Cardle steps up in class against Elfidh

Lancashire prospect Scotty Cardle will step up to eight rounds for the first time when he takes on Joe Elfidh at Nottingham's Capital FM Arena on November 17.

The 23-year-old made his professional debut in March and has quickly moved to 7-0 with some eye-catching performances along the way.

A body shot in the first round saw off Nicaraguan Luis Garcia at Blackpool's Winter Gardens earlier this month and followed that with a six-round points win over Frenchman Karim Aliliche last Saturday.

Cardle has two more fights before the year is out, starting with his first eight-rounder in Nottingham next month and then appearing on the Betfair 'Christmas Cracker' bill at the Olympia in London on December 8.

"I am learning every time I fight," said Cardle. "I went the distance in Sheffield and I think I needed those full six rounds just to test my fitness. When I am facing six rounds I train for eight and now I am fighting eight rounds I am training for ten.

"I watched Joe's previous fight against Scott Harrison, which he lost, and I watched his fight against an old friend of mine, Joe Hughes, which he won.

"He can be a bit wild, which I need to watch out for because I use my defence as reactions and I use my head movement a lot so I need to predict a lot better with this lad because he is wild with his swings and he can be a danger at times.

"I need to be switched on at all times and that is what we were working on from my very first day back in the gym after Sheffield. I will be very well prepared for this fight.

"One thing I said at the very start was that I didn't want any easy fights because I wanted to be learning every single time.

"The first two fights I had were journeymen and I learnt a lot, especially about the pro style. I have stepped up with every fight since then and I have picked up on little things each time, which is helping me as I go further down the line. With each step up I am getting more comfortable and more relaxed with the pro game.

"I want to be 9-0 by the end of the year. I want to keep stepping up and hopefully get the chance to fight for a title early next year. That is my early target for 2013, an Area title or an English title.

"But that all depends on my performances and my results so it is down to me t get that and achieve those goals that I want."