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27
EDITION 11
BOCSIO MAGAZINE:
8
MAGAZINE EDITOR
Sean Davies
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11
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14
Contents
5 Borg on boxing
6 Enzo Calzaghe
column
7 Nick Blackwell
comments
8 Lee Selby
10 Andrew Selby
11 Lee Haskins
12 Welsh boxing’s
new home
14 The Buckland
brothers
16 Craig Kennedy
17 Frank Warren
Promotions
18 Liam Williams
19 Tom Doran
20 When Welsh
heavyweights
were kings
22 Peter Fury
24 Anthony Joshua
26 Khan-Canelo
preview
27 Joe Cordina
28 Women’s boxing
29
30
32
33
34
36
38
40
42
45
46
24
Jamie Weetch
Andy O’Kane
Jamie Evans
Port Talbot
ABC
Dario De Abreu
Daley’s Diary
Luke Piggott
Welsh boxing
rankings
Fight schedule
MMA round-up
John Phillips
© Copyright Bocsio Magazine
Many thanks to Sophie Merlo for the cover picture of Lee Haskins and to Lawrence Lustig of
Matchroom Boxing for the cover shot of Anthony Joshua
Issue 11
www.bocsiomagazine.co.uk BOCSIO MAGAZINE
3
Photo by LAWRENCE LUSTIG, MATCHROOM BOXING
editor’s Column
I
t’s with mixed emotions that I approach the keyboard
backing of everyone at Bocsio.
this edition, keen to write about all the great things
In the midst of this emotional story lively – and often
going on in the boxing world but with the nagging
inappropriate – debate has raged about the part played by
thought in mind of the fight that rocked the sport to the
the referee and Blackwell’s corner team. This edition
soles of its boots
features the views of 2007 Ring Magazine trainer of the
To start with the positives, all the Bocsio staff are licking
year Enzo Calzaghe, plus the opinions of members of the
their lips in anticipation ahead of the big night on 14 May
successful Gary Lockett gym and other boxing luminaries,
when world championship boxing returns to Cardiff for the
such as Adam Booth and Barry McGuigan.
first time since Nathan Cleverly v
As someone who has never
Sergey Kovalev in August 2013.
stepped between the ropes in anger
What’s more, we’ve got a spanking
or worked a boxing corner, my views
new venue to enjoy in Ice Arena
count for little in this sensitive
Wales, which is sure to revive
debate. However, I would suggest
memories of great fight nights at the
that much of the less-well-informed
old Wales National Ice Rink. We
criticism has been made with the
explore some of those memories and
invaluable asset of hindsight.
take a look at the new arena, and
Although Blackwell took more
you can read more from the card
punishment than he would, perhaps,
headliners, Lee Haskins, Andrew
have expected in the early
Selby, Craig Kennedy and Mitch
exchanges, the fight plan had always
Buckland.
been to walk through Eubank’s
This fantastic show in Cardiff
onslaught and get to him in the
follows on from a stupendous night
championship rounds. The challenger
at London’s O2 in April, where Lee
had slowed in the 10th following his
Selby got the job done against a
voluminous punching that had failed
formidable challenger. We reflect on
to stop Blackwell.
his win over Eric Hunter and look at
Going into that round, Chris
what’s next on the agenda for Wales’
Eubank Sr had told his son: “I don’t
world champion.
want this to go to points – take him
The O2 night was, of course,
out of there”; but, in the other
headlined by the latest man to claim
corner, Lockett told Blackwell:
the greatest title in sport, new world
“[Eubank’s] got nothing now, go and
heavyweight champion Anthony
work him over”. As the action came
Joshua. Niall Hickman was there and
to a conclusion before a baying
he takes a closer look at the champion and the red-hot
crowd and three million viewers on live, terrestrial TV,
heavyweight division, while Sophie Merlo presents a
Blackwell had thrown 10 punches against a single return
stunning insight into the camp of Joshua’s bitter rival, Tyson
blow from Eubank. When referee Victor Loughlin called for
Fury. There was a time when Wales ruled the UK’s
the doctor to inspect the champion’s swollen eye, there
heavyweight division… find out how the most-prized of all
were audible boos from a crowd desperate to see how the
Lonsdale Belts came to be scrapped over in a cowshed in
remaining six minutes would play out.
Carmarthen!
As a young trainer, Lockett has built an incredibly
For all the positives, the debate that’s consumed the
successful gym where he’s won the love and affection of a
boxing world over the past few months and thrown the
tight-knit stable of boxers. His charges have repeatedly
sport into the wider spotlight is, of course, the devastating
stressed the family atmosphere in the gym and the way that
aftermath of champion Nick Blackwell’s British
Lockett cares for his fighters, a compassion he’s displayed in
middleweight title defeat to Chris Eubank Jr at Wembley
the heated atmosphere of title bouts. He pulled Gavin Rees
Arena. The fight was stopped in
out against Adrien Broner, Kerry
Hope against Darren Barker and
the 10th after a huge swelling
Enzo Maccarinelli against Juergen
blew up over ‘Bang Bang’s’ left
Braehmer; all decisions taken to
eye. Shortly afterwards, Blackwell
There was a huge, heartwarming response from
save his fighters from further,
collapsed and was taken to
the boxing community to Blackwell’s plight, with
pointless damage. Lockett saw a
hospital with a bleed on the skull
social media alive with fund-raising efforts,
fighting chance for his champion
that led to him being placed in an auctions and more. By the time this edition of
Blackwell to win his grudge
induced coma. After being
Bocsio gets out of the printers many of these
match against Eubank, a decision
unconscious for over a week, he
options for giving will have already closed, but
that few observers would have
finally awoke to the huge relief
we’d urge readers to support the attempt by
disagreed with at the time; it can
of all who followed the story. His
Blackwell’s gym mates to jointly run the 62 miles
only be hoped that one of
road to recovery is likely to be
from Cardiff, where he trains, to his hometown of
Britain’s most promising trainers
long, but he will hopefully be
Trowbridge. Further details can be found at
will not be haunted by that
supported by the huge groundcrowdfunding.justgiving.com/d-evans-1. Get there
decision.
swell of good will that – it goes
quick as the page closes in early May.
without saying – includes the
By Sean Davies
FUNDRAISING FOR NICK BLACKWELL
By TONY BORG
COLUMN
Borg on boxing
Trainer Tony Borg keeps Bocsio up to date with his regular column from the
thriving St Joseph’s gym in Newport
A
s I write I’ve just returned
from an amazing week in
London which included
public workouts, press
conferences, weigh-ins and meeting
lots of great boxing people. The
culmination came as our own Lee
Selby successfully defended his IBF
world featherweight title against Eric
Hunter and Anthony Joshua captured
the IBF world heavyweight crown
from Charles Martin.
But before we look at that a bit
more, let’s go back to Finland in
March where St Joseph’s amateur star
Sean McGoldrick added a silver medal
to his impressive collection after losing
on points in the final to the European
gold medallist. Sean has had
considerable success in Team GB, but
unfortunately missed the opportunity
to qualify for the Rio Olympics
because his GB team-mate, Qais
Ashfaq, was given the selection nod
ahead of him for the qualifying
tournaments; as the saying goes,
‘you’ve got to be in it to win it’.
Let’s get back to April, London’s O2
Arena and a fantastic night for British
boxing. Hunter, from Philadelphia,
lived up to his ‘Outlaw’ nickname as
he put Lee on the canvas in round
two, landing a big left hook. Lee was,
as always, in great condition; he
jumped up immediately and returned
to his boxing as if nothing had
happened. Lee came back to the
corner with just his pride hurt a little,
he listened to my instructions and
went out and produced a quality
boxing performance to comfortably
outpoint his capable challenger.
Hunter was a real test and I’m sure he
can go on to challenge for world
honours again, but in the meantime
Issue 11
Lee can look forward to some big
fights on British and/or Irish soil, from
Josh Warrington and Carl Frampton.
Many, including myself, thought
that Joshua’s shot at world honours
may have come a little too early. It
was a pleasure to be proven wrong, as
Joshua took just two rounds to beat
up the outgunned champion,
dropping him twice to claim what
could be the first of many
heavyweight belts. The O2 Arena was
full to capacity and the place erupted
like a new year celebration as Joshua
delivered what we were all waiting
for.
Looking forward to May and a new
venture at a new venue as Sanigar
Promotions link up with McGuigan’s
Cyclone Promotions at Wales’ new Ice
Arena in Cardiff. Topping the bill is a
great fighter from just over the
bridge; Lee Haskins has shown his class
and is keen to secure big fights, but
first the IBF bantamweight champion
has to deal with the challenge of Ivan
Morales (younger brother of former
world champions Diego and Erik).
Haskins will be in great shape and
keen to make his mark on the world
scene.
Supporting are Andrew Selby v
Louis Norman, for the British
flyweight title. This is sure to be an
entertaining fight, as Andrew sets out
to dominate the flyweight division in
the professional ranks. Andrew has
made the transition with ease, as his
silky boxing skills, fast hands and
amazing footwork have entertained
the fans and bemused his opponents.
We’re certainly not taking Norman
lightly and are preparing for 12 great
rounds, but I believe that Andrew can
win and go on to bring another world
Picture by Ciaran Gibbons
title to Wales.
The third title fight features
Cardiff’s popular Craig Kennedy as he
challenges for the IBF international
cruiserweight crown. Craig has been
steadily improving and is certainly
ready for a step up in class as he
moves towards bigger titles. He has a
great following and a big win here
can open the doors to major fights for
him. In supporting contests, former
Welsh middleweight champion,
Frankie Borg looks to get back to
winning ways as he faces former Irish
amateur star Conrad Cummings over
six rounds, while unbeaten Mitch
Buckland will feature in a fight,
possibly with Chris Jenkins, or any
light-welterweight up for the
challenge.
“Let’s go to work!”
Editor’s note: Tony was writing before
his fighter, Joe Cordina, secured
Olympic qualification. More on that
fantastic achievement in the
magazine…
5
ENZOPINION
In his regular Bocsio column, former Ring Magazine
trainer of the year Enzo Calzaghe looks at the role and
duty of the corner man
Enzo Calzaghe's
hard-hitting column
A
s a trainer, boxing always reminded me of a
game of chess where your fighter has to
execute the right moves. But, in addition, a
trainer has to be a motivator as well as a
tactician. The trainer is the boss in the corner and should
be the only voice between rounds.
Watching the Nick Blackwell v Chris Eubank Jr fight
made me reflect on times spent in my son Joe’s corner
during big fights. When he fought Mikkel Kessler at the
Millennium Stadium, Joe began eating uppercuts. The
uppercut is a devastating punch to deliver and land, and
it’s a sickening punch because of the power generated,
chin to brain.
I remember shouting at Joe: “Joe, another uppercut
and you’re out, turn around, spin around, don’t take the
shots.” As a trainer I always sought to ensure my fighters
evolved their tactics as the fight unfolded. It’s what we
did against Kessler, and it worked. Staying focused when
there’s a huge amount of noise and so many distractions
around the ring is key. For the Kessler fight, the
Millennium Stadium was filled with 50,000 spectators, but
I only felt the presence of three people; myself, my boxer
and the referee. You have to blank everything else out.
WHEN TO THROW IN THE TOWEL
A trainer has to exude confidence. During the Sakio Bika
fight at the MEN Arena in Manchester, Joe got cut above
the eye, the worst cut of his career. I could see the deep
wound but simply concentrated on telling Joe to
continue to boss the fight against one tough guy. I
bumped into Bika a few years back at an awards
presentation in the USA, he came up to me, smirked, and
said “Joe had style”. Mutual respect between fighters is
nice to see.
The only time I ever threw the towel in the ring was
the night when Blackwell’s trainer, Gary Lockett, fought
Kelly Pavlik on 7 June, 2008, in Atlantic City. Gary did
well enough for the first round, but Pavlik started
unloading with big shots and, by the third round, I
decided to put a stop to the fight and threw the towel in.
I respect Gary as a trainer and he had his reasons for
allowing Blackwell to continue fighting against Eubank,
but I felt he’d taken an awful lot of uppercuts.
ANGELO DUNDEE
Clinical negligence can damage your
heart, body and soul
WE’LL USE OURS TO HELP YOU THROUGH
T: 01633 262 848 ch-law.co.uk
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6
BOCSIO MAGAZINE www.bocsiomagazine.co.uk
One of the best examples of a trainer looking after his
fighter was when Muhammad Ali, or Cassius Clay as he
was then known, came to London in 1963 to fight Henry
Cooper. Cooper pole-axed Ali with a devastating left
hook and the future world champion returned to his
corner groggy. Somehow, Ali’s glove appeared to have a
split which became much bigger after Angelo Dundee, his
trainer, had gone to work on it! They had to hunt around
for a replacement glove, buying Ali more time to recover.
I always felt that Angelo Dundee was a great trainer, and
in the modern era I rate Teddy Atlas.
Enzo gave his thoughts to Bocsio’s Andrew Collingbourne
Issue 11
NEWS
Boxing world defends
Lockett and Loughlin
The decision to keep Nick Blackwell in his title fight against Chris Eubank Jr met
criticism on social media after the champion’s collapse, but a host of boxing
luminaries leapt to the defence of trainer Gary Lockett and referee Victor Loughlin
A
social media outcry followed
the collapse of Nick Blackwell
after his defeat to Chris
Eubank Jr, notably on the
back of a Twitter comment from ESPN
boxing writer Dan Rafael. He responded
to a Tweet from Carl Frampton saying
that the situation showed why all
fighters deserve respect, saying: “But
not referees and corners that don't do
their jobs”. The debate has been
continued by some of the sport’s
leading names:
Kevin Mitchell, journalist and author
of War, Baby: The Glamour of
Violence:
“There are good arguments for and
against the fight being stopped earlier.
I don’t think you can apportion blame
to referee Loughlin or trainer Lockett
who, in my experience, is a very
compassionate man. The action was
very physical, Nick was getting the
worst of it but was still on his feet,
steady and throwing punches back. It
was difficult until the swelling on his
left eye became so hideous in the last
round. The only case you could make
for it being stopped was that the
chances of Nick winning were… well,
he might have had to stop Eubank and
that looked a slim possibility. It’s easy
to say that in hindsight, but you can’t
just take a champion out if he’s got
any chance at all.”
Blackwell stable-mate Enzo
Maccarinelli:
“I watched the fight, saw the referee
stop it and thought that was it – I turned
over because I was gutted for Nick and
didn’t want to watch Eubank
celebrating. I had no inkling he was in
any further trouble; he was certainly
taking shots but he never looked wobbly
or physically shaken during the fight – he
didn’t look like he’d get knocked out.
Chris Eubank Sr said ‘you won’t stop this
boy with a head shot’… Nick was coming
back to the corner and was responsive to
Gary. Nothing pointed to what was
Issue 11
going to happen, the doctor stopped it
because of the eye. I don’t see why Gary
is questioned – if Nick had come back to
the corner and been unresponsive to
questions, if Gary thought for one
second that there was any danger I
know – 100% – that he would have
pulled him out, whatever round it was.”
