Lewis Ritson: We’ll see what I’m about on October 13

With Lewis Ritson set to face Francesco Patera for the vacant European lightweight title on October 13, the 24-year-old Brit says it’s all about proving himself and what he’s really made of in a step-up bout.

From Sky:

“We will see what I’m all about on October 13 and see if I can make that step up. He’s a cool character and isn’t fazed at all so that’s a good thing. I can’t wait for the fight night, I’ll be coming in ready for a war. He’s a reasonably big lightweight, about the same size as me, and the same stance, so it’s going to be a hard fight and we’re looking for 12 hard rounds.”

In all reality, this is a step up in terms of the title on the line, as the European title is in theory tougher to win than the British title, which Ritson (16-0, 10 KO) won in 2017 and defended three times, but it’s not a particularly harder opponent on paper than he’s used to facing at this point.

Patera (19-3, 7 KO) is a decent European-level fighter, a former European titleholder, but the Euro scene and the British scene aren’t really that far apart. Is Patera really any better than Robbie Barrett, Joe Murray, Scotty Cardle, or Paul Hyland Jr? It’s debatable at best, and those are the last four wins on Ritson’s record.