McMillan set for world title campaign

Boxing

Colin McMillan has signed a "flexible" contract with Lennox Lewis' promoters, Panos Eliades and Frank Maloney, and is hoping it will earn him a world title fight within three fights.

First will come a British featherweight title challenge against Doncaster's Jonjo Irwin - McMillan is now mandatory challenger - in March or April, then hopefully a voluntary defence soon afterwards.

If that goes well, McMillan plans to fight for the World Council title against Luisito Espinosa of the Philippines on a July date in London between the end of Wimbledon and the start of the Atlanta Olympics.

The deal enables McMillan to hop out of the contract to fight for any other promoter - but he expects to have four bouts for Eliades and Maloney before the end of the year.

"This is the way it should be," said the former World Organisation champion. " is too sectioned into compartments, with fighters tied to just one promoter. I just want to win the British title again and get back to where I was a couple of years ago."

McMillan recently left Frank Warren's promotion and was recommended by Lewis to team up with Eliades. McMillan fought for nothing in his comeback appearance at the Broadway Theatre in Barking recently. But the show lost pounds 70 as VAT had not been calculated into the ticket price.

Over in Miami, the 44-year-old Roberto Duran, looking for one last major fight before retiring, enhanced his chances by pounding out a unanimous decision over Ray Domenge.

Duran used left jabs and effective body shots from the opening round, most of them coming when he had pinned the Nebraska fighter against the ropes. Domenge displayed some solid counter-punches, especially in the second round when he landed combinations to Duran's head.

In the late stages of the fight, Duran landed the heavier punches, stunning Domenge in the ninth with a straight right and following it with a flurry of punches. Domenge remained standing and managed to survive the fight's 10-round distance. "I feel fine. This guy didn't want to fight," Duran said.

A four-times world champion, Duran now is setting his sights on a middleweight showdown with Hector "Macho" Camacho later this year.