Boxing: Pressure Builds on Matthews Homecoming

Liverpool's Olympia, a historic building which once housed an indooor circus, will be packed tonight to witness Derry Matthews' defence of the WBU featherweight title against the British champion, John Simpson. Fifteen hundred fans will be crammed in and organisers say they could have sold out three times over.

Among those cheering on Matthews, a Liverpool fan, will be Steven Gerrard, Peter Crouch and Jamie Carragher. The 23-year-old has personally sold 500 tickets for his homecoming and said: "I know the pressure is on me to look good.

"When I won the title, beating Stephen Foster at the MEN [on points in October], I was able to concentrate on my boxing skills because I was fighting in his back garden. Now all the crowd is there for me and I have to guard against getting carried away."

Simpson, also 23, won his British title by beating Manchester's Andy Morris - who seemed to be winning -on a cut in December and although that title is not at stake tonight the British Boxing Board of Control would usually declare it vacant if the champion lost. The Glaswegian has never been stopped but Matthews should retain the title with a wide points decision.

Also on the bill is the Bolton-based Frenchman Souleymane M'Baye, 31, who is expected to retain the WBA world-light-welterweight title against Ukraine's Andreas Kotelnik, 29, whom he beat on a split decision in 2004. The Commonwealth super-featherweight champion Kevin Mitchell, 22, should be too sharp for South Africa's Harry Ramogoadi, 30, and retain his title.

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