himself in Manchester, England.

Desperate for fights, the 32-year-old Bermudian was hit by another setback on the weekend when his super middleweight opponent, Irish champion Ray Close, who is the number one WBA contender, pulled out of their fight which was to have been on the same card as the Nigel Benn-Henry Wharton, Steve Little-Michael Nunn bouts.

"Quinn is too dangerous, they (Close's handlers) don't want him to fight anyone who would give him a chance of getting beat,'' said Paynter's manager-trainer Phil Martin yesterday.

"Martin admits it is either Paynter's reputation or lack of sponsors that keeps him out of the ring. Instead, Paynter is left to make ends meet as a sparring partner for a German name Gaciano Rogini and most recently Nigel Benn for his latest fight.

"He's been travelling to Europe to spar but he can't get a fight,'' said Martin. "Unless he gets a sponsor from either Bermuda or Europe he's got no chance. It doesn't matter how good a fighter he is.'' Martin has no doubt about Paynter's ability. "He would beat Nigel Benn tomorrow if he were to fight him,'' he said. "There are people prepared to fight him but only if the money was put up.'' Paynter was confident that the Close fight would come off and went to Germany to train and spar with Rogini for three weeks in January to prepare.

"I knew for about five weeks that I was going to fight him and a week before the fight they told me it was not on,'' an obviously disappointed Paynter explained. A new opponent was to have been lined up for Close.

"When I looked in the paper for the fight I didn't see it so I guess he pulled out altogether. If he had lost to me he would have lost out on a purse of 200,000 to 300,000.'' Paynter has been living with an aunt since arriving in England five years ago and is anxious to move into his own apartment and gain some independence.

"I'm really getting fed up,'' he said. "I'm in and out of the (England) airport and when I get to immigration there is nobody there to clear me.

Immigration doesn't recognise that I'm a professional boxer.

"I'm in my fifth year and I'm looking forward to getting my own place. I'm at a time in my career where I've got to make it. I can't be Nigel Benn's sparring partner forever. I sparred with him twice, in October and this time.

"I'm thinking now that maybe I should change managers. Nigel Benn's manager wants me and there is a manager in Germany who wants me.'' Paynter last fought on December 3 in Denmark when he lost to an African southpaw. There is also a question about which weight category he should be fighting in.

"I would like to fight as a middleweight but I can't find anybody to fight me,'' he says. "I'm too short, 5-7, 5-8, for super middleweight. I fight good at middleweight.

"I can't get any work at middleweight, all the work is in super middleweight.

When I get to middleweight I can fight anybody in the world. I want to fight as fast as next month.'' Any locals interested in sponsoring Bermuda's lone professional boxer can contact him at 061 224 1804 at home or his manager at the gym at 061 226 4540.