By Jay Mwamba
Jim Moore, Ireland's top youth trainer who once led James Moore to a world bronze medal in the amateurs, will join his son's team when the Arklow prospect opens camp in the Poconos May 1 ahead of his June 5 fight with Polish slugger Pawel Wolak at Yankee Stadium.
Currently with the Irish youth squad in Azerbaijan where the World Youth Championships begin next week, Moore Sr. will work alongside James's Guyanese-born coach, Lennox Blackmore.
Although he often flies in from Arklow for James' bouts, this will be the first time that Jim will help prepare his son for a fight in the paid ranks.
James [17-2, 10 KOs] is looking forward to working with his father and said in New York last Sunday that conditioning would be key to defeating the rugged Wolak [26-1, 17 KOs].
"We'll also be working on some different things in training," he added.
The Queens-based fighter will spend April training with Blackmore at Gleason's Gym before they move to the Poconos.
Given their fighting styles, Moore predicted that his scrap with Wolak would resemble Mickey Ward's legendary battles with the late Arturo Gatti in which neither man took a backward step.
The two light middleweights have been on a collision course for some two years.
Moore vs. Wolak, scheduled for ten rounds, will be on the undercard of Yuri Foreman's world light middleweight title defense against Puerto Rican star Miguel Cotto.
Foreman outpointed Moore in December 2008 in his penultimate fight before capturing the 154-pound title.
MOORE SUCCESS
Before traveling States-side to whip his son into shape, Jim Moore has the task of ensuring an Irish encore at the World Youth Championships.
Two years ago in Mexico, Mayo lightweight Ray Moylett became the first-ever Irish world boxing champion at junior level. Dubliner Jamie Kavanagh won silver at light welterweight while light heavyweight Thomas McCarthy and welterweight David Joyce picked up bronze medals.
Moore, coach of a seven-man squad in Baku alongside Jimmy Payne, said it would be hard to emulate that success but he's cautiously optimistic.
