Boxing: Piper to meet demon Barber

NICKY PIPER, the thinking man's boxer, has had his second challenge for a world title confirmed, just over a year after failing to relieve Nigel Benn of his World Boxing Council super-middleweight crown. The Welsh Mensa member will meet Detroit's Leonzer Barber for the World Boxing Organisation light-heavyweight title at the National Ice Rink in Cardiff on 29 January.

It is still not certain, however, whether the Frank Warren promotion will see two Welshmen pursuing championship belts. The World Boxing Association flyweight champion, the Venezuelan David Griman, is recovering from an arm ligament injury and his proposed defence against Robbie Regan remains unsigned.

If the Regan bout does not go ahead, Warren will try to bring Griman to Britain to make the defence on the Steve Robinson-Paul Hodkinson WBO featherweight championship card on 5 March.

Barber, a product of the Kronk stable in Detroit, won the vacant title in Leeds in 1991 by forcing Tom Collins into a fifth-round retirement.