Northampton boxer Kieron Conway’s eyes on huge $1m prize in Japan!

Team Shoe-Box ace Conway takes on China's Ainiwaer Yilixiati in his quarter-final in the big bucks middleweight competition that is being staged at the Yamato Arena in Osaka and being beamed around the world on DAZN.

There is a staggering $1m prize for the winner of the competition, that also features unbeaten English duo Aaron McKenna and Mark Dickinson, USA fighter Jeovanny Estela and home favourites Kazuto Takesako and Eiki Kani.

And to add excitement and extra motivation to pot, if any were needed, there is also a £100,000 bonus available for any fighters that win by knockout on each of the three scheduled fight nights to be staged over the coming months.

If more than one fighter wins by knockout, then the prize is shared.

And Conway, who saw off Linus Udofia is six rounds to win the WBA Inter-Continenal title in his most recent fight in October last year, is setting his sights on exactly that!

The win over Udofia was the 20th in 24 professional fights for Conway, and his fifth by stoppage, and he believes his punching power is too often overlooked.

"People may underestimate how solid I hit when they look at my record," said the 28-year-old, who is nicknamed 'Too Class'.

"But you see all these fighters, after they have been hit they don't run in and the pace of the fight slows down quite a bit, because I do hit heavy.

"So that makes fights difficult because they have to change their gameplan and it makes them a bit hesitant.

"I think that's what's going to happen, I think I am going to take over, and I am here for three knockout bonuses.

"I would say I am the favourite going into this tournament. I don't know if it's down to experience but I have myself down as the favourite.

"I am here to win and I don't care of I am the favourite, the second favourite or given no chance, I am here to win it."

Conway flew out to Japan last weekend, and can't wait to get started in a tournament that was originally scheduled for January and then March, but is now finally going to happen.

And he sees it is as a great chance for him to raise his profile even higher than it already is.

"This is the right opportunity, because it is three high level fights that are all matched up and ready to go," Conway told the International Boxing News YouTube channel.

"So three fights that are almost confirmed, that is great in boxing because you don't get one fight confirmed sometimes!

"It is good to have it all ready to and I am just looking forward to getting going now, because it has been postponed three or four times.

"I have been waiting around since October, November knowing about this, waiting for it go ahead since January, and I have been on the roster since then.

"I am buzzing to go, the fire is there, so lets's get it going."

So what of his opponent on night one?

Yilixiati is 31 and has fought 20 times as a pro, winning 19 with 14 of those successes by knockout.He hasn’t fought since September last year when he knocked out Gaganpreet Sharma in the second round of their fight in Wuhan to claim the vacant WBO Oriental Middleweight crown.

Yilixiati, who hails from Urumqi in China’s north west, is also the current holder of the IBO Asia Pacific and WBC Asian middleweight title belts.

"I think I know what I am going to get, but you can't find too much about him," said Conway.

"I know he wants to come and try and knock me out, as he does that quite a lot with his opponents.

"He maybe starts his first round a little slow, but if he does that and I hit him straight on the nose with a jab or my right hand he is going to think twice about running in with his head straight on line.

"So we'll see what happens in round one and we'll go from there."

Conway will also be fighting for the first time as a father, with his daughter Ophelia Alyssa being born at the beginning of June.

Baby and mother Weronika are doing well, and Conway believes having a child has added an extra dimension to his boxing.

"She has really put a fire in my belly," he admitted.

"It makes it a lot easier when the training gets hard, you remember that it's not just you now, you have a family to provide for and look after."

Conway has travelled to Japan with his father and Team Shoe-Box head coach James Conway, who said: “Kieron has been itching to get back in the ring since October.

"He was hoping to be boxing Nathan Heaney for the British title, but boxing politics was stalling his progress.

"So when this tournament was presented to him he was quite excited as it meant a potential three fights in six months, and a huge opportunity.

"However, the tournament was meant to start in January was first postponed until March and then in March it was rescheduled to July .

"So it has been quite frustrating for Kieron being out for so long as he’s boxed just once in 15 months, but we are quietly confident his class and experience on the big stage will see him in good stead across the three fights.”