Boxing trainer Adam Booth:
“Chris had thrown a huge number of
punches to try to stop fight, but he
couldn’t and had to take a rest as he’d
emptied the tank. Because of
that, in the 10th round Nick was
having more success. Based on
that competitive element you
shouldn’t stop the fight. Gary
Lockett in the corner did exactly
the right thing in trying to steer
his man through the fight,
preparing him at the end of
each round for the next round.
There was nothing there to
suggest stopping the fight. They
knew going in that the one
strength Eubank has is that he’ll
swarm you with a lot of
punches, even if they’re not
concussive… Maybe the fight
didn’t go the way he’d planned,
but in terms of what was
coming his way, Nick expected
it. Victor Loughlin reacted to
the swelling as quickly as I’ve
seen any referee – he acted
immaculately in a very competitive, hard
fight. He took Nick to the doctor and it
immediately became the doctor’s call, he
was in the care of the doctor from then
on. Nick hadn’t been put down in the
contest and he hadn’t taken a count – I
don’t think he’d actually been wobbled
– so there were no physical signs that
said that the punches landing were
causing neurological problems.”
World champion Lee Selby:
“It was a tough, gruelling fight and I
don’t think the referee was ever in a
position where he had to stop it. Nick
was still fighting back and everybody
who knows boxing knows how tough
he is.”
Former world champion Barry
McGuigan:
“In all contact sports you get injuries…
boxing is one of the safest ones, but you
can never guarantee it won’t happen,
that’s just life. Nobody’s to blame, it was
an isolated incident, but it happens.”
Former world champion Nathan
Cleverly:
“Hindsight is easy but you’re dealing
with fine lines in boxing, Nick looked
well and he was firing back with his
own punches that had snap. I could see
Gary Lockett taking his time when Nick
looked a little dazed in the corner –
Gary’s shown compassion in the past
with his fighters, if he thinks they’re
hurt he won’t hesitate to pull them out.
Nick still had fight left in him and, being
a champion, defending a title, you want
to go out on your shield and put
everything in. Looking back the eye
injury was a real blessing in disguise
because that fight was going all the way
to a points decision.”
7
FEATURE
Selby keeps doing it
the hard way
Sean Davies looks back at Lee Selby’s hard-fought win over Eric Hunter in the
second defence of his IBF featherweight title
T
he long and grinding road
taken by Lee Selby to the
world title has been noted by
many, and after two
successful defences of his IBF
featherweight title it’s clear that the
Barry ring-master’s profession hasn’t
got any easier.
The 29-year-old received little credit
for a hard-fought win over Fernando
Montiel in his first fight as champion, a
victory won on an obscure, midweek
card in Glendale, Arizona. Next up was
that nightmare bout for any champion,
a mandatory defence that has to be
taken against an unknown-but-hungryand-dangerous challenger. Such
opponents bring no big money into the
ring with them, while their obscurity
means that anything but an easy
stoppage victory for the champion will
be met with collective underwhelment
from the non-specialist media and the
public at large.
Eric ‘the Outlaw’ Hunter, Selby’s
opponent at the O2 Arena on 9 April,
was the very embodiment of that
unwanted mandatory, a tough-as-teak
switch-hitter from the fighting streets of
Philadelphia. The American cut a
surly, angry demeanour
throughout the build-up and
carried that attitude into the
ring with him. Throughout
the first round his fine
footwork kept him just
8
out of range on the back foot in a classic
Philly shell, watchful, with the confident
air of a gunslinger.
Despite the attitude, he did next to
nothing, gifting the round to the
champion. But Selby had been drawn in
as the aggressor, a role that the multitalented Welshman can handle, but that
perhaps doesn’t play to his own
counter-punching strengths. The lurking
danger exploded in the second when,
during an up-close exchange, Hunter
exploded a left hook onto the upper
cheek of the champion to drop him for
the first time in his long career as an
amateur and professional.
Selby claims it was a flash knockdown; although it looked heavier than
that, he recovered his balance and
composure to see out the round and,
ultimately, dominate the fight. It was
the champion who forced the action in
the succeeding rounds, landing
numerous, heavy blows against Hunter,
whose work-rate would have
embarrassed a particularly corpulent cat
on a languorous summer afternoon.
When the challenger eventually tried to
take the front foot he ran into Selby’s
counter-punching skills and was quickly
made to think again. But for the full 12
the sense of menace remained, Hunter a
stalking, sharp-shooting threat, whose
rough-house tactics and low-blows
made it an even more uncomfortable
night for the champion.
If Selby needed any reminding of
how unfair the world of boxing can be
after his undercarriage-bruising points
win, he need only have taken a look at
the rest of the bill at the O2. While his
was arguably the best fight of the night,
it was low down the running order,
being followed by George Groves’ nontitle bout and the professional debut of
Nigel Benn’s son, Conor. Most of the
packed crowd and huge TV audience
were, of course, mainly watching to see
Anthony Joshua’s coronation as world
heavyweight champion, and the ease
with which he claimed that famed,
lucrative prize against the hapless
Charles Martin would be a source of
resentment to lesser men than Selby.
Fortunately, though, Wales’ 12th
world champion seems to take it all in
his stride, happily accepting his place in
the boxing universe and eagerly
awaiting the next formidable challenge.
Perhaps he can take heart from Wales’
greatest modern fighter, Joe Calzaghe,
who faced more tough-but-obscure
challengers than you can shake a stick at
in his 11-year reign as WBO supermiddleweight champion. It was only by
grinding out wins against the likes of
Miguel Ángel Jiménez, Mger Mkrtchyan,
Kabary Salem, Evans Ashira and Sakio
Bika that Calzaghe was in the position
to enjoy his nights of glory and reward.
After the Hunter win, Selby’s
promoters talked of how wide-ranging
Issue 11
FEATURE
the opportunities open to him are. Eddie
Hearn suggested that he favoured a
long-awaited Cardiff homecoming for
the champ, while other mooted
suggestions were another tough fight in
the States or a trip to Carl Frampton’s
Belfast home, where Selby would be sure
to face a bear-pit reception. While we
know that Barry’s finest will be up for
any challenge, if it can be made perhaps
the fight he’s earned is a summer
showdown with Josh Warrington. Facing
the hugely popular Leeds man at the
home of his local club, Elland Road, may
hardly seem like a ‘reward’ for Selby. But
most pundits would pick him for an easy,
eye-catching win in what would be a bigmoney, high-profile bout, perhaps finally
giving the champion the recognition and
reward that his achievements have
earned.
Who will Lee Selby fight next?
“LEE’S GOT OPTIONS to do whatever he
wants,” said Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn
after the Eric Hunter win. “His
mandatories are out of the way so he’s
in a great position, he’s built his profile
on both sides of the Atlantic, it’s up to
him.” Selby himself simply says “I’ll fight
anybody, I leave it to my team to sort
out”… and nobody doubts that he
means it. So what are the options for
Wales’ world champion?
The Leeds route: Josh Warrington
Warrington’s win over Hisashi Amagasa
the week after Selby took down Hunter
seems to have all-but guaranteed that
this will be the next bout, a major
domestic, outdoor England-Wales
grudge match at Elland Road in front of
the hugely popular Leeds man’s home
fans. The fight has been mooted for
many years but has now been talked up
by both fighters and both management
teams.
“Summer fights really have to be midto-early July, or the end of August,” said
Hearn, mindful of audience needs given
the summer holidays and Olympic
Games. “Leeds Utd are very keen on
staging the fight. Josh does good
numbers, we’re talking a different level –
he’s getting 8-9,000 fans at the First
Direct Arena in Leeds, but this would be
30-40,000.”
The Belfast route: Carl Frampton
This would be another huge domestic
match-up, and at genuine world level.
Frampton lit the spark under this one
after his huge win over Scott Quigg by
suggesting a step up in weight to face
Selby, and it looks an easy match to
make. Both men are represented by Al
Haymon, and both sets of promoters –
the Sanigars and Barry McGuigan – are
on friendly terms, as illustrated by the
joint show they’re putting on in Cardiff
on 14 May.
Selby welcomed the challenge, telling
Frampton “to be careful what you wish
for”. The Welshman would probably
have to travel to Windsor Park, but he’s
won in Belfast before and thrives as a
road warrior. The only thing in the way
of this bout would seem to be time; it’s
not next on either man’s agenda.
Issue 11
“Frampton and Selby is a definite fight
for the future, no doubt about it,” said
McGuigan. “But it won’t be this year.”
The US route: Leo Santa Cruz or
Gary Russell Jr
The challenges of unification fights with
the formidable WBC champion Gary
Russell Jr and WBA king Leo Santa Cruz
are as big as they come, and either fight
would be worthy of a Principality
Stadium stage. But at this point in his
career, it’s more likely that Selby would
have to travel to the States for bouts
that would offer the potential of high
reward, but at very high risk.
Russell, 27, once again named Selby
as his number-one target after his
destruction of Patrick Hyland on 16 April.
Mexico’s three-weight world champion
Santa Cruz is, perhaps, a more likely
opponent for the Welshman, though, as
both are represented by Al Haymon.
“That makes making the fights a lot
easier, they can be done quite simply,”
said Selby. Wales’ road warrior will
happily take on these major crossAtlantic challenges… but probably not
before a showdown with Warrington.
Outside bets
Another Al Haymon fighter mentioned
by Selby has been WBA ‘regular’
champion Jesus Cuellar (Santa Cruz is the
organisation’s ‘super’ champion). The 29year-old from Argentina has won 28 of
his 29 fights and would be high-risk, low
reward.
WBO champion Vasyl Lomachenko is
the only man to have beaten Russell Jr;
the 28-year-old Ukrainian was arguably
the greatest amateur of all time and is a
feared presence in the professional
ranks. He’s not a Haymon fighter,
though, and boxing politics make this
fight unlikely at this point in time.
Much like Lomachenko, superbantamweight Guillermo Rigondeaux is
a man no-one wants. The skills of the
supremely talented Cuban are much
admired, but he’s not a crowd pleaser
and brings no major money into the ring.
What’s more, the 35-year-old’s backers
have proved difficult for other promoters
to deal with, as
illustrated by his
no-show in
Liverpool
earlier this
year.
Another
superbantamweight
name to throw
into the mix is
Scott Quigg. The
Mancunian
disappointed in
February’s
super-fight
with Frampton,
but is now
looking to get
back into the
mix with the
big names
mentioned
above.
Selby’s Cardiff dilemma
AS SPECULATION AND excitement grows over Lee Selby’s next fight, the
question on Welsh fans’ lips is when will he be having his homecoming bout
as champion? The IBF champ’s last outing on home soil was back in May
2014 at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, but hopes of seeing him again in
the near future may be dashed.
“I’d love to fight in Cardiff, but the problem is the arena,” said Selby.
“The Motorpoint holds about 5,000 people for boxing and the next step up
is the Principality Stadium which is about 74,000.
“Cardiff City’s stadium doesn’t have a roof and with our Welsh weather
it’s hard to pick a date with no rain! I think I need a venue holding about
10-20,000; Wales lacks an arena that size.”
9
PREVIEW
Selby bidding for
title history
Sean Davies looks ahead to Andrew Selby’s clash with Louis Norman, the latest
hurdle in his golden path to professional boxing glory
A
ndrew Selby’s boxing career
is already littered with
landmarks and achievements,
and he hopes to secure
another when he faces Louis Norman
at the Ice Arena Wales in Cardiff on 14
May; his fifth professional contest will
have the vacant British featherweight
title at stake.
Should the 27-year-old former
amateur star secure the Lonsdale Belt it
would make him the Welshman to have
won the British title in the fewest
number of fights, easily beating Robbie
10
Regan’s record of eight. Selby, whose
first professional fight was on 30
October, would also become the
Welshman to secure the belt in the
shortest period of time; that distinction
is currently held by Jack Petersen,
whose British light-heavyweight title
win over Harry Crossley came eight
months into the Cardiff man’s
professional career.
Selby has admitted to struggling to
find the motivation to make the most
of his ability but, in addition to the
record opportunity, he has the chance
to showcase his formidable talent in
front of a terrestrial television audience
on Channel 5. Such factors should help
the former European champion gold
medallist overcome any disappointment
he felt after his former Team GB rival
Charlie Edwards took himself out of
contention for an expected clash for
the British belt. Edwards, 23, easily
defeated Norman to claim the English
flyweight title in September and is now
unbeaten in seven fights, but he feels
that a clash with Selby should come
further down the road of their
professional careers, a view that led to
a Twitter spat between the two
fighters.
“I understand Edwards’ reasoning,”
said Selby’s manager Jamie Sanigar.
“But my thoughts were, let’s just crack
on and get it done now while it’s
there for the prestigious British
title. We want these big
fights, we don’t want to be
messing around for a year
or 18 months. We just
want the big fights and
that was a big fight, a
big domestic fight that
we would have happily
done.”
With Edwards on
the back-burner,
Selby must turn his
attention to 22year-old
Norman,
whose
September
defeat is the only loss in his 13-fight
career. The Shepshed-man is an
acknowledged admirer of Selby and
was a fan of his amateur career, but he
feels he can cause an upset. “I’m ready
for this fight,” said Norman. “It’s been
a long time coming for me, a fight of
this stature, but I’m ready to take this
opportunity. I respect Andrew Selby,
he’s a talented boxer and it will be a
privilege to share a ring with him, but
it’s my time.”
Someone who would beg to differ is
Selby’s brother and regular sparring
partner, Lee. “Andrew’s been training
ON SELBY’S RADAR?
Selby has previously stated his
desire to win the Lonsdale Belt
outright and, should he win the
British title against Norman, the
mandatory challenger will be
Kevin Satchell. The 27-year-old
Liverpool man has won all 15 of
his fights in a six-year
professional career that has seen
him claim the British,
Commonwealth and European
flyweight titles. He was close to
a world title shot before injury
and it remains to be seen if a
meeting with Selby at British
level would appeal to him.
with me every day, training like a world
champion,” said the 29-year-old IBF
featherweight champion. “He's got all
the talent in the world, all I ever talk
about is how good he is. I think about
all the gyms I've been in and all the
years I've been around boxing, and he's
the best I've seen. That’s not by a little
bit, it’s by a lot. I still back my
statement that he'll be the best Welsh
boxer ever.”
