BRIAN Lawrence, the Hackney boxing trainer who made Clapton s Ian Napa into a British champion mid-way through last year, has a new project to add to his preparation of the country s top bantamweight. South Londoner Anthony Small is on the trail of a Sout

BRIAN Lawrence, the Hackney boxing trainer who made Clapton's Ian Napa into a British champion mid-way through last year, has a new project to add to his preparation of the country's top bantamweight.

South Londoner Anthony Small is on the trail of a Southern Area title at light-middleweight and, in recent weeks, has engaged Lawrence as his trainer.

Small, who is from Deptford, is making the trip over to Hackney regularly to be guided by star-maker Lawrence and on Saturday night takes on former two-time WBU light-middleweight champion Takaloo for the Southern Area crown on the Sports Network bill at York Hall, Bethnal Green.

Lawrence is training Small, who has a record of just one defeat in 18 contests, 11 inside the distance, at Hennessy Sports' gym in Curtain Street, Shoreditch.

The one blot on Small's record came last time out, when he was stopped by Welshman Bradley Pryce in the seventh round of a Commonwealth light-middleweight title fight at the O2 Arena, Docklands, in July last year.

Small (pictured) has blamed that performance, against Pryce, on jet-lag, as he had been preparing in the United States.

He was previously self-trained and had been suffering from stamina problems.

HAGGERSTON's unbeaten Grant Skehill goes for his fifth straight professional victory on Saturday night when he fights Cambridge's Ben Hudson on the Sports Network promotion at York Hall, Bethnal Green.

Skehill, who has won his four previous professional fights at welterweight, has moved to light-middleweight for this contest, for which he will be hot favourite in light of Hudson's decidedly mixed record.

The contest is over four three-minute rounds and former amateur international Skehill, from Fellows Court, Hagg-erston, should easily add to his winning career.