“I’m well able to drop down the weights. I’m going to be a super featherweight now and I reckon I’ll eventually get to featherweight. Lightweight was definitely too heavy for me – super featherweight is perfect for me now but with the right nutritionist I would easily make featherweight. In saying that I did well at lightweight so there is no point in killing myself making weight when I could handle the power at lightweight but at the moment super featherweight is perfect for me.”
Carroll’s bout on Saturday is his first of a three year – fifteen fight deal he signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom after his PrizeFighter victory last year.