Issue 11
by SOPHIE MERLO
FEATURE
Champion
Haskins longs
for Welsh
welcome
"I UNDERSTAND WHY OTHER FIGHTERS AVOID HIM – AS MY OLD DAD USED TO SAY,
YOU CAN’T HIT HIM WITH A BAG OF STONES! HE REMINDS ME OF NASEEM HAMED, HE
HAS REAL POWER AND THROWS SHOTS FROM UNORTHODOX ANGLES”
Barry McGuigan on Haskins
Sophie Merlo speaks to the Lee Haskins camp, exploring why Bristol’s highly talented IBF
bantamweight champion is crossing the Severn to make his first title defence in Cardiff
T
he UK may boast an incredible
12 world champions at the
moment, but only one of them
comes from Bristol. Given the
traditional Severnside sporting rivalry
that exists between that city and the
Welsh capital, it may seem somewhat
surprising, then, that Lee Haskins has
chosen to make the first defence of his
IBF bantamweight title at Cardiff’s Ice
Arena Wales on 14 May. But the 32year-old is a boxer who's still trying to
prove himself to his many doubters,
including fight fans on the banks of the
Avon.
“The city of Bristol has let Lee
down,” says promoter Jamie Sanigar.
“He doesn't get the recognition he
deserves. He's two-time British, twotime Commonwealth, two-time
European, and now world champion.
[There’s criticism and] it's fair comment
to say that seven or eight years ago he
was boring to watch. First impressions
stick, but Lee has matured into an
entertaining fighter.”
Regardless of his success inside the
ring, the man known as ‘Playboy’ isn't a
good ticket seller. Could it be that those
first impressions remain with the west
country boxing audience? There’s no
shortage of fight fans in the city – they
turn out in force every weekend for
white-collar events. Yet they failed to
pack Bristol’s 2,500-capacity Whitchurch
Sports Centre for the Ryosuke Iwasa
interim title fight last summer.
“As a promoter, I struggle to build
Issue 11
on his success,” says Jamie. “White
collar doesn't help. When I'm trying to
promote a professional show and
someone says ‘I went to see boxing last
month’, it's hard… if given a choice of
watching Lee or their family member or
friend scrap, it's no contest, white collar
will win. The venues aren't good either,
with the right venue I could be making
deals with promoters like Mick
Hennessy or Eddie Hearn to bring
mainstream attractions here like Tyson
Fury or Anthony Joshua. In front of a
captive audience we could have Lee
fighting on the undercard and people
could see his skills and see how he's
changed. The new Bristol Arena should
be ready in the summer of 2018, but
two years is a long time. So we're
hoping that the Welsh will really get
behind Lee.”
The real reason Haskins isn't a great
ticket seller would seem to be a
combination of factors, but west
country fans could be about to miss out
on a thriller as Mexico’s Ivan Morales –
brother of ring legend Erik – makes his
way to the Welsh capital with plans to
take the belt. Both southpaws have
impressive records; Morales, 24, has only
one loss in 30 fights, while Haskins has
lost just once since 2007 and boasts a
career record of 32 wins against three
defeats. “People are too readily
discounting Morales because he's lost
one fight recently, one loss in a career
like that is nothing,” says Haskins’ coach
Michael Waldron.
“Morales is a good puncher with 17
KOs,” adds Jamie. “He's a tall southpaw
and in many ways similar to Iwasa.
Based on Lee's performance against
Iwasa we're not too concerned about
Morales, but it’d be crazy to
underestimate him, he's a top fighter.”
Morales was proposed by Golden
Boy Promotions, who set up the Haskins
v Randy Caballero fight that was
supposed to happen in Las Vegas last
November. Caballerro’s failure to make
the weight meant that the Bristol man
returned from the States with the world
title, but without the usual glory that
surrounds a returning conqueror.
Should he come through against
Morales, though, some potentially
thrilling match-ups may be possible,
including a much-talked-about
unification bout with Hatfield’s WBA
champion Jamie McDonnell.
“I wouldn't say Jamie's been dodging
Lee,” says Jamie Sanigar diplomatically.
“There's a lot of politics involved. Jamie
has good paydays in the USA and
fighting Lee would be high risk for low
reward. It's a big risk for McDonnell as
Lee has already beaten him. While Lee
would jump at it, from the
conversations I've had with Eddie Hearn
it seems like McDonnell wants to go
another route.”
Providing he beats Morales, Haskins
will make a mandatory defence of his
title against Stuart Hall, who beat
Rodrigo Guerrero in a final eliminator in
Leeds on 16 April.
11
FEATURE
Welsh boxing’s
new home?
Sean Davies takes a look at Ice Arena Wales, the Cardiff Devils’ swanky new
home in Cardiff Bay that’s set to build on the great boxing heritage of the old
Wales National Ice Rink
T
he eagerly anticipated
announcement that the new
£16m Ice Arena Wales will host
its first boxing show on 14 May
was warmly welcomed by Welsh
boxing fans, reviving memories of
fantastic fight nights at the Wales
National Ice Rink (WNIR). The old
arena, in the heart of the capital, was
closed and demolished in 2006 to make
way for the St David’s 2 shopping
development; the new John Lewis
store sits just about on top of it. Since
then, the Cardiff Devils ice hockey
12
franchise has had to make do with a
temporary rink in Cardiff Bay, known
as ‘the big blue tent’.
After numerous delays in
construction, the eagerly awaited new
3,000-seat arena finally opened in
March. The striking, spaceship-like
building sits proudly in the heart of the
£400m International Sports Village in
the bay, adjacent to the location of the
old ‘tent’. It features a dance studio,
gymnasium, offices and medical rooms,
but – most importantly for readers of
this magazine – allows specialist
temporary flooring to be easily placed
over the ice. It’s been suggested that
this will allow it to be used for things
like basketball, netball and music
concerts, but the first diversification
sees it host world championship boxing.
“The arena’s perfect for boxing and
I’m 100% behind this,” said the Devils’
commercial director Kris Agland, the
son of ex-fighter Roy Agland, who was
a key member of Robbie Regan’s
coaching team. “I’ve been involved
with boxing all my life, I walked into
the ring with Robbie when he won the
British title against Francis Ampofo at
the old National Ice Rink. It’s a great
thing to have this facility for fighters in
Wales and a fitting venue for the talent
we have. Imagine having someone like
Lee Selby fighting here, it’s just down
the road from his home in Barry.”
The first show, headlined by Lee
Haskins’ first IBF bantamweight
defence, was arranged with Barry
McGuigan’s Cyclone Promotions and
will be televised on Channel 5. It’s part
of a three-fight TV deal arranged by
Cyclone for 2016, and there have
already been suggestions that another
one of those will be in Wales, with
more to follow in 2017. Ice Arena
Wales would seem to be in the box seat
to be the host venue, the ease of
turning it into a boxing arena giving it
cost advantages over rivals. What’s
more, it’s expected that – subject to
health and safety requirements –
around 500 additional seats will be
placed around the ring on the covered
ice, boosting capacity beyond the 3,000
fixed seats. It’s understood that the
Devils have been in negotiations with
other boxing promoters, too, meaning
that we could be getting a lot more
familiar with Ice Arena Wales in the
months and years to come…
Issue 11
FEATURE
Four of the best
fight nights at Wales
National Ice Rink
The bear-pit atmosphere of the old
National Ice Rink was beloved by
Welsh boxing fans, who witnessed
great fight nights, and great fighters
including Naseem Hamed and Robin
Reid. Choosing the highlights is
tough, but here are four of the best:
1 October, 1994: Steve Robinson v Duke McKenzie
Robinson was the undoubted king of the old ice rink,
thrilling his hometown fans as he embarked on a
memorable seven defences of his WBO featherweight title.
Amongst those despatched at the arena were the highly
fancied Colin McMillan and Paul Hodkinson; either of those
fights qualify for this list, but perhaps the highlight was
Robinson stopping three-time world champion McKenzie
with a crippling body shot in the ninth.
17 December, 1991: Robbie Regan v Francis Ampofo
After turning professional in 1989, Regan had been
matched hard, winning the British flyweight title after just
eight fights. In his first defence he was stopped by Ampofo
in Sophia Gardens, but he immediately sought revenge and
the ice rink was the chosen venue for the rematch. Just
three months after losing his crown, Regan was roared to a
points victory that saw him proudly reclaim the Lonsdale
Belt.
29 January, 1994: Nicky Piper v Leeonzer Barber
Nicky Piper’s three world title shots all ended in
heartbreak, but he never came closer than against Kronk
Gym hard-man Barber. Piper put on a superb performance
in front of his hometown fans, his punches raising a
grotesque swelling on the right side of the champion’s
face. Barber’s corner reluctantly sent him out for the ninth,
giving him three more minutes before they planned to
throw in the towel. The Detroit man responded by landing
the sweetest of left hooks to end Piper’s dreams.
25 April, 1998: Joe Calzaghe v Juan Carlos Gimenez
While it’s fair to say that none of Calzaghe’s greatest fight
nights happened at the old rink, he appeared there four
times as he built his remarkable 46-0 legacy. The Gimenez
fight was the first of two world title defences he made
there, the second defence of the WBO super-middleweight
crown he’d claimed against Chris Eubank. Fans thrilled at
the speed and power of the champion’s punches against
the outclassed Paraguayan veteran, who retired with
cracked ribs at the end of the ninth.
What was your favourite fight night at the old ice rink? Let
us know @bocsio or facebook.com/Bocsio
Issue 11
13
FEATURE
Buckland brothers
battle for recognition
and respect
While Gary and Mitch Buckland keep searching for the fights they deserve inside
the ring, Graham Thomas learns of their struggles for respect outside it
M
itch Buckland has not
adopted the self-styled
‘Gypsy King’ nickname
of Tyson Fury – but he
aims to win his own crown soon
enough, along with pride for the
Welsh traveller community.
Buckland and his elder brother,
Gary, grew up in Cardiff, but their
roots are from a similar Irish
travelling background to world
heavyweight champion Fury.
Mitch, 22, is an unbeaten lightwelterweight while Gary, 29, is a
former British champion at superfeatherweight. But both have always
14
had their own fights to wage outside of
the ring, which meant Mitch took more
than a passing interest in the recent
‘gypsy boy’ row involving Wales rugby
player Samson Lee. As well as revealing
how modern sports stories can generate
a global life of their own on social
media, the dispute – which ended with
a £20,000 fine and two-match ban for
England player Joe Marler – also shone
a light on attitudes towards a minority
group that has always produced
talented boxers.
“The rugby row was interesting,”
says Mitch, considered one of Wales’
brightest prospects and who aims to
follow his brother by winning a British
title within the next 12 months. “The
gypsy boy comment was meant as an
insult. Why else would he say it? He
didn’t say, ‘Oi, Welsh boy!’
“I think these things are slowly being
taken notice of. Samson Lee might not
have wanted any hassle, but if you’re
on the receiving end it can feel
embarrassing. When you walk into
somewhere and they say no gypsies,
then you feel pretty upset. They
wouldn’t say to a black guy, ‘no blacks
allowed in here’. I’m from a gypsy
background, we use those words, but
other people use them in a way to keep
Issue 11
FEATURE
people down.
“Sometimes, I’ve been out with my
missus and we’ve gone to a club where
someone has said to us, ‘no gypsies
allowed’. I’ve had a lot of hassle in the
past. When my dad was younger he
went to the bar and asked for a pint.
They told him they didn’t serve gypsies.
What they didn’t know was that my
dad had a lawyer sitting next to him –
they ended up suing the brewery.
When you’ve caused no trouble and it’s
just prejudice, it’s hard to take.
“Gypsies are sometimes known for
liking unlicensed fighting, but I always
wanted to get into a ring and be a
professional. A lot of good boxers have
come from a similar background to me,
like Tyson Fury. I’m proud of my roots,
it’s all I’ve ever known. I lived in a
caravan for most of my life, although I
now live in a house. That’s where I’m
from, it’s who I am. My family have had
people calling us names and it’s not
nice, but we’re all human and all the
same.”
Fighting his corner outside of the
ring is something the younger Buckland
has had to get used to in recent months
as bouts inside the ropes have proved
difficult to make. It was back in October
when Mitch (10-0, 2 KOs), a two-weight
Welsh champion, outpointed Ally Black
in Newport. Although he’s scheduled to
fight again at the new Ice Arena Wales
in Cardiff on 14 May, an opponent has
yet to be confirmed.
“I’m at the time of my career where
I’m finding it hard to get fights,” he
says. “I just need to beat someone who
is up there in order to get recognised. I
was offered a fight on 1 April to fight
on 30 April for the WBA Continental
title against Robbie Davies Jr. He’s got a
very good record – 12 fights unbeaten
with nine knock-outs. We said we’d
take the fight, but their promoter got
back to us the next day and said that
the guy didn’t want to fight me. I think
he felt I was a bit tricky for him, being a
southpaw. I’m an awkward fighter and I
know that guys don’t want to fight me.
It’s hard to get fights.”
Brother Gary hasn’t fought since
September when he suffered a fifth
defeat in his last eight contests, a points
loss to Sean Dodd. There were
suggestions that he was ready to call it
a day; he insists that’s not the case,
although he intends to move back to
super-featherweight, the division where
he won his Lonsdale Belt against Gary
Sykes in 2011.
“I’m back in training now and I’m
hoping to fight again on 4 June,” says
Gary. “My losses have all been at
lightweight, so I’ll be going back to
super-featherweight which suits me
better. I’d like to win back a British title.”
Like the Selby brothers, Lee and
Andrew, the Bucklands mix support
for each other with a fierce sibling
rivalry. Gary will train with Mitch for
the younger brother’s next fight and
has no doubts Mitch can outstrip his
own achievements.
“A couple of years back Mitch
sparred with Carl Frampton and, as he
got out of the ring, Barry McGuigan said
he had the ability to go on and be a
world champion,” says Gary. “He’s fast
and awkward and I think he’ll go on to
become a European champion at the
very least.”
Mitch – who has more recently
sparred with Scott Quigg – remembers
the McGuigan assessment. “That was
lovely hear from someone who has
been world champion and with his
profile in the sport,” he says. “But I
admit I get frustrated. I’ve got a family I
need to feed. I work in the day and
train at night and it can be hard to keep
going. That’s why I need fights. I had a
full-time job fitting windows, but I’ve
given it up now to start full-time
training again. When I give up work, I
get no income at all, so it’s difficult.”
Mitch describes his training sessions
with big brother Gary as ‘old school’, and
admits that sometimes trainer Tony Borg
has to step in to end a scrap that would
otherwise go on until midnight. “When
we get in the ring, we turn the clock off
and do an hour non-stop,” he says. “We
just get in there and do it – proper old
school. I was nine years of age when I
followed Gary into the gym. My brother
was always a big inspiration for me. I
followed him around, watched him train
hard and become a British champion. It
made me believe I can do it.
“A COUPLE OF YEARS
BACK MITCH SPARRED
WITH CARL FRAMPTON
AND, AS HE GOT OUT OF
THE RING, BARRY
MCGUIGAN SAID HE HAD
THE ABILITY TO BE A
WORLD CHAMPION”
Gary Buckland
“I look at other brothers, like the
Selby boys, and the fact that Lee has
gone on to win a world title; it shows
that brothers can push each other. Lee
and Andrew are great guys and really
get the best out of each other. Me and
Gary are the same. He’ll be in my
training camp for my next fight and
it’s competitive. We push each other
to the limit.”
