Campbell ready for war with Coyle in Rumble on the Humber

Campbell admitted he had no ill-feelings towards his counterpart, despite a heated exchange of words in the build-up to their potentially enthralling showdown on Humberside, though the successful Olympian declared he will show his nasty side nevertheless.

“I don’t dislike Tommy, he’s an obstacle in the way to reach my goals – that’s it. When all the talking is done and it’s just me and him in the ring, that’s it, not talking, boxing,” continued Campbell.

“There’s a nasty streak in me, definitely. People can take me however they want to take me, but as soon as the bell goes then I want to hurt the guy in front of me.”

In front of a sell-out crowd on their home patch, live on Sky Sports 1 from 8pm on Saturday night, Coyle’s trainer Jamie Moore believes a lack of experience for Campbell will ultimately haunt him in his 12th professional match-up.

“It’s been tough finding weaknesses in Campbell as he hasn’t got that many, but four-round fights are majorly different to 12-round fights,” he stated.

“We started this camp four months ago and Tommy has cut no corners and is in phenomenal shape.

“He’s applied himself as I’ve asked him to and I honestly believe he can pull it off on Saturday. We have a specific game plan that Tommy has been following to a tee and he has to make sure he follows it through in the ring.”

Campbell is 7/2 to stop his former friend early in rounds 1-3, while Coyle is 12/1 to triumph by knock-out. The Hull duo will be fighting in a WBC title eliminator, meaning an encounter with world champion Jorge Linares could be the possible prize for the victor, high stakes which only add to tensions surrounding such an anticipated contest.