Hove heavyweight Neil Baker is hoping for a pep talk from a four-time world heavyweight champion as he prepares for the biggest fight of his career.

Baker goes for National Novices glory in Yorkshire tomorrow and expects to have a few words with Evander Holyfield before he hops on a train north.

Hove trainer Scott Welch is promoting an Evening with Evander Holyfield at the Metropole Hotel tonight and Baker is looking forward to getting some tips ahead of his over-91kg final (11-20 bouts) against Sergiy Karpenko (Lynn ABC).

Baker said: "I have been told I am getting to meet him and I have been looking on the internet at all the things he has done in his career.

"I'm looking forward to talking to him as he has done so much."

Baker will go into the final as underdog against the short and stocky Ukrainian boxer but is in confident mood.

He said: "I am feeling very fit and powerful and I'm looking forward to it.

"I've been told he is a typical Russian-type fighter with his hands held high, quite squat and powerful.

"But I feel as good as I have felt since I began boxing and it is all coming together.

"This is the ideal stepping stone for me before I enter the Senior ABAs in October."

The 29-year-old postman took up boxing five years ago after years playing rugby with Lewes and has one regret.

He said: "I got a lot of injuries playing rugby and wish I hadn't wasted all those years because I found something I really love doing with boxing."

Welch said: "Neil is physically and mentally in superb shape and he just needs to keep his focus."

Two Whitehawk boxers will be gunning for revenge tonight on a show in Oxford.

Middleweight John Pema will be out to avenge an earlier points defeat against Paul Simmons(Pinewood Star) while his club-mate Reid Heath meets Paul Johnson (Luton) again with the same agenda.

'Sid' James Smith made his international debut for England last weekend in the Four Nations Cadets tournament in Greenock, Scotland.

The Moulsecoomb junior lost by a point in the semi-finals