The Bucklands have a third, middle
brother, Bobby, who also boxed as an
amateur. These days he lends only vocal
support, as does Buckland senior, who
Mitch reckons is their biggest fan. “My
dad used to train, but he didn’t box in
the ring,” he says. “He comes to watch
all my fights and he’s the one who
keeps us on track and keeps us straight.
I want to fight for a British title within
the next 12 months, that’s my plan.
After that, I want to go further, I want
to defend it and win it outright – do it
properly, the old-fashioned way. Then, I
want to move on to better things.”
The Bucklands may not have hit the
same heights as the Selbys yet, but
Mitch is determined to be part of a
rising scene. “There’s a good buzz in
Welsh boxing at the moment,” he says.
“It went quiet for a while after Joe
Calzaghe, Enzo Maccarinelli and Nathan
Cleverly. But Lee Selby has put it back
up there and there are lots of good
prospects coming through. I want to be
part of that.”
“I LOOK AT OTHER BROTHERS,
LIKE THE SELBY BOYS, IT
SHOWS THAT BROTHERS CAN
PUSH EACH OTHER”
Mitch Buckland
Issue 11
15
FEATURE
The Kid ready to
come of age
Graham Thomas speaks to unbeaten Cardiff cruiserweight Craig Kennedy as ‘the
Kid’ looks to make 2016 the year he finally graduates to the big time
C
raig ‘the Kid’ Kennedy has
vowed to grow up this
summer and take his place
among the world’s elite
cruiserweights.
When you’re about to turn 31 and
are still carrying a sobriquet that
suggests a spotty teenage tyro, it can
be easy to believe you possess the gift
of eternal youth. But the Cardiff man’s
mature enough to realise he’s no Peter
Pan figure and that 2016 has to be a
breakthrough year if he’s to fulfil the
potential he and his trainer – former
world champion Steve Robinson –
believe he possesses.
‘The Kid’ still has a professional
record that appears barely past the age
of consent – just 14 unblemished fights.
On 14 May, though, Kennedy will fight
Belgium’s Joel ‘Big Toe’ Tambwe Djeko
for the IBF international title at
Cardiff’s new Ice Arena Wales. Victory
would provide the
local boy with a top
15 world ranking.
Reasons for
Kennedy’s slow
progress include
a serious injury
suffered in his
amateur days,
and some serious
bad luck since.
“I boxed as
an amateur,
but I then
had a very
bad
16
shoulder injury,” said the winner of this
year’s British Boxing Board of Control
Welsh Area Council ‘best prospect
award’. “It forced me out of the game
for about three years. I stayed around
and about the sport, but I wasn’t
competing, meaning I didn’t turn
professional until I was 27. That’s
obviously a late start, but I’ve always
looked after myself. I don’t smoke, I
don’t drink and I eat well.
“The shoulder problems are all
behind me now and, obviously, I want
to crack on and hit the ground,
running. I know I’m no spring chicken,
but at the same time I think bigger
guys mature physically at an older age.
I’m 30 but I’m fresh and I’m always
improving, I’m nowhere near the
finished product yet. I’m learning every
day and that’s not just in boxing, it’s in
life. I’m getting stronger mentally as
well as physically.”
Misfortune followed the injuries,
with Kennedy’s planned opponents
repeatedly falling by the wayside long
before they’d entered the ring. Five
pull-outs in 13 fights left him a
frustrated man, but he took out some
of that emotion with a three-round
stoppage of Poland’s durable Lukasz
Rusiewicz in Newport in March.
“He boxed well,” was
trainer Robinson’s succinct
verdict. “Craig turned
pro quite late really. He
was a good amateur
and then he stopped
for a bit. Then, he
had an injury and it
was a while before he
got back into it. He’s
30 now but he’s still
very fresh. I think he’s
matured and he’s
approaching
his peak.”
Even the Rusiewicz win had a bittersweet taste, though. The night should
have seen Kennedy in a British title
eliminator against Tony Conquest, but
the former champion withdrew for a
second time, having already had to miss
the original date in February. Kennedy
keeps injuries and replacement fights in
perspective; a far more profound blow
came when one of his best friends,
Simon Lewis, was killed in a car
accident on New Year’s Eve. His wife
and daughter, Summer – Kennedy’s
four-year-old god-daughter – survived
the crash, but a son born prematurely
after the accident later died in hospital.
The Cardiff fighter dedicated his last
victory to the memory of his friend and
added: “He was a very close mate of
mine. It’s been a very sad time for the
whole community because we’re all so
close. We managed to raise £35,000 for
his family, but the truth is I wasn’t
mentally right to fight for a time
afterwards.”
Whatever the result against Tambwe
Djeko, one fight Kennedy won’t be
pursuing is an all-Welsh clash with
Swansea veteran Enzo Maccarinelli.
“Truthfully, that’s not a fight I’d want,”
he said. “He’s more of a mentor of
mine. We have a laugh about that,
because people are always trying to put
our names together. We regularly spar
together and we’re good friends. I
know all his secrets and he knows all
mine.
“But he’s got bigger fish to fry at
the moment. For him to fight someone
like me at this stage wouldn’t make
sense. To be truthful, he would have
too much to lose and not enough to
gain. He’s probably only got a couple of
fights left – maybe win a world title in
the second and earn a big pay day,
then leave it all for me to clean up.
“My management are good and
they can make big things happen quite
suddenly. I’ve had so much bad luck
lately, surely, I’m due some reward for
hard work. With a bit of good luck, I
can catapult into the big time.”
Issue 11
FEATURE
What’s Warren planning next for Wales?
Jeremy Davies catches up with Frank Warren Promotions, who seem to have
plans brewing for more big fight nights in Wales
T
he role played by Frank
Warren Promotions in Welsh
boxing history is undeniable;
of the country’s 12 world
boxing champions, seven claimed
their crowns under the guidance of
the promoter. When Steve Robinson
became world champ number five
back in 1993, it marked the start of
arguably the most successful two
decades for the sport in Wales.
Warren's promotional team played a
big part in that, helping take
Robinson, Robbie Regan, Joe
Calzaghe, Barry Jones, Enzo
Maccarinelli, Gavin Rees and Nathan
Cleverly to world glory.
When Lee Selby became world
champ number 12 last year, he was the
first non-Warren Welshman to reach
the top since Howard Winstone in 1968,
a stat that may lead to the conclusion
that we’re seeing a changing of the
guard. But take a breath before you
count Warren out of the Welsh scene…
Cardiff’s Ice Arena Wales will host a
major Sanigar/Cyclone Promotions show
on 14 May, and the impressive new
venue has already been given the onceover by Warren’s team. “At present
Issue 11
we’ve just been to see the venue, but
everything looks good,” says Warren’s
spokesman Richard Maynard. Warren
still has an impressive stable of Welsh
fighters, headed by British and
Commonwealth light-middleweight
champion Liam Williams and veteran
Enzo Maccarinelli, who has dreams of
becoming the first Welshman to reclaim
a world title. “We’re working on a title
fight for Enzo, we’re going to make an
announcement soon,” adds Maynard.
Still buoyed by his utter dominance
of the once-great Roy Jones Jr in Russia,
Swansea’s Maccarinelli would love
another world title tilt. His last chance
was at light-heavyweight against
Juergen Braehmer in 2014, his
challenge being ended by an
unfortunate and horrific eye injury. “I
don’t know if I could make lightheavyweight now to be totally honest,
the way I felt at cruiserweight [against
Jones] was better than I felt in years,”
says Maccarinelli. Regardless of weight,
the world title is the goal for the hardpunching, self-proclaimed ‘Britalian’,
who adds: “No-one should be surprised
if it happens, the world title is what I’m
here for.”
Maccarinelli’s gym-mate Williams is
one of Warren’s most exciting
prospects, a man seen by many as
trainer Gary Lockett’s most-likely
prospective world champion. Lockett
has, of course, gone through difficult
times recently after Nick Blackwell
suffered serious injury in his defeat to
Chris Eubank Jr. Thankfully Blackwell
has started his road to recovery, but the
whole gym, including Maccarinelli, was
shocked by that night at Wembley
Arena. "From the moment it happened,
I just felt sick,” said the Swansea man.
“I was phoning Gary every day for
regular updates. The picture I saw of
Nick awake with his brother was just
one of the best I've ever seen. You see
how strong the boxing community is at
times like these.”
That boxing community celebrated
on great Frank Warren-promoted
nights at the Wales National Ice Rink, in
Cardiff Arms Park, at Cardiff Castle…
nights featuring the likes of Calzaghe,
Naseem Hamed, Lennox Lewis and
Frank Bruno. We await Warren’s plans
with interest as he looks to continue to
play a big part in the story of Welsh
boxing.
17
NEWS
Photo by SOPHIE MERLO
‘Pattycake’ challenge
awaits Williams
After a multitude of out-of-the-ring career setbacks, a series of exciting fights
beckon for British and Commonwealth light-middleweight champion Liam
Williams, starting with Ahmet ‘Pattycake’ Patterson
L
iam Williams is widely acknowledged as one of the
most talented young fighters in the UK, he remains
unbeaten and he has two major titles to his name. But
for a man with so much going in his favour, the 23year-old’s five-year, 14-fight professional career has been
notably problematic.
The Church Village man claimed the Commonwealth title
with a first-round stoppage win over Michael Lomax back in
November 2014, but has since fought just once as two careerthreatening hand injuries kept him out of the ring for over a
year. Then, in his comeback bout last December, he took less
than two rounds to stop Kris Carslaw with a perfectly timed
left-hand jab to add the British title to his collection.
After such a long period of inactivity, Williams was keen to
stay active and to keep earning to support his young family,
but a virus forced him to pull out of a planned February
defence against Rotherham’s Nav Mansouri in Liverpool in
February. The fight was rearranged for Harrow Leisure Centre
on 2 April, but this time it was Mansouri who was forced to
withdraw with a snapped Achilles.
If that was another frustration for Gary Lockett-trained
Williams, it may also have been news that landed with some
measure of relief. The fight would have come just one week
after the Nick Blackwell v Chris Eubank Jr bout, a week which
Williams’ friend-and-gym-mate Blackwell spent hospitalised in
an induced coma; neither Williams nor Lockett seem likely to
have been in the right frame of mind for a title fight.
Since then, of course, Blackwell has emerged from his
coma and the boxing world has kept turning. Dangerous
Londoner Ahmet ‘Pattycake’ Patterson has been named as the
mandatory challenger for Williams’ Lonsdale Belt; the bout is
going to purse bids which must be submitted by 11 May, and
the contest will have to take place by the end of August.
Patterson, who also goes by the moniker ‘Punch Picker’,
has won all 17 of his professional fights, seven by knock-out.
The 28-year-old describes himself as a ‘boxer / model / dancer /
rapper / singer / entertainer’, but he’s all business between the
ropes and a real threat to Williams’ unbeaten record.
The champion will clearly do well to focus on his next
challenge, but further fights are already brewing nicely.
Londoner Gary Corcoran is another talented, young,
unbeaten British light-middleweight, the 25-year-old
boasting a perfect 15-0 record, with six knock-outs.
Williams recently called him out on Twitter, saying he
wanted to find an opponent who ‘wouldn’t bottle it’.
Corcoran responded eagerly, saying: “Sounds good to me,
will enjoy taking your belt from you. Better double up on
the training mate, it’ll hurt.”
The domestic light-middleweight scene is clearly in rude
health, and Corcoran, Patterson and Williams will all have
Liverpool’s WBO world champion Liam Smith in their longrange sights.
18
Issue 11
FEATURE
Doran seizes limelight
with two-round war
Unbeaten middleweight Tom Doran thrust himself into the face of the UK boxing
public after victory in a fight-of-the-year contender against Luke Keeler
U
nbeaten north Wales
middleweight Tom Doran
lit a rocket under his career
with a thrilling two-round
win over Dublin’s Luke Keeler at
Liverpool’s Echo Arena on 2 April.
The Connah’s Quay man names Joe
Calzaghe as his boxing hero, and
this toe-to-toe war brought back
memories of the latter’s thrilling
up-and-down two-rounder against
Byron Mitchell in 2003; other
pundits went so far as to compare
it to Marvin Hagler v Thomas
Hearns. If that’s rather pushing the
significance of the bout, it’s a fight
that gets the 28-year-old aircraft
engineer into the world
“DEEP DOWN, DORAN’S A
WARRIOR AND THAT WAS
THE BEST TWO ROUNDS OF
BOXING I’VE SEEN IN A
BRITISH RING”
Tony Bellew
middleweight rankings and a
performance that’s likely to fuel his
ambition of becoming the first
British middleweight champion
from Wales since the great Frank
Moody in 1928.
The bout, which went out live on
Sky TV, was something of a grudgematch, the heavy-set Keeler out for
revenge after his 2015 semi-final loss in
Prizefighter when ‘Dazzlin’ Doran went
on to claim the £32,000 winner’s prize.
The defeat looked likely to be avenged
as Doran started slowly, eating big
punches and being dropped very
heavily with a minute of the first round
to go. But as Keeler moved in for the
kill he was caught by a sweet left hook
from Doran, a blow he never fully
recovered from. The Dublin man
continued to come forward on
Issue 11
unsteady legs, but Doran kept his
head, chose his punches with care and
inflicted two more knock-downs in the
second to end a rip-roaring fight.
“The fans who come out to support
me deserve a great fight,” said Doran.
“If I can get up, I get up. I’ve always
had a decent chin, sometimes I stand
and trade when I shouldn’t but it
makes for an exciting fight. The
biggest mistake a fighter can make is
to hurt me like that. I’ve always got the
rounds in the bank, but it was good to
finish it early. I’m happy to have put
myself in the mix with some of the
great middleweight names out there.”
The Deesider, whose 17-0 record is
the longest unbeaten streak on the
current Welsh boxing scene, faced
significant criticism when he came in
half a stone over the middleweight
limit for his last outing against Rod
Smith, which was meant to be a
Lonsdale Belt eliminator. But he has
since taken on a conditioning coach
and nutritionist, factors which played a
major part in his victory.
“He showed good recuperation
skills, you only get that from being
super-fit,” said European cruiserweight
champion Tony Bellew. “Strange to say
in that fight, but Doran started
slowly – he was hurt when he went
down – but that made him come alive
and go to his strength of picking
punches. Deep down, he’s a warrior
and that was the best two rounds of
boxing I’ve seen in a British ring,
unbelievable.”
Bellew’s praise was seconded by
Johnny Nelson: “Doran really showed
his character when he went down,”
said the former WBO cruiserweight
champion. “Keeler got trigger-happy
and played into his hands, it was
power against a punch-picker. Doran’s
attacks were more calculated… at the
end of the day, it’s the skills that pay
the bills.”
