A SPELL sparring in Germany is sending Jack Flatley into his ninth professional fight high on confidence.

The Bolton-based fighter, originally from Farnworth, takes on Sonny Whiting in a four-round bout at Oldham Leisure Centre tomorrow night. He is hoping to add a ninth victory to his perfect pro record and put himself in the picture for titles before the end of the year.

And against an opponent with five wins from 27 matches Flatley is sure keeping such exalted company will stand him in good stead.

“I am confident and looking forward to the match,” he told The Bolton News. “I have been sparring with a world-class fighter, (WBA super-middleweight champion Tyrone Zeuge) and doing eight rounds at a time, that’s something I’ve never done before.

“I took a lot from the trip, just from being around people like Tyrone with the experience he has.

“My manager phoned me up and said (fellow Elite Gym fighter) Luke Blackledge was over there and they wanted someone to offer something a bit different in their training so I went over and it’s helped me a lot.”

Coach Alex Matvienko is tipping his young charge for big things too, especially given the progress he has made in recent months.

“I’ve seen a massive improvement in him,” he said. “Going to Germany has helped him realise how good heis, he is doing brilliantly and he’s easy to teach. We have been working on switching stances, counter-punching and improving his body shots, which he is doing.

“Jack is still learning his trade but he’s getting better all the time, he’s more relaxed going into fights and he’s coming on a treat.”

On a busy night for the coach, he will be in the corner for Elite fighter Chris Jenkinson when he fights the unbeaten Artif Daniel in Bowlers in Trafford, before heading to Oldham for Flatley and Qasim Niaz’s bouts, the latter taking on Andre Cebru.