TARNEIT Boxing Gym is packed to the rafters, with 14 boxers being prepared by trainer Dave Hegarty, and here’s the latest on upcoming fights for the gym.

After an extended break from the ring, UBC world cruiserweight and WBO oriental cruiserweight title-holder Jonny Walker has begun training in preparation for a gruelling 2010 campaign.

The 27-year-old boxer is once again training at the Tarneit Boxing Gym and hopes to be in the ring again by April.

“We’re hoping for a fight on 9 April against a Thailand fighter,” he told Star.

“We’re looking for an eight-rounder which will be a warm-up for the year. By the time we get to April it will be going on 12 months since I’ve been in the ring so I’ll need a good eight-rounder to get back.”

Despite the extended lay-off because of injury, Walker already has his sights set on claiming another cruiserweight title this year.

“We’re looking at a WBC title shot in June. There’s no names as yet to who it will be against but it will definitely be against a good overseas opponent.”

One of 14 boxers being trained by Dave Hegarty at the Hoppers Crossing gym, Walker admits he has plenty of work to do before getting in the ring again.

“My aim this year is to just stay injury-free and get fit again. At the moment the body’s not too good. We’ve got about two months before the first bout so I’ll get a good two months of training in before that. I’ll aim to get some sparring and that done and by the time we hit June we’ll be at our peak again.”

THE UNBEATEN Daniel Iannazzo will be back in action in late February, then again in March, and trainer Dave Hegarty said he will hopefully increase his WBO ranking.

“Daniel is fighting 27 February, I think he’s doing an eight rounder.

“Hopefully he wins, but he’s got a big fight in March, and that will give him a ranking of top six in the WBO in the world. And that’s a pretty much guaranteed world title shot.

FAN favourite Steve ‘Wildboy’ Gillingham will be back in the ring in March, with the hopes of building towards state title success in 2010.

“Murray Thompson’s first fight for the year, not matched for it yet, but first week of March I’ll be fighting.

“Yeah it’s about six or seven weeks away, next week I’ll start smashing it real hard then get conditioned right up for it.

“I want a state title for the year. I’ve got the big title this year, in the cruiserweight, if I could get that, that would be grouse. It will be an eight-round fight, it’s vacant at the moment. It will probably be about my third fight of the year hopefully, so maybe I can fight for it mid-year.”

MIXED Martial Arts fighter Ross Dallow is the ace in the pack at Tarneit Boxing Gym, given he not only competes in a different form of sparring, but has also been competing and winning overseas, and is planning on getting an Australian title this year.

“Mixed Martial Arts, it’s all the dimensions. I’ve got striking, I’ve got grappling, knees, elbows, submissions.

“I fight for an Australian middleweight title, under 84kg. Then I fight in Townsville, maybe Russia again this year.

“The next big fight is 20 March in Brisbane. It will be in a cage.”

YOUNGSTER Jake Ellis is new to the Tarneit Boxing Gym camp and has his sights set on the Amateur Youth Games.

“The try-outs are February, so if I make the team, I’ll be fighting in March.”

Ellis said he will be fighting with and against more seasoned competitors, which he’s making up for in the gym.

“I’m trying to do some sparring. I’ve got Daniel Iannazzo, the Australian bantamweight champ, we’ve got an Olympian from Nigeria, Omar, so I’m getting good experience there.”