BIG FIGHT COUNTDOWN: Interview with Isaac Lowe - 'It's down to me to start the party'

Morecambe featherweight Isaac Lowe is aiming for his own victory in Saudi Arabia to 'start the party' before his friend Tyson Fury enters the ring for his undisputed heavyweight title fight.

Isaac will box Hasibullah Ahmadi on the undercard of the super-fight between training partner Fury and Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night.

Speaking to Beyond Radio from his camp in Riyadh just hours before first bell, 'The Westgate Warrior' said: "It’s down to me to start the party off.

"Let’s get behind me and Tyson. He’s one of our own. Everyone should be rooting for him, cheering him on and having a few beers at home."

Isaac has been at Fury's side for most of his career, competing alongside him on some of the biggest fight cards in the world.

Yet despite warring in boxing meccas such as the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the Staples Centre in Los Angeles and now the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia, 'The Westgate Warrior' stays true to his roots.

His long-held main ambition in boxing remains to fight at the home of his beloved Morecambe Football Club.

"If I could top the bill in Morecambe at the football club, I think that will conquer all my achievements," he said.

"That’s one dream I’ve always made clear I want to do. If I can just get through (Saturday night) I would love the opportunity to fight in my own town, that would make me a very happy man to finish my career. I came very close to it once, a few years back. We nearly got it over the line and it fell through at the last minute.

"To say I’ve conquered Vegas, boxed in LA, now I’m in Saudi, but for me, to tick all my boxes, it would definitely be a dream come true to fight in my hometown of Morecambe."

LISTEN to our interview with Isaac Lowe

The 30-year-old first entered the boxing gym as a boy and made his amateur debut, aged 10, beating future British super bantamweight champion Marc Leach at Salford Working Men's Club.

After a stellar amateur career, the 30-year-old Lowe went on to win the Commonwealth Title, defeating Marco McCullough at the MEN Arena in Manchester in 2016.

Isaac then landed the WBC International Featherweight Title, stopping Lucas Rafael Baez in Los Angeles in 2018, on the undercard of Tyson's first fight with Deontay Wilder.

Going into this, his 30th professional contest (his record reads 24 wins, 3 draws and only two defeats to world class opponents in Luis Alberto Lopez and Nick Ball), Lowe is on a run of three straight wins.

"I’ve been lucky enough with boxing, it’s taken me all over the world," he said.

"It’s been a pleasure to be a part of it and I don’t want it to stop yet.

"This is a dangerous fight. (Ahmadi) has only been beaten once. He comes forward and he’s there to win. I’ve got to be on my A-game.

"I know I’m going to have a career best performance. I’ve had world class sparring. I’ve done hundreds of rounds and I’m feeling very confident. It's probably the best condition I’ve been in. Whatever he throws, I’ll be doing twice as much."

Isaac also said he promised his young son, who will be watching him on TV at home, that he will win the fight.

"I can’t be beat. I made a promise. He said 'daddy make sure you win your fight'. I said 'don’t worry son, dad will be coming back with a win'. So I can’t lose. No ifs or buts. For him to see me on TV, I hope I’ll do him proud."

For Isaac, it's also very special to have his original trainer Bob Howard from Heysham with him as part of Team Fury.

Bob has been at Lowe's side since his first amateur bout and will be in his corner against Ahmadi, and 'The Westgate Warrior' says Howard has been "like a father figure" to him.

In training camp, the Morecambe fighter says preparations have gone really well. He's been trying to keep out of the sun, spending time relaxing in his air conditioned room as temperatures soared to 42 degrees in Riyadh, and helping to keep spirits high as the resident Team Fury prankster!

"I like to keep the boys on their toes," he laughed.

"Training camp can get really boring, everyone’s away from their families, everyone gets a bit down, but I always try to keep spirits high, put a smile on their face.

"A happy fighter is a dangerous fighter so I try to keep everyone happy. But they don’t trust me for a second!"

The 5ft 7in Isaac will even wind up his mate, the 6ft 9in 'Gypsy King'!

"He’ll get me back a few days later when I’m half asleep!" he said.

"If you’ve got a great team around you, you’ve all got to be in it together and have each other’s back. We push each other on."

The countdown to Saturday has been electric, says Isaac, as thousands of Brits begin to arrive for the 'Fight of the Century' between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.

"It's been a fantastic fight week, I've never seen anything like this," he said.

"You can feel it now. Each day there are more Brits arriving. 

"This is the biggest stage of my generation. It’s going to be a long time before we see it again."

And Isaac has no doubt that his friend Tyson will become undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

"I think mentally he’s focussed. He’s in the shape of his life. People are saying he’s lost a lot of weight, but it’s just he’s had a proper training camp and developed more muscle.

"He’s super super confident which we all are, and I think it’s going to be a career best performance.

"The thing with Tyson is, when everyone knocks him down, that’s when he rises. He needs a challenge.

"Everyone wrote him off against Klitschko, saying he can’t do it, and he did it. Everyone wrote him off when he blew up to 28 stone they said no way can he come back. He did it. Then when he did come back they said he can’t beat Wilder. What did he do? Came back and beat Wilder.

"Everyone is saying he can’t do it, he’s too skinny, he hasn’t got it no more. We will just see. And when he does beat him, nobody should say Usyk’s too small, he’s no good.

"We just need to wind Tyson up and let him loose."

And hopefully, this will mean Morecambe celebrating a double win on Saturday night.

Victory for Isaac, and Fury bringing the undisputed heavyweight title belts back to the Bay.

"That sounds good to me!" said Lowe.

"And a pint of Guinness when I'm back!"

Read more: BIG FIGHT COUNTDOWN: Heysham boxing trainer's 20-year journey with Isaac Lowe leads to pinnacle of Tyson Fury's undisputed fight - Beyond Radio