The British title is now flashing on
Doran’s radar, the likelihood of a shot
at the belt likely to increase if and
when new champion Chris Eubank Jr
moves on to pursue his ambitions at
world level. Doran’s coach, David
Coldwell, sees some big opportunities
for his charge: “A doable fight would
be with someone like John Ryder,” said
Coldwell. “That’s something that could
be made. [Ryder’s] a great talent, a
great fighter and I’m a huge fan. I’ve
already spoken with Eddie Hearn about
it. Any fighter wanting to prove
themselves in the top end of the
domestic scale in the division has to
fight the best guys in that class. You’ve
got to fight guys that are better than
you, so there’ll be some great learning
fights coming up for Tom.”
19
HISTORY
When Welsh
heavyweights
ruled the land
With heavyweights Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and David Haye driving Britain to
the forefront of boxing’s marquee division, Sean Davies marks the anniversaries
of two nights when Wales’ big men took the lead on the UK’s domestic stage
Ruling the roost from a Carmarthen cowshed
T
he 16 June marks the 10-year
anniversary of what it’s fair to
say was one of the more
unusual nights in the history
of the British heavyweight title. On
that date in 2006, Pembroke’s Scott
Gammer claimed a win over Mark
Krence that made him the first
Welshman to wear the premier
Lonsdale Belt since David Pearce in
1984… but the strangeness of the
evening was all about the venue, a
glorified cowshed known as the
Carmarthen Showground.
“The venue would never get
passed these days, but it was so much
fun,” recalls Gammer’s promoter Paul
Boyce. “There were no facilities but
we made it work, it was an amazing
Sixteen undefeated fights between
2002 and 2006 proved the promoter
right as Gammer began to build a
formidable west Wales fan base who
would arrive at his fights armed with
inflatable hammers in tribute to their
fighter’s nickname. Boyce’s challenge
was to deliver the big fights at venues
accessible to this support base and
that suited Gammer’s preference for
performing close to home.
“I was looking around for venues,
they had to be within an hour of a
hospital that had brain surgery
facilities, such as Morriston in
Swansea,” remembers Boyce. “I was
driving back and fore to see Scott in
Pembroke and I saw the Carmarthen
Showground and thought ‘that’s the
“FOR CHANGING ROOMS, MIKE CUDDY OFFERED ME SOME
OF THE DECONTAMINATION UNITS THEY USE TO CLEAN UP
WHEN THEY’VE BEEN STRIPPING ASBESTOS”
Promoter Paul Boyce
time.”
After a successful amateur career,
Pembroke Dock-man Gammer was
nearly 27 by the time he started his
professional career in 2002. “I took
[then Wales rugby coach] Graham
Henry to Scott’s last amateur fight
against Kevin Evans,” says Boyce. “I’d
told Graham how good this boy was,
but Scott was out of shape and
lacking motivation and he lost.
Graham said to me ‘are you sure
about this fella, mate’ and I just said,
‘Yeah, he’ll be ok’.”
20
place’. Ron Davies, an ex-policeman,
was running it. We just rolled our
sleeves up and said ‘let’s do it’.”
Former Mike Tyson fall-guy Julius
Francis was the first Gammer victim at
the Showground in September 2005, a
win that was followed by victory over
Suren Kalachyan in London in
December, leaving ‘the Hammer’ in
line for his British title shot.
“The funny part was winning the
purse bids,” says Boyce. “The fight
was supposed to be against Matt
Skelton and I thought that, if we were
going to beat Matt, we needed to get
him away from London and into
Wales, as close to Scott’s
Pembrokeshire base as we could. I
knew that Sky were paying £63,000
for a Friday or Saturday night show
and I thought that we might lose the
purse bid to Frank Warren, so I bid
£63,213 and we won. I was smiling
but just thought ‘my god, what’ve I
done, I’ve got to find the money
now!’ Julian James, a Port Talbot
businessman, is a great friend of
mine, I couldn’t have done it without
him. But when I told him I’d bid over
£63,000 he said ‘oh god, you’ve done
it now’.
“As it happened Skelton pulled
out, I don’t think he wanted the fight
down in Wales. Mark Krence was the
replacement opponent, a man Scott
had beaten before, but we didn’t
know if the Lonsdale Belt would be at
stake. I didn’t think it’d be good for
the sport to drag things out with a
vacant title, so I spoke to the British
Boxing Board of Control who agreed
it would be better to have an active
belt. I spoke to Scott and to Krence’s
promoter Dennis Hobson about what
we could do financially, and we got it
arranged. It was a gamble and I lost a
lot of money, but it was worth it to
get the title.”
Boyce had hopes that some of the
costs would be covered by a TV deal
but – despite widespread Welsh media
interest in Gammer’s title bid – the
camera coverage never came. “I
approached everyone for a television
deal,” says Boyce. “S4C came close but
we just couldn’t get a slot anywhere. I
Issue 11
HISTORY
thought ‘someone must want to show
a British heavyweight title fight that’s
taking place in a cowshed in
Carmarthen’!”
Preparing the venue was also
something of a challenge. “I asked
Ron if there were any changing
rooms. He said ‘not really but there’s
an attachment to the building’… they
were smaller cowsheds! We put in
some petition walls and got some hot
and cold running water, then I spoke
to [construction industry businessman]
Mike Cuddy, who offered me some of
the decontamination units they use to
clean up when they’ve been stripping
asbestos. I thought, great! We got a
hog roast in, got a burger stand… it
was exciting and fun and we got it
done. A British heavyweight title in
Carmarthen was a big event.”
The fight was rather more
straightforward than the build-up,
Gammer underlining his previous win
over Krence with a ninth-round TKO,
making him the seventh Welshman to
hold the British heavyweight crown.
That opened up major opportunities
on the domestic scene, where Olympic
star Audley Harrison was something of
a swaying doorway controlling access
to the world scene.
“Frank Warren offered £100,000
for Scott to fight Audley Harrison in
London,” says Boyce. “I turned it
down, I don’t know if that was right
or wrong. Audley was obviously very
dangerous when he wanted to be, it
wasn’t an easy fight.”
Instead, the promoter chose a
comfortable voluntary defence against
Micky Steeds, a fight at Port Talbot’s
Afan Lido that further built ‘the
Hammer’s’ local fan base. “Scott had
beaten Micky before and I knew that
with his boxing skills he’d win that,”
says Boyce. “I knew that after it there
was a contract for a fight with Danny
Williams. I’d spoken to Sky who said
that if we stuck with them they could
quickly give us two dates for voluntary
defences after a win over Williams. I
just thought that this was a better
offer than the £100,000 for the
Audley fight, I thought Scott would
beat Danny.”
Harrison had hammered Williams
inside three rounds in December 2006,
so Boyce was confident in bringing
the Tyson-conqueror down to Wales
to face Gammer, with a 1,200-seat
sell-out guaranteed at Neath’s Cwrt
Herbert Sports Centre. But before that
fight would happen, Harrison
imploded against Michael Sprott with
a third-round loss, while the enigmatic
Williams had a major surprise in store
for the Welsh team. Having been
flabby and out of shape against
Harrison, the challenger weighed in
for the Gammer bout at 16st 4lbs, his
lightest since he made his professional
debut in 1995. “We had a shock on
the scales,” says Boyce. “Danny had
never been in that shape since his first
professional fight. I don’t know why
he did it for that fight, he hadn’t
done it before and never did it
again.”
Gammer, thinking he needed to
bulk up to face Williams, came in at
17st 1lb, the heaviest weight he’d been,
thereby throwing away his advantages
in terms of speed and energy. “Scott
hadn’t had the right sparring or
preparation,” admits Boyce. “But there
was nothing in it until Williams stopped
him in the ninth.
“Scott lost heart after that. Against
John McDermott… well, he made
McDermott look like a world-beater.
But he had his moments. Scott was
such a talented kid, articulate and
good looking… it was a shame really,
he had a great boxing brain. He did
well out of his career and he’s a great
lad, he’s in scaffolding now, still in
Pembroke. He missed the boat, but it
was because he wouldn’t come out of
west Wales. If he’d gone training and
sparring in London he would have
done even better. He says he wishes
he’d listened, he admits that now.”
Wales’ greatest heavyweight fight?
THE 7 MAY MARKS the 60-year
anniversary of a bout that’s arguably
the greatest in Welsh heavyweight
history, the 1956 showdown between
Cardiff’s Joe Erskine and Newport’s Dick
Richardson that took place before a
huge 35,000 crowd in the capital’s
Maindy Stadium.
The hugely popular Erskine is now
largely remembered for his fragility;
despite his incredible talent, his
tender skin and lack of power mean
his career has been described as
’always seeming to be on the crest of
a slump’. But this bout came early on
when the possibilities seemed
limitless. After turning professional in
1954, a single draw was the only
blemish against the first 25 fights of
Issue 11
his career, before a win over Henry
Cooper set up a huge bout with
another fast-rising young Welsh
heavyweight, Richardson.
The ‘Maesglas Marciano’ also turned
professional in 1954 but lost his first
fight to George Cooper (twin brother
of Henry), before building an
impressive knock-out reputation. An
Erskine-Richardson bout became
inevitable, with a Lonsdale Belt shot on
offer to the winner.
The much-anticipated clash of local
rivals didn’t disappoint. Rough-house
Richardson sent Erskine to the canvas
for the first time in his career in the
fifth, but the Cardiff man was in
control for much of the fight and won
a wide points verdict.
Three months later Erskine was back
at the Maindy Stadium to fight for the
vacant British heavyweight title, the
first time the belt had been contested
in Wales. His opponent was another
Welshman, ex-British champion Johnny
Williams from Barmouth. The fans were
again out in numbers – despite the
drenching they received from the heavy
August rain – and were rewarded as
Erskine claimed the crown on points.
The new champion built his
unbeaten record to 30 fights, but was
crushed in the first round when he
stepped up to world level against Nino
Valdes. Richardson’s incredibly colourful
and controversial career would see him
claim a European title, but the Lonsdale
Belt would never be his.
21
FEATURE
Photos by SOPHIE MERLO
The Fury-ous route to
world domination
Sophie Merlo catches up with world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury’s uncle
and trainer Peter to talk Klitschko, Joshua, Wilder and much, much more…
I
get hold of Peter Fury just as
news breaks of the 9 July
rematch between his nephew,
Tyson Fury, and Wladimir
Klitschko.
“We’re very excited at getting it
on,” says the trainer of the WBO and
WBA world heavyweight champion.
“Wladimir was willing to come to
England, so there was no trouble
getting him here. It just took a while
to organise with things like the TV
companies.”
Peter helped mastermind a
performance that shook up the world
when Tyson romped to a points
22
victory over Klitschko, the secondlongest reigning heavyweight
champion in history, in Dusseldorf
last November. But there’ll be no
resting on laurels ahead of the return
bout in Manchester.
“We have to anticipate what
Wladimir is doing next and adjust
accordingly,” says Peter. “My job is to
make the plans and prepare Tyson,
making sure he's as focused as
possible. When the bell goes it's not
about the fight immediately ahead,
it's about the preparation. My job is
instilling in Tyson what to expect,
how it can be and what can go
wrong. It's not about fear, it's about
intelligence and pure skill. A boxer
with maximum skill who is a worldclass athlete can negate the other
man's power. A good fight is like a
game of chess… and when
through those chess moves a
fighter cannot land his shots,
the preparation beforehand
will have educated him in
how to deal with it.”
Tyson received a lot of
negative media following
homophobic comments
he made after the
Klitschko triumph, and
other incidents have
built a very unique
public persona. There's
video footage of him
being a ring girl in
between rounds on the
Chris Eubank Jr v Nick
Blackwell undercard,
for example. Then
there's his infamous
singing. While I
personally think
boxing needs more
characters like him
and find it highly
entertaining, others
may foolishly
underestimate him for
it.
“Tyson gets
misquoted a lot, but he's not really
affected by it,” says Peter. “People
like to play down what he's achieved.
Nobody expected him to win in
Germany last year – all the promoters
discounted him, apart from one. Yet
Tyson wins and gets criticised for it!
He needs to earn total respect. He
won some respect in Dusseldorf and
he's about to cement this by showing
that beating Klitschko was no fluke.
People's opinions of Tyson will turn
around in July when they see this.”
So what of the man preparing
Tyson for another epic showdown?
Peter is from a travelling community
and his first boxing-related memory
was his father telling tales of his
uncles journeying miles to go 30 or 40
rounds in fairground boxing booths.
“My father, although not a boxer
himself, was always around boxing,”
says Peter. “When I was six or seven
I'd hang about various gyms with him
as we travelled around the country,
and I started doing padwork and bags
at that age. I began sparring when I
was 13 or 14.”
Peter had some amateur
experience and just one professional
fight, but a youthful marriage and an
admitted lack of dedication meant his
own career in the ring went no
further. His highly controversial past
is well documented; he spent 10
years inside for importing
amphetamines, then a further two
years for laundering money. He has
always stayed involved in boxing,
though, and his influence on other
fighters is part of his own much
larger story.
“Everyone I've ever met along the
way, they all fit into the jigsaw of
what and who I am,” says Peter. “I've
sparred with many people over the
years; I know what it's like to have
the family name at stake and to have
to go into a field at 5am in the
morning with bare knuckles and no
referees, with my life on the line. I
know what it's like to train hard and
Issue 11
FEATURE
“I KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO HAVE THE FAMILY NAME AT STAKE AND TO HAVE TO GO
INTO A FIELD AT 5AM IN THE MORNING WITH BARE KNUCKLES AND NO REFEREES, WITH
MY LIFE ON THE LINE”
be dedicated. All these people and all
these experiences carved out what I
am now.
“I believe in the Lord, I'm a Godfearing man and tell the truth. I
always speak straight and have
maximum respect for all. Tyson and
all my sons have the same beliefs as I
do. We thank God for everything we
do and we do the best we can.
Before each fight, I don't pray a trite
prayer like ‘please God let my fighter
win’, it's more like, ‘please God
reward their hard work and let both
fighters be safe’, because that's all
that really matters. My focus is on my
family and their welfare, and living a
peaceful life.”
Peter's worked with other boxers
in the past, but now only trains his
family… although the world
champion isn’t the only fighter in the
Fury clan. Tyson's 19-year-old
brother, Young, and Peter's son,
Hughie, both fight professionally as
Issue 11
heavyweights. Then there's an upand-coming nephew, 16-year-old
Tommy, who’s still an amateur.
”When my family quit, I’ll probably
quit,” says Peter, although that day
looks to be some time away. “Hughie
is only 21 and maturing all the time,
he's coming on and our plan is for
him to fight for a world title around
October 2017. Young Fury is taking
time out at the moment, he's met a
nice girl and is enjoying life. But
Tyson’s 27, and it's his time now.”
‘His time’ looks likely to include a
future showdown with Anthony
Joshua, the new IBF heavyweight
champion and the sporting world’s
current sensation. “We're hoping that
Tyson will fight Joshua in October or
November, after Klitscho,” says Peter.
“It’ll be a super fight and Tyson can’t
wait.”
