HE'S got the Lonsdale belt - now Mark Hobson aims to prove he really is the country's best cruiserweight.

Welshman Enzo Maccarinelli and Londoner David Haye seem to hog the headlines in the 13st division.

But that doesn't bother the Huddersfield man, who is happy to go about his business with the minimum of fuss.

While Maccarinelli successfully defended his WBU crown in Cardiff last month and Haye has been talking of world domination, Hobson has been in the shadows since out-pointing Midlander Rob Norton to land the British title in Sheffield in September.

Hobson was already in possession of the Commonwealth crown, and both will be put on the line against Liverpool's Tony Moran on Saturday.

The 27-year-old father of two is firm favourite, but denies there is any extra pressure on him as a result.

"It's becoming a strong division, with Maccarinelli, Haye, (IBO champion) Carl Thompson and myself," says Hobson, who has taken six weeks off work to prepare for the Moran contest.

"I'm not going to go bad-mouthing any of them, because on our day, I think all of us are capable of beating the other three.

"I'm confident in my ability, and I'm confident that with proper preparation, have the ability to beat any of them."

Hobson could get the chance to put his theory to the test this year, since a challenge for the IBO crown Thompson took from Sebastian Rothmann last month is a strong possibility.

That could lead to a rematch with South African Rothmann, who handed Hobson a tough but useful lesson when he beat him in nine rounds to win the WBU crown in Liverpool in 2001.

"Although I lost, that fight was the making of me," he recalls.

"I saw first hand how fit and how strong he was and realised that's the kind of standard I had to reach."

The Commonwealth crown was duly captured 13 months ago, and Hobson goes into the Moran meeting on the back of seven straight wins and with an overall record of 21 in 25 fights.

That should be stretched to 22 in 26, but Hobson won't take anything for granted against the former kick-boxing star.

"He's a little bit raw, but he's aggressive and his size (6ft 6in) makes him awkward.

"He had a couple of setbacks early on after turning professional, but since then he's won 11 on the bounce.

"He beat a decent fighter in (Blackpool's) Mathew Ellis last time out and I know he'll be up for this one.

"I should have a bit more in every department, though, and it's down to me to prove that's the case."