Rivals Sam Eggington and Frankie Gavin Do Battle for More Than Just Local Pride

In a city that is home to Spaghetti Junction, Sam Eggington and Frankie Gavin meet in the ring in Birmingham, England, on Saturday to decide which direction their respective careers will head in.

The two welterweights clash in the headline act of a bill branded as Bragging Rights by Matchroom Boxing. While local pride is on the line, the fight means so much more to both men.

Just like vehicles clogged up in rush hour at Gravelly Hill Interchange, the complex network of roads that connects the M6 to the A38 Aston Expressway and the centre of Birmingham that is nicknamed after a type of pasta, Gavin's career has been stuck in neutral for too long.

As an amateur, he won gold at the 2007 World Championships, becoming the first Englishman to ever achieve the feat with victory over Italian Domenico Valentino in the final.

As a pro, he has had stints as British and Commonwealth champion and challenged for a world title.

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Yet it hasn't been all smiles for Funtime Frankie. His two defeats—against Leonard Bundu and Kell Brook—cast a shadow over his CV, while issues away from the ring have stunted his progress.

Having fought just once since the end of May 2015 and now aged 31, the talented southpaw needs to get moving again. Before making progress further afield, however, he first needs to take care of business in his own backyard.

Eggington is hardly the ideal opponent for someone trying to get over a nasty case of ring rust.

The Savage may only be 23, but he has already achieved plenty. Like Gavin, he has held the British and Commonwealth titles at the 147-pound limit. And like his opponent, a defeat has raised some doubts.

It looks set to be a wonderful clash of styles, a showdown between the boxer (Gavin) and the fighter (Eggington). Sprinkle in the local rivalry to add a little extra spice, plus a pinch of desperation in both corners, and promoter Eddie Hearn has served up a tasty main course for the Barclaycard Arena crowd.

Gavin believes he has the superior skills—and he's not been afraid to let his opponent know it, too.

"He's always had a dig at the way that I box," Eggington told Sky Sports. "Boxing is hard enough as it is without people trying to take digs at you in general. He has added more fuel to the fire, it's given me a bit more oomph to do a job."

The problem for Gavin, though, is technical ability will only get you so far.

His fine amateur pedigree gave him a sound footing to build on once he entered the paid ranks, but by no means did it make success at the highest level a certainty.

Gavin was part of the 2008 Great Britain Olympics squad (he had to withdraw from the Games at the last minute due to weight issues) and a look at his former team-mates shows the contrasting careers that can unfold once leaving behind the cosy nest of Team GB.

While Billy Joe Saunders and James DeGale are world champions right now, heavyweight David Price has suffered such serious setbacks that at one stage he seemed to ready to turn his back on the sport.

Others from the group have also had it tough. Bradley Saunders has been beset by hand injuries, and Joe Murray has found opportunities hard to come by. 

Gavin has had more ups than downs as a pro, but his loss to Bundu in 2014 highlighted an area of concern. While he landed pretty punches from a distance—the type of blows that would score points and lead to comfortable victories in the shorter amateur contests—he struggled to keep the Italian at bay.

A body shot dropped him to the canvas in Round 6 when seemingly in control of proceedings. He showed tremendous heart to survive the storm that followed, but the tide had turned. He ended up losing the contest—and his Commonwealth belt—via a split-decision verdict.

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When he was surprisingly offered the chance to challenge IBF champion Brook in May 2015, the same issue was exposed again.

Gavin did OK in the opening exchanges, but eventually Brook's size and strength overwhelmed him.

"I knew it was going to be scrappy. He's awkward, he's crafty, he's smart," Brook said, per Ben Dirs of BBC Sport, after stopping his domestic rival in Round 6.

Since then, Gavin has fought just once—a six-rounder against unknown Ivo Gogosevic.

His career was put on hold following his involvement in a fracas at an English holiday resort. He was handed a five-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to serve 180 hours of community service, per Andy Richardson of the Mirror.

As a further punishment, the British Boxing Board of Control suspended the fighter for a year, although that ban was later reduced to six months on appeal.

However, his return was further delayed by a foot injury. The setback scuppered a planned meeting with Eggington last October, although thankfully the duo will still settle their differences in the ring.

Things may not have worked out this way had Bradley Skeete not beaten Eggington in March.

Skeete is skilful and, standing at 6'1", a tall order for fellow welterweights to deal with. However, he came up short when he fought Gavin in 2014, losing by unanimous decision.

"I know people will say it's a completely different fight, but it's not completely different [in terms of style], it's just I am a better boxer than Skeete and I'm harder to hit than Skeete," Gavin told Sky Sports.

Gavin's victory over Skeete acts as a boxing barometer for the weekend, but by no means makes the result of the Birmingham battle a foregone conclusion.

Eggington's 48 per cent KO ratio doesn't suggest he carries a great deal of power at the weight. He will, however, look to do damage during sustained periods of pressure, hoping to eventually overwhelm a talented opponent who hasn't had a meaningful bout in nearly 18 months.

The problem for Eggington, though, is that his willingness to get involved in a scrap will only get him so far.

The vacant WBC International belt is on the line. Per the governing body's official website, Eggington is ranked at 24. Gavin, meanwhile, is down at 37.

A win for either would shoot them up the WBC's list, while a rematch with Skeete could also be an option. A defeat, however, would be a setback for two men who hold ambitions beyond just domestic level.

Thanks to Spaghetti Junction, Birmingham is known for traffic issues. Therefore, it seems right that local lads Eggington and Gavin will face each other as they reach the crossroads in their respective careers.