Team Fury obviously don't think
too highly of the much-lauded
Joshua, though, Tyson having
reportedly lost £1,000 by betting on
the man he claimed the title from,
Charles Martin. The fallen ‘champion’
did, of course, only hold the belt
because the IBF had stripped it from
Tyson for choosing a Klitschko
rematch over an unworthy
mandatory challenger.
“Joshua's not to blame [for the
lost bet]… he can't help people
walking into his fist,” says Peter. “I
don't think Joshua is there yet, but
the public wrongly believe he is. This
isn’t about the title for Tyson. When
Tyson takes back the IBF belt from
Joshua that was robbed off him, he’ll
throw it in the dustbin. He’ll vacate
the title immediately because the belt
is worn out and he has no respect for
it. We're giving boxing fans what
they want, an all-English showdown.
We're going to concentrate on that
before [WBC champion] Deontay
Wilder – Klitschko, then Joshua, then
Wilder, step by step.”
23
FEATURE
Hunger and humility in
After witnessing Anthony Joshua’s remarkable destruction of Charles
Martin at the O2, Niall Hickman takes a closer look at the latest man to
hold the greatest title in sport
S
o how did the new world
heavyweight champion
celebrate? Holiday in the
sun, fast cars, or even faster
women? No, he was happy to go
back to what he enjoys best...
“I am looking forward to mum’s
cooking, which I always do,” said
Joshua, hours after he had stunned
the boxing world with his rapid-fire
victory. “Mum has probably got a few
jobs lined up for me to do as well just
to keep my feet on the ground. I’m a
humble person and that comes from
my background.”
Not exactly flamboyant out of the
ring, Anthony Joshua is certainly
flashy inside it. And when it comes to
cooking, he made mincemeat of
‘Prince’ Charles Martin, who entered
the ring wearing an oversized crown
and left it a pauper. Not financially,
of course, as Martin made around
£2m for unsuccessfully defending his
IBF world title. But in terms of
reputation, he was well and truly
shattered.
Joshua did what he does best
between the ropes, winning a version
of the world crown less than four
years after celebrating Olympic gold,
24
and just 34 rounds after turning
professional. In anyone’s language
that’s some achievement and he has,
in fact, won a version of the title
quicker than any other heavyweight
fighter in boxing history… although
the sceptics will undoubtedly argue
over Martin’s credentials for holding
a world crown.
Without criticising his fallen
opponent, Joshua diplomatically
recognised what had been achieved,
saying he was still only a “quarter of
the way there” as he seeks to clean
up boxing’s blue riband division. “I’m
not daft, I know what people will
say,” said the 26-year-old Watford
man. “In a sense I agree with them as
there are fighters out there who have
strong records, like David Haye, Tyson
Fury and Deontay Wilder. They are
the people I have to be beating if I
want to achieve my ultimate goal.”
Joshua had a troubled youth until
the day he walked into his local
boxing gym, and it was from Finchley
ABC in north London that he began a
journey which led him to glory. He
still lives with his social worker mum,
Yeta Odusanya, in their former
council home, but the trappings of
what he’s achieved – even Jose
Mourinho queued up to congratulate
him after his Martin victory – means
he might not be able to reside in his
childhood house for much longer.
You get the impression that’s not
something Joshua wants, as he’s at
his most relaxed amongst those who
nurtured him from teenage bad boy
to boxing superstar. He’s determined
not to let the fame and adulation go
to his head and plans to remain
focused on the main challenge,
becoming the first Briton since
Lennox Lewis to become undisputed
world heavyweight champion.
“I think you always have to have
goals in this job, and my goal now is
to step up from being a world
champion to becoming THE world
champion,” said Joshua. “You can’t
rest on your laurels and I don’t plan
on sitting back and patting myself on
the back too much. I believe I have
the tools to become the best there is,
but until I beat everyone else it’s just
talk. Too many fighters talk a good
game and then fail to deliver. I will
deliver and then talk a good game.”
His principal challengers will
certainly be more of a test than
Issue 11
FEATURE
the heart of a champion
“UNDISPUTED
WORLD CHAMPION
IS ALL I AM
INTERESTED IN FROM
NOW ON IN AND
THAT SHOULD BE
ACHIEVABLE BY THE
MIDDLE OR END OF
2017”
Anthony Joshua
Martin, who looked shell-shocked in
the ring at London’s packed O2
Arena. Fury beat an all-time great
world champion in Wladimir Klitschko
last year and faces a rematch in July
where the WBA and WBO crowns will
again be at stake. Unbeaten Wilder,
who has blitzed his way past
numerous American opponents, holds
the WBC version of the title, while
Haye has beaten several globally
recognised heavyweights, including
man-mountain Nikolai Valuev.
Haye reckons we still don’t know
the extent of Joshua’s talent as his 16
KO victories in 16 fights since turning
pro have come against limited
opposition. That includes Martin, who
won his version of the world title
(vacated by Fury) last year after his
opponent, Vyacheslav Glazkov, pulled
out with an injured knee; the
defeated champion may well go
down in history as one of the
weakest fighters ever to have held a
version of the heavyweight crown.
“There’s no doubting Joshua has
got the job done impressively,” said
Haye. “But I still think there are
unanswered questions about him
even after beating Martin,
acknowledging that you can only
beat what’s put in front of you.”
Haye is right on both counts and
even Joshua accepts that his path to
the world title has not been a tricky
one. But it was similar in the 1980s as
Issue 11
Mike Tyson reignited a division which
had been moribund for several years.
The self-styled ‘baddest man on the
planet’ carved his way through all the
leading heavyweights, including the
likes of Pinklon Thomas and Trevor
Berbick; hardly future Hall of Famers.
The sense of expectation
surrounding Joshua has not been
evident in the division since Tyson’s
early days, but in terms of personality
they’re poles apart. “Boxing has given
me everything, which is why I want
to give it so much back,” said Joshua.
“I want people to watch me, get
inspired and go and see other
fighters. Boxing is a tough business
and fighters need all the help and
support they can get.” Laudable
sentiments and especially pertinent
as, only a few weeks ago, Nick
Blackwell suffered at the hands of
Chris Eubank Jr. His injuries now
thankfully appear to be on the mend,
but it was a reminder, if indeed one
was required, that prize fighting is for
the toughest of the tough.
“It’s the hurt business we are in,
but boxing does so many good things
and brings so many positive elements
to a fighter’s life,” said Joshua. “I’m
an example of what the sport can do
in a very positive way.”
Joshua was always a very grounded
individual during his long spells away
from home at Sheffield’s English
Institute for Sport in the years when
he trained for Olympic glory. His pals
on the GB squad all regarded him as a
team player, none more so than Wales’
most-decorated amateur Andrew
Selby. “Josh is one of the nicest lads
you could ever wish to meet,” said
unbeaten flyweight Selby. “He likes a
joke and a laugh, but when the serious
side came he was always giving it
100%. Everybody I know wishes him
nothing but success.”
Joshua’s victory means Britain has
12 world champions – Selby’s brother
Lee is Wales’ sole representative in
that list – in what is a golden period
for boxing on these shores. So where
do we go from here? Joshua is
scheduled to box again in July, then a
clash with former world cruiserweight
and heavyweight champion Haye
could be made later this year. Fury
and Wilder showdowns may have to
wait until 2017.
“Undisputed world champion is all
I am interested in from now on in and
that should be achievable by the
middle or end of 2017,” said Joshua.
“I’m not stopping now. Believe me,
I’ve only just started.” And after he
marmalised Charles Martin on a
memorable night in the capital, only
the bravest of the brave would argue
with him.
25
PREVIEW
Can Khan conquer
Canelo weight gap?
Paul Daley looks ahead to the big Cinco De Mayo weekend fight in Las Vegas, as Britain’s
Amir Khan takes the step up to challenge middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez
W
ould you have anticipated
the announcement that
was made by Oscar De La
Hoya in February? The
one that saw Amir Khan announced as
the challenger for Saul ‘Canelo’
Alvarez’s WBC middleweight title? I
assume your answer is a resounding
‘No’.
Don't worry, you're not on your
own. It was news that took the whole
boxing world by surprise, our collective
gaze set on a host of other match-ups.
“We are committed to putting on
the biggest and best fights in boxing,”
said Golden Boy Promotions supremo
Oscar De La Hoya. “Canelo is the
biggest star in the sport and, as he
demonstrated against James Kirkland
and Miguel Cotto last year, he is only
getting better.
"Those who predicted that he would
take an easy fight for his first defence
have been proven wrong once again.
As for Amir, he has won his last five
fights, including an incredible
performance against Devon Alexander,
and now that he is back where he
belongs at Golden Boy Promotions, his
future is very bright once again.”
The contest, which will take place at
the newly built Las Vegas T-Mobile
Arena on 7 May, will present Britain's
Khan with a chance to defeat one of
the sport’s top names. It follows his
failed attempts to share a ring with the
now-retired Floyd Mayweather Jr and
Manny Pacquiao.
“I know Canelo fights the best and
wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to
face me like others have,” said Khan, in
a clear dig at the aforementioned
fighters. "I wanted the big fights
against Mayweather and Pacquiao, and
both fights didn't happen for one
reason or another. I then turned my
attention to the next big thing, and the
next big thing was Canelo. My goal is
to always fight the biggest names and
the best fighters, that is why I’m excited
for this fight."
Drastic times have certainly called
for drastic measures for Khan who,
having started his career at 135 pounds,
will take on the lineal middleweight
champion at a catch-weight of 155
pounds. Having only had four contests
at welterweight, the fight represents a
big risk considering the knock-out
defeats he has suffered against Breidis
Prescott and Danny Garcia… but it also
offers the opportunity to put himself
back amongst boxing's elite.
"I know I have the speed and ability
to beat him," said Khan. "I will give my
fans what they deserve on 7 May. I've
been watching video of Canelo and,
day after day, I’m getting more and
more confident that I can beat this guy.
So I'm really looking forward to it, and
we still have weeks left of training
where I'm going to be focusing. I'm still
going to be giving 100% so when I do
walk into that ring, I'm not only going
to do myself proud, but I'm going to do
my family proud, I'm going to do my
country proud, and I'm going to bring
back home the belt."
Canelo, too, is a fighter who has
never shied away from a challenge. But,
unlike Khan, the pressure is on him to
score a stoppage because of the
advantages he holds going into the
fight. Anything less could diminish the
bargaining chip he holds when looking
at a future fight with Gennady
Golovkin.
“As the middleweight champion of
the world, I will take on the best
fighters in the sport and, on Cinco De
Mayo weekend, I look forward to
making the first defence of my titles,”
said Canelo. “Amir was a decorated
amateur, a two-time world champion
and is in the prime of his career. Fans
are in for a great fight on 7 May.”
FEATURE
Cordina resets sights on Rio gold
After qualifying for Team GB at this summer’s Olympic Games in Brazil, Joe
Cordina refocuses on a medal challenge… but there’s heartbreak for his St Joseph’s
gym-mate Sean McGoldrick
C
ardiff’s Joe Cordina ensured
Welsh boxing representation at
this summer’s Olympic Games in
Rio with his silver medal at the
European qualification event in Samsun,
Turkey.
"I can’t believe it, the last six years of
my life have been aimed at qualifying for
the Olympics, it’s all that’s been in my
head,” said the 24-year-old lightweight.
“I’m in that group of five or six who can
win the gold, I can beat anyone on my
day. I’ve always been competitive and
always thought I had the skills, but now I
also have the strength that maturity
brings and the belief to go with it.
Winning tournaments and winning titles
has given me the belief that I can achieve
anything I want.”
However, the Turkey tournament also
offered ample evidence of the challenges
that will face the Team GB man as he
bids to become the first Welsh boxer to
win Olympic gold. He was seeded
number two at the event, and lost in the
final to the top seed, Sofiane Oumiha of
France. The 21-year-old from Toulouse is
ranked sixth in the world and had lost his
two previous showdowns with world
number eight Cordina.
The man from St Joseph’s gym may
also run into another familiar face in
Brazil in Ireland’s David Joyce. Cordina’s
hard-fought semi-final victory over Joyce
sealed his Rio spot and avenged an
Olympic qualifier stoppage defeat
against the Irishman four years ago. But
third-seed Joyce justified his ranking with
victory in the third-fourth box-off in
Turkey to book his own trip to Brazil.
"When I fought David Joyce four
years ago in an Olympic qualifier he beat
me,” said Cordina after his semi-final
win, where Joyce’s aggressive style again
caused him problems. “I was young and
inexperienced and, even though I started
well, he kept on coming and ended up
stopping me. It was good to get one
back on him.
“It’s a very, very tough category at
60kg, it’s such a competitive weight
division,” he added, naming his main
opposition as Oumiha, Lazaro Alvarez of
Cuba and Albert Selimov of Azerbaijan.
But Cordina has also been on fine form
in the World Series of Boxing. What’s
more, he’s been backing up his Team GB
work with sparring against the likes of
Andrew and Lee Selby at St Joseph’s, a
gym that’s now produced three
Olympians in four years in Cordina,
Andrew Selby and 2012 silver medallist
Fred Evans.
“Joe’s been doing great,” said IBF
featherweight champion Lee Selby. “I’ve
been sparring with him and he’s looking
in great shape, he’s one of the fastest
amateurs around. With his hand speed, if
he can keep his focus and keep training
as he has been, I'm sure he can do well
at the Olympics.”
Cordina said: “Sparring Lee has been
good for both of us, I’ve never been in
such good shape in my boxing career
and my confidence has never been so
high. Champions are breeding
champions in St Joe’s, it’s great
to be around the likes of Lee
and Gary Buckland. Andrew
Selby was one of the top
boys in Team GB in the last
cycle when I was part of
the Olympic Ambition
Programme. He’d been
number one in the world
for a long time so I just
copied what he was doing
back then… now, being in
the same gym, I know he’ll
give me the right advice.”
Heartbreak for McGoldrick
WHILE CORDINA CELEBRATED success there was heartbreak for his St Joseph’s
gym mate, Sean McGoldrick. At the qualifier in Turkey, his Team GB
bantamweight rival Qais Ashfaq secured qualification for Rio, thereby ending the
Olympic dreams of McGoldrick, the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist.
Trainer Tony Borg has previously bemoaned the lack of qualification
opportunities given to his fighter and told Bocsio: “If McGoldrick doesn’t get to
Rio, he’ll turn professional and force his way onto the British title scene. That’s
not a negative thing… you have to throw yourself into it as a positive thing and I
know that’s how he’ll approach it.”
Issue 11
27
COLUMN
Photo by WILL BROADHEAD
Women’s fight for
recognition continues
In the first of a regular series of features on women’s boxing, Jack Cox speaks to Kelly
Morgan and Ashley Brace, asking why there isn’t a wider audience for their achievements
A
s previewed in edition 10 of
Bocsio, Saturday, 12 March,
should have seen a fight
between Kelly Morgan and
Ghanaian Gifty Amanua Ankrah for the
WBC Silver middleweight title. The fight
was set to headline the March Madness
event at the Oasis Leisure Centre in
Swindon-based Morgan’s hometown,
but was cancelled less than a week
before the fight. This was due to visa
problems, combined with poor ticket
sales, making me question why
women’s boxing isn’t as well promoted
in the UK as the men’s sport.
