Femi Fehintola's trainer cut through the hype surrounding British champion Carl Johanneson by claiming: He's not King Kong.

Few outside his gym give Fehintola much of a chance against the super-featherweight title holder in tonight's Bradford v Leeds Yorkshire derby in Barnsley.

The New Jersey-raised Joh-anneson, with his style forged in America, is seen by the experts as too strong and too powerful for the smoother challenger.

Fehintola, who has never boxed beyond eight-rounders in his 15-fight career, is very much the underdog.

But Richard Poxon, his trainer, laughs at any suggestion that his fighter is out of his depth.

"People are building up Carl to be some kind of superstar and he can punch hard - but that's all he has got," said Poxon.

"If Femi stands there and lets him then he is going to be in trouble. But he's too clever for that.

"I don't think Femi knows how good he can be. But you watch him in the gym and in sparring and he's a fantastic fighter.

"Carl Johanneson is not King Kong. He's been beaten a couple of times and I've got tapes of him struggling all over the ring after being hit like he is blind drunk.

"I'm not worried about his power at all because Femi's got a fantastic chin. He's been in with a lot of bigger kids in sparring and has never had a problem.

"It shows how much confidence Carl's manager Rick Manners has got that he won't even be in his corner. They've got the Ingles there instead.

"Rick's a good talker and when he offered us the fight, I'm sure he didn't expect us to say yes. But now we'll see what Johanneson is really made of."

Fehintola's former Karmand amateur gym-mate Gavin Smith is on the Metrodome undercard against Latvian Gatis Skuja.

Welterweight Smith has had a chequered pro career since winning the ABAs at Barnsley five years ago. But Poxon believes he is now taking it seriously after two successive KO wins.

Poxon added: "People look at Gavin's record and think they will take him out but he knows how to hurt opponents. He sparred Matthew Hatton the other week and they were really impressed.

"He can punch and has the speed to go with it. We're excited about how far he can go and hopefully, in another five or six fights, he will be ready to try for the British title himself."

The Bradford duo have come on in leaps and bounds under Fight Academy's wing in Sheffield.

And Poxon reckons they have the perfect mentor in IBF light-heavyweight world champion Clinton Woods.

"We've got a great atmosphere in the gym and Clinton is an ideal role model," he said. "He lives absolutely clean.

"He doesn't go out drinking and smoking and his idea of a wild time is to take me out mountain-biking and then for a cooked breakfast.

"But everyone has seen what he has achieved from hard work and dedication and they want the same."

  • Fehontola's fight is live on Sky Sports 1 at 10pm.