“Presently there are only five
professional female boxers in the UK
BOCSIO CROSSWORD
Unnamed
ACROSS
1 WBC Heavyweight
champion, the Bronze Bomber.
6 Unbeaten Russian Krusher who holds the WBA, WBO &
IBF light heavyweight straps.
10 Surname of Erislandy - WBA light middle weight
champion who won the title outright fighting former
Contender favourite Ishe Smith!
11 Surname of Hugo, who is the WBC bantamweight
champion after avenging defeat to Julio Cesar Ceja.
12 Surname of veteran fighter Felix who shocked Fedor
Chudinov to take the WBA super middleweight
championship.
13 Our very own IBF featherweight champion out of
Barrybados, Wales!
14 Possible future opponent for Amir Khan, trained by his
father and holder of the WBA superlightweight title.
DOWN
1 WBA cruiserweight king
known for the horrific eye injury he suffered against
Guillermo Jones.
2 WBC world lightweight champion who won the vacant
crown against Javier Prieto in December 2014.
3 The controversial 'Gypsy King' who controls the WBO &
WBA versions of the heavyweight crown.
4 Ganigan _ _ _ _ _ who holds the WBC lightflyweight title &
shares the same title and surname as unbeaten legend
Ricardo of the same weight.
5 Unbeaten 'Special K'. Who dethroned Shawn Porter to
win the IBF welterweight crown.
7 The Manchester based fighter who is WBA world
lightweight champion and doesn't mind chasing away the
burglars!
8 The 'Chunky' Brit who bested Andre Dirrell to bring home
the IBF super middleweight belt.
9 The unbeaten IBF world super flyweight king who upset
Arthur Villaneuva to take the title in July last year.
See www.bocsiomagazine.co.uk for the answers
28
Issue 11
Q&A
and there’s no real incentive for the
fantastic female amateur boxers to turn
professional,” said Kelly, who is now
waiting to confirm a new date for her
title opportunity. “The professional
boxers need exposure alongside
opportunities and then the sport will
grow from the grassroots up, evolving
female boxing from local to global and
adding depth to the UK’s boxing scene.
“Outside of that struggle, boxing is a
beautiful sport that, for me, just can’t be
matched. The boxing lifestyle, as tough
as it is, allows me to be the best version
of myself. Without the challenge, the
discipline, the dream and the fight, I just
don’t function. What keeps me going is
that desire to surpass my potential and
to change things for future female
boxers as I chase my destiny.”
It isn’t just Morgan who has to fight
against the promotional struggles of
women’s boxing. Ashley Brace of Wales
is already a star in the kickboxing
community where she’s gained title
after title, but when it comes to boxing
she’s had an uphill battle. After being
included in the Wales team to box at
the 2014 Commonwealth Games in
Glasgow, she was then given a ban for
being a professional kickboxer,
something Ashley herself denies.
Since then the Ebbw Vale
bantamweight has become a
professional boxer and, at the Newport
Centre in March, won her third fight
when she stopped Romania’s Gabriella
Mezei. Ashley boxes out of Bristol
Boxing Gym, from where she’s had the
chance to fight in Sanigar-promoted
events. “Women’s boxing is new for
promoters and it’s a learning curve to
get it right,” says Ashley. “If more
support is given to the female boxers it’ll
only improve in the future.”
As well as boxing professionally,
Ashley coaches kickboxing at least four
times a week at Storm Kickboxing and
works as a carer, leaving her little spare
time. This means sponsorship is vital so
she can take time off work to train
without losing income, and to be able to
afford the equipment and medical
support needed to box at the best
possible standard.
With fighters like Ashley and Kelly
showing such dedication to the sport,
with the success of boxers like Nicola
Adams at the Olympics, and with more
and more girls and women picking up
boxing gloves, the question remains…
Why aren’t promoters doing more to
get bums on seats to make these
professional female boxers household
names like their male counterparts?
*What do you think about the state of
women’s boxing? Let us know @bocsio
or facebook.com/Bocsio
Issue 11
Weetch on title trail
Down Under
Former amateur star Jamie Weetch has turned his
life and career around following a move to
Western Australia, having previously been the
victim of criminal assaults in south Wales. The
Pontywaun man told Bocsio more about his story
and his dreams of professional glory…
How are you enjoying life in
sunny Perth?
I'm loving life here in Perth, the
weather and training is great. I've
started my own business so I'm
working around my training, which is
much easier than working for
someone else.
When did you decide to move
down under?
I moved here three-and-a-half years
ago because my parents live here. I
can't thank them enough for getting
my ass out of Wales!
After the two well-publicised
attacks you suffered out of the
ring in Wales, did you ever think
you’d have a professional boxing
career?
After the attacks I couldn't see much
happening with my life at all. I was in
and out of jobs, drinking… you could
say I was off the rails with no
confidence and no drive to train.
That changed when I moved to
Australia, my father got talking to my
coach Justin Lacey and got me to go
to his gym and do a bit to keep my
hand in. From there it snowballed out
of control, I couldn't wait to fight as a
pro.
All your pro fights have been in
Western Australia. What have
been the highlights of your career
to date?
I've had 10 fights now, I’ve lost two
and won eight. My first loss was my
debut, it was a close fight… but away
fighters don't win close fights. The
second loss was an outright robbery
for the WA state middleweight title.
Yet again I was the away fighter in
the state I call home, but, hey, I've
made a good name for myself now
and I’ll leave that in the past, I'm
focused on moving forward.
I have a good team around me
and we're just planning on what's
next. I had a good win on 12 February
for the state super-welterweight title.
I didn't box my best, but I just did
enough to win. The people of
Australia haven't seen half of what
I’m capable of doing yet, it’ll come
out as I gain more experience.
And we understand there was a
major life event at the end of
your last bout…
I dropped to one knee and asked the
missus to marry me after I won the
title, so that was a big night for both
of us!
What are your next targets? Are
we likely to see you back in the
UK anytime soon?
I don't follow the boxing back home
really but I have thought about
fighting back home, I think a lot of
people in Wales would love it just as
much as me. I'd love to get more
experience first, bring my Australian
title over to put on the table (when I
win it) and see who fancies a fight.
Keep up with Jamie @weetchy_89
29
FEATURE
Photos by Sophie Merlo
O’Kane reflects on
Dublin shooting ‘shock’
Sophie Merlo chats with trainer Andy O'Kane, who was caught up in February’s
horrific shooting at a weigh-in in Dublin
D
espite years in the boxing
business, Kingswood-based
trainer Andy O’Kane isn’t too
used to being part of
headline-making stories. That changed
in February when he found himself at
the heart of the shocking events that
saw a man shot dead and two others
injured during a weigh-in at Dublin's
Regency Hotel.
“THEY SAY THE ODDS OF
THAT HAPPENING AGAIN
ARE A MILLION TO ONE. I
BLOODY HOPE SO!”
Andy was there with other members
of Team Butler for the lightmiddleweight showdown between
Danny Butler and Gary Corcoran when
events took a horrendous turn as
gunmen dressed as policemen burst in,
wielding AK47s.
“Dublin was a terrible thing, I'm still
shocked by it,” says Andy. “Hopefully
I'll never see anything like it again. I
30
won't lie, it does leave it with you. It's
not a problem as such, but going to
weigh-ins now… looking around the
room it occurs to you… They say the
odds of that happening again are a
million to one. I bloody hope so!
“I was in the room when it
happened. I can still remember the kid
screaming. When everyone legged it
out of the room, there were so many
going through the door there was no
way I could get out too. I hit the deck
and stayed down, but I was convinced
everyone left behind in the room was
going to die. I'd seen the gunmen
coming in carrying machine guns and
so thought it was some terrorist thing.
Even after the shooters left it was hard
to know what would happen next.
“My other guys were able to get
out of the room, but we were all very
shaken by it. We've talked about
counselling but personally I'm quite
pragmatic about it – it happened but
we all walked out. It's all still a bit
surreal. One minute I'm flying into
Dublin on the morning of the weighin looking forward to the weekend
ahead, then I'm unexpectedly flying
back at 10 in the evening of the same
day after an incident like that.”
Andy has stressed the shock that all
of Team Butler experienced after
Dublin, but he doesn’t blame those
events for the fighter’s subsequent loss
in March’s rescheduled fight against
Corcoran at the York Hall.
“Danny lost his fight because of
problems with weight, not posttraumatic shock,” says Andy. “He made
the weight in Dublin in February nicely
and then had more trouble than I
expected making weight again in
March. We've decided that Danny will
go back to middleweight as it's not
worth him struggling like that again.
He’s now having a bit of time-out –
he's been in the camp for a long time,
and there was a year between his last
two fights. This was with planned
fights falling through, then Danny
being ill. We hope he'll be back
fighting in July in Bristol at Whitchurch
Sports Centre.”
In addition to Butler, Andy looks
after Joe Hughes, the current IBO
International and English lightwelterweight champion who has won
14 of his 15 fights. Then there's Sam
Pomphrey, an outstanding amateur
who is now 2-0 in his professional
career. Finally, there's 3-0 Kane Stewart
who, like Pomphrey, only made his pro
debut last year.
Hughes is engaged to Andy's
youngest daughter Amy, who was
herself a national champion and is
now expecting Andy's first grandchild
in September. Her husband,
meanwhile, faces Jack Catterall in
Bolton on 13 May for a WBO
International eliminator with a British
and English title also on the line. “The
funny thing is both Jack and Joe were
reserves on Prizefighter a few years
ago – now they're facing each other,”
says Andy. “It’ll be a fabulous fight
and Joe stands a good chance, it’ll be
well contested. We respect the
opponent and we're going into the
lion's den by fighting on his home
turf.”
While Pomphrey is taking time out
with a broken hand, Kane Stewart
faces Lee Gibbons on the pier in
Weston-super-Mare on 14 May. “It’s
been a conscious decision to keep
Kane low key then for him to smash
through,” says Andy. “I've seen other
fighters be picked up early – like Joe
Hughes was with Kelly Maloney – then
left high and dry with things falling
apart when plans don't quite work
out. Kane won't be long smashing
through now. He's very skilled and an
entertaining fighter to watch and I
think the TV will love him.”
Above all else, Andy says he is proud
of the noted loyalty his fighters show
towards him. “I want to leave the
boxing game with the same reputation
as Fred Randall, who was my trainer
and the major positive influence over
me when I was a youngster,” he says.
“Fred helped keep me out of trouble.
He was a fair guy, he was passionate
about the sport, and he looked after his
guys.”
Issue 11
FEATURE
So, how and where did Andy's
boxing journey begin?
“I started boxing as a youngster for
fun,” he says. “I was eight years old
when I first put on gloves. My parents
forbade me from boxing so, apart from
the little boxing I did at school as a
teen, I snuck around different gyms in
the Bristol area such as Kingswood and
Longwell Green, using assumed names.
“I had about 38 bouts of club
boxing. I was nothing special as a
boxer; I was more of a fighter. By that I
mean my style was to tuck up and I
couldn't cope well with other guys'
movement. Amateur boxing was also
evolving at that time into a different
style from what I'd known. Like I say, I
was nothing to brag about, but my
boxing career was finished after
damage to my left eye left me with no
Issue 11
peripheral vision.”
Randall wouldn't allow him to fight
again, something he and his trainer
argued about on more than one
occasion. Although he now admits that
Randall was probably right, he says that
if there'd been white collar boxing in
those days he'd have done it as an
alternative. In his 20s and eager to
remain in his beloved sport, Andy spent
a lot of time assisting different trainers,
going from gym to gym.
“I kept my mouth shut and my ears
and eyes open and learned the game,”
says Andy, who adds that Randall was
always there, teaching him
conditioning methods he still uses for
his fighters. “I learned from a lot of
different guys… it took time to learn
and I'm still learning to this day.”
When Andy became a youth worker
he opened an amateur boxing section,
which was mainly for guys with drugs
issues, to help keep them out of
trouble. “I never appointed myself as a
trainer,” says Andy. “I was happy as
assistant, but I started coaching and
guys who I developed a relationship
with wanted to stay with me.”
Andy’s current base, Paddy John’s
Gym in Kingswood, began six years ago
and is named after his father, Paddy
John. “My old amateur club shut after
it lost the funding,” says Andy. “A few
amateurs needed a home. I sent them
off to other clubs but they still wanted
me training them. I'd always dreamed
of having a gym but thought it was
probably just a pipe-dream, only then I
had all these people asking me to train
them. The circumstances and timing
just seemed right.”
31
FEATURE
Rising star: Jamie Evans
Paul Daley speaks to one of Wales’ most exciting amateur talents, who’s now
ready to explode onto the professional scene… Splott ABC’s Jamie Evans
S
plott ABC's Jamie Evans has long been
considered one of the country’s best
prospects, having excelled in the amateur
ranks, taking a haul of medals along the
way. After winning the Elite title in 2015, Evans
decided the time had come to test himself in a
professional capacity.
To make that step, Jamie has put his future
aspirations in the hands of Sanigar Promotions, a
family-run business that has guided the careers of,
amongst many others, world champions Lee Selby
and Lee Haskins.
Evans tried his hand at both football and rugby
before he found his true calling in boxing. At the
age of eight he walked through the doors of Jane
Couch's gym, before eventually moving to Splott
ABC where Pat and Mazzi put him through his paces
on a daily basis. The list of the amateur
achievements he’s won from that gym is
astounding.
"I've won the Welsh championships nine times,
the Three Nations Championship three times, won
two gold medals for Wales in tournaments and
been to the Worlds and Europeans," said Evans.
But one particular achievement stands out: "It
has to be winning the Three Nations for the first
time, the reason being it was a chance for me to
prove people wrong, those that said I
couldn't win because the English amateurs
were so good."
Evans will now compete in the lightmiddleweight division and said: "I felt the
time was right to turn professional, it’s
something I’ve dreamed about since the age
of 14."
The transition period that comes with
moving out of the amateurs can mean a
steep learning curve for some, but it’s
something that Evans has prepared for:
"I've changed the way I eat, the way I train,
everything really… every fight will be a
challenge as it's all new to me.”
Darren Wilson, who trains former world
champion Nathan Cleverly, is the man
tasked with helping the fighter realise his
potential. Evans is making a living working
as a gardener with his father, but the
counter-puncher is still finding the time to, as he
puts it, ‘smash it in the gym’ and says ‘we’re ready’.
His belief will be tested on 14 May when he makes
his debut on the pier in Weston-super-Mare against
an as-yet unnamed opponent.
Promoter Jamie Sanigar certainly has the
youngster on his radar: "Jamie’s an exciting talent
and I'm getting rave reports on his progress in the
gym from Darren Wilson," said Sanigar. "He had a
very impressive amateur career so we’re looking
forward to a big future in the pro ranks."
32
Age
20
Amateur record
48 wins, seven defeats
Favourite fighter Joe Calzaghe
Favourite fight
Marvin Hagler v Thomas Hearns
Issue 11
FEATURE
A boxing outlet for embattled
Port Talbot
Jeremy Davies speaks to Port Talbot ABC’s Simon Jones about the club and its
efforts to help the struggling town under the threat of the cutting off of its
lifeblood, the steelworks
P
ort Talbot is currently making
headlines for all the wrong
reasons, but the Bulldogs is a
boxing club providing a muchneeded lift to the residents of the
steelworking town.
The 13 May is when the club will be
relaunched following extensive
refurbishment. This follows capital
funding from the Welsh Government
and Armed Forces Covenant, something
former steelworker Mal Emerson has
been important in securing.
“Malcolm’s efforts have been
outstanding, he’s gone above and
beyond and has ensured the financial
security of this club,” says Simon Jones.
“The club has gone through some
tough times in recent years, we had to
leave our basement gym in the social
club some time ago and it was very
much touch and go as to whether we’d
survive.”
Head coaches Mike Jones, Stuart
Phillips and Simon carried the financial
burden during difficult times, keeping
the club going at substantial personal
expense. “The emphasis of the club
shifted a little, we needed to utilise our
space,” adds Simon.
The club is not only open in the
evenings for the amateurs to train, but
also offers a host of services in the day
under the guise of Bulldogs Boxing and
Community Activities, with sessions
available for all ages, and all shapes
and sizes.
“We have parents coming to train,
with their kids playing games in the
social area while they wait, nowhere
else offers this,” says Simon.
The gym almost doubles as a
community centre with Sian Ridd
working tirelessly to give advice on a
whole host of issues such as
employment, CV writing and work
experience.
“We have people coming in for a
chat and a tea and we just try to help
where we can,” says Simon. “We’ve
already seen a few steelworkers calling
in. These guys have never even written
a CV, never needed to, so we’re just
trying to help.”
Helping those in need is something
Issue 11
at the core of the club. They take
young offenders and disadvantaged
young people from local organisations
and provide them with a variety of
sessions and one-to-one training. Exservicemen and women also have free
use of the facilities as the club looks to
provide an outlet and a structure to
those who need it most. The club is free
to all steelworkers, again looking to
Simon insists that local brothers
Morgan and Conor McIntosh, just 19
and 21 years old respectively, could
provide the town with something to
shout about.
“In my view both could go
professional, they’ve both got good
futures ahead of them,” he says.
“They’re looking at three or four more
years as amateurs, making the Welsh
“OUR COACH STUART PHILLIPS WORRIES FOR THE TOWN,
HE FEARS THAT IF THE PLANT GOES THEN PORT TALBOT
WILL BECOME A GHOST TOWN”
Simon Jones, Port Talbot ABC
provide a service or just somewhere to
escape the worries of everyday life.
Head coaches Phillips and Mike
Jones are working tirelessly to ensure
everyone who wants a place to train
and some effective coaching can have
it. Stuart himself works at the steel
plant and has done for many years.
“Stuart worries for the town, he
fears that if the plant goes then Port
Talbot will become a ghost town,”
says Simon. “Port Talbot needs a
reason to smile.”
team, then perhaps looking at the
Commonwealth Games. They’re both fit
lads with great attitudes, they just need
some exposure.”
Simon expects great things from
these boys, but the club has done
great things for the town of Port
Talbot. The Bulldogs has a bright
future and acts a reminder of what
boxing can do for so many, providing
discipline, motivation and a sense of
purpose to those who are reaching
out at this difficult time.
33
FEATURE
By ROB DAY
Broken jaws and bigger battles:
The Dario DeAbreu story
Rob Day presents the third and final part of ex-Cardiff boxer Dario DeAbreu’s life story.
After a colourful childhood and amateur career, the professional ranks beckoned…
I
n 1984 Dario’s amateur days ended as the professional
ranks called. “I had my first pro win against Trevor
Hopson, an up-and-coming star, and I beat him,” he
says. “It was fight of the night, they threw money into
the ring.” Dario was out of the professional ring between
1984 and 1989, but on his return suffered a controversial
second-round TKO against Steve ‘the Viking’ Foster.
“If you see the fight, it should never have been stopped
when I was on one knee,” says Dario. “I was fighting with
a broken jaw because me and heavyweight Andy Gerrard
had got into a brawl in sparring. I dropped him with a lefthook and he broke my jaw. I still fought because my
father was over here to see me fight
for the first time. I was in tears, in
bits in the changing room, as my
father had seen me lose.
“When you knock someone
out, it makes you feel
fantastic. Don't get me
wrong, when
you get
knocked out
yourself it's
devastating. You
have sleepless nights over it.
My last couple of fights as a pro,
I was powerful [at supermiddleweight] but big and
sluggish because of my
bodybuilding. I won Mr Cardiff in
1987 and came fourth in Mr Wales,
but you have to be on a lot of
steroids to compete with the big
34
boys… and I never did drugs.”
Unfortunately, Dario’s boxing and bodybuilding careers
were cut short when he was diagnosed with leukaemia in
1992. It was another challenge he would face head on.
“As a pro, I didn't accomplish what I wanted at all,” he
says. “I was a good entertainer, not the best boxer. I
stopped boxing because of leukaemia – my blood count
was so high they said that it had been in my system for the
previous four years without my knowing it. By the time I
was diagnosed, I should've been dead. I had intensive
chemotherapy… but I'm alive and fit and strong, and it's
gone. I had radiotherapy in Velindre and chemotherapy
and bone marrow transplant in the University Hospital of
Wales, a brilliant hospital. The staff there saved my life,
and my children’s lives when they were born prematurely.
“When I recovered I was back in the gym, and I still do
that now… three days on, two days off. Once you get that
discipline from your boxing days, you carry it through for
the rest of your life. I know it’ll be with me until I die. I'll
always be in the gym, because it serves me well. I'm 55 and
no-one in the gym trains harder than I do, whether they’re
younger or older. I'm my own disciplinarian and my own
guide, I got nobody showing me what to do, it’s all
through my own instincts. Doing everything in moderation
is the key, whether that’s eating, training or having fun. I
enjoy life, I love seeing my kids.
“I want to start my own gym and I've spoken to Cardiff
Council about getting my own premises. I'd love to do it
one day, but I’m too young at the moment, you have to
give it a lot of time. I'm always trying to support clubs, I've
given ex-boxers’ equipment to Victoria Park ABC.
“I want to teach young kids who have no guidance in
life, no direction. By getting them to focus on sport and
giving them an interest they can hopefully get success out
of it like I did. It doesn't necessarily mean being world
champion, it’s about the sort of person it makes you.
Boxing gave me recognition and self-discipline, it's made
me what I am today, giving me good memories and
helping me meet nice people. I want kids to experience
what boxing can do for their lives, to get them off the
street, learn discipline and respect – both for themselves,
and for their fellow man.”
Issue 11
Q&A
Here come the girls
Tasha
Tara
Exciting times for Bocsio, we’ve got new ring-card girls! Causing
carnage amongst our pages and patrons, it’s our pleasure to
introduce the Mayhem Babes… Let’s meet Tara and Tasha
Q. What’s the best thing about
being a Mayhem Babe?
Tara: The best thing has to be
working with this group of girls
who have now become like family
Tasha: Being part of an amazing
team, I've made so many wonderful
new friends
Q. What’s the funniest thing
that’s happened at a fight night?
Tara: It must have been when one
of the girls got into the ring with
the card upside down! She pulled it
off so well though, the crowd
laughed, cheered and clapped her
round the ring
Tasha: The funniest thing I've ever
done is to go in for round four
when there were only three rounds!
Q. Who’s your favourite fighter?
Tara: After watching his
documentary last year and seeing
how he’s really put everything into
turning his life around, my favourite
fighter has to be our world class
champion from south Wales, Lee
Selby
Tasha: Anthony Joshua
Q. What did you think of Tyson
Fury’s performance as a ring
girl?
Tara: I give him credit for giving it a
go, but would definitely say... stick
to the boxing!
Tasha: I think he could definitely
become a Mayhem Babe with those
moves!
Q. What are your secrets for
keeping fit?
Tara: When I’m not working,
modelling or preparing to compete
in beauty pageants, I train and play
netball matches for a local league
team. I train in the gym about four
times a week and genuinely enjoy
eating healthily
Tasha: I go to the gym and I love to
do funky pump – it's a mix of
boxing and circuits with a live DJ
playing house music
ROUND-UP
by PAUL DALEY
DALEY’S DIARY
5 March, 2016
Colosseum Sport Hall,
Grozny, Russia
Lucas Browne became the first
Australian to capture a world
heavyweight title, knocking out
Ruslan Chagaev in the 10th round in
Grozny. But elation turned to
frustration when the nightclub
bouncer, turned MMA fighter, turned
boxer, registered a positive test for
the banned substance clenbuterol.
We await the official ruling from the
WBA, with the B sample yet to be
tested.
proved he’s ready for a shot at the
heavyweight title with an impressive
KO victory over David Price's
conqueror, Tony Thompson. The
Cuban’s promoter, Golden Boy
supremo Oscar De La Hoya, said that
Ortiz has already got the current
champions running from the
challenge he presents. On the
undercard, Jessie Vargas was looking
to get back in the win column
following his loss to Tim Bradley.
Facing the very real threat of Sadam
Ali, Vargas produced a career-best
performance, stopping his opponent
in the ninth to capture his first major
title, the WBO welterweight crown.
11 March, 2016
Newport Leisure Centre
Cruiserweight hopeful Craig Kennedy
was matched with a late replacement
for Tony Conquest, Lucasz Rusiewicz.
The tough Polish fighter had already
shared the ring with the division’s
best while managing to remain
upright. But Kennedy made a clear
statement of intent as he unleashed
a right hand that spun the Polish
fighter around before the fight was
waved off. In the night’s other fights,
Bradley Pryce got a good points win
under his belt against Simone Lucas,
whilst Andrew Selby's star continued
to shine; he became the first man to
stop the always-tough Brett Fidoe.
Other wins on the night came
courtesy of Ashley Brace who
defeated Gabriella Mezei (TKO) and
Nathan Thorley, who went the
distance in beating Jevgenijs
Andrejevs. But Jermaine Asare lost in
a mild upset to the heavy-handed
Eric Mokonzo.
Rhydycar Leisure Centre,
Merthyr Tydfil
Welsh champion Dai Davies
headlined the ‘Valley Fighters’ card in
his hometown. The evening saw wins
for Tony Dixon, Morgan Jones,
Dorian Darch and Davies, who
successfully outpointed his Georgian
opponent Giorgi Gachechiladze over
10 rounds.
DC Armory, Washington,
District of Columbia, USA
‘King Kong’ Luis Ortiz once again
36
12 March, 2016
Echo Arena, Liverpool
Rivalries between Manchester and
Liverpool have always had a place in
competitive sport, and they were
certainly evident in Derry Matthews'
home city. Giving a very good
account of himself, Matthews tried in
vain to land something which would
loosen the grip that Terry Flanagan
had on the WBO lightweight title.
But it was the away fighter who left
with the spoils, winning the contest
on points to successfully defend his
crown.
19 March, 2016
Arena Theatre, Houston,
Texas, USA
Juan Diaz and Mike Alvarado
returned successfully in Houston,
Texas. Diaz, a former unified
lightweight world champion, was
coming off an 18-month layoff due
to a torn rotator cuff. Both Diaz and
opponent Fernando Garcia were
game in coming forward, but it was
the body attack from Diaz which paid
off in the ninth. Former world
champion Alvarado was back after a
run-in with law officials; he was
impressive in stopping Saul Corral to
put title ambitions back on track.
26 March, 2016
Wembley Arena, London
Boxing was brought to its knees in
London on 26 March when, after
being stopped by Chris Eubank Jr,
British middleweight title holder Nick
Blackwell collapsed in the ring with a
bleed on the skull. In the days that
followed an outcry of support from
the boxing community ensued as
Blackwell was put into an induced
coma to help the healing process.
After a week of tension he awoke
and has now begun the long recovery
process.
Sheffield Arena, Sheffield
IBF welterweight champion Kell
Brook headlined in his hometown
and wasted little time, disposing of
challenger Kevin Bizier in just two
rounds. The undercard featured the
return from defeat of Luke Campbell
who stopped the ever-rugged Gary
Sykes, whilst the night also featured
a victory for heavyweight David Allen
over the American Jason Gavern.
Oracle Arena, Oakland,
California, USA
Having already established himself as
the dominant force at supermiddleweight, Andre Ward decided
the time was right to step into the
deep waters of the lightheavyweight division. Awaiting his
challenge was the number oneranked Sullivan Barrera; not an easy
task… or so we thought. Ward, who
has the formidable Sergey Kovalev in
Issue 11
ROUND-UP
his sights, boxed brilliantly, knocking
Barrera down before cruising to a
wide, unanimous decision. All eyes
immediately turned to the superfight with Kovalev, which could take
place later this year.
2 April, 2016
Echo Arena,
Liverpool
Callum Smith once more showcased
the type of talent which is getting a
lot of fight fans excited for the
future. Matched with Hadillah
Mohoumadi, Smith brought out an
array of shots from his arsenal
before putting a full-stop to
proceedings in the first round.
Smith's previous victim, Rocky
Fielding, was looking to get a
confidence-boosting victory over
Christopher Rebrasse. The win he got
(barely), the confidence booster not
so much as he crept over the line
with a majority verdict. In the night’s
other contest we witnessed another
great effort from Sean Dodd, but he
was again left frustrated as he
shared the spoils with Scott Cardle in
an action-packed draw.
Issue 11
9 April, 2016
O2 Arena, London
Just 16 fights into his professional
career, heavyweight Anthony Joshua
has been crowned IBF champion
following the blow-out of previous
titlist Charles Martin. ‘AJ’ continued
his 100% knock-out rate with two
well-placed right hands that dropped
Martin to the canvas, the second time
for a full 10 count. Only four men in
history have shot to the heavyweight
title in less time than Joshua. Lee
Selby gave his travelling support a
bumpy ride in his IBF featherweight
title defence. In the second round he
was, dropped to the canvas for the
first time in his career by
Philadelphian Eric Hunter. It was a
brief moment of success for the
American who was thereafter
outboxed by the champion, who won
a wide, unanimous decision. George
Groves continued his bid for another
world title shot with a stoppage
victory over David Bophey, setting
him up for an intriguing encounter
with four-time title challenger Martin
Murray. Conor Benn made his first
step into the professional ranks a
successful one, showing the type of
predatory instincts once displayed by
his father Nigel as he stopped Ivailo
Boyanov.
MGM Grand, Grand
Garden Arena, Las Vegas,
Nevada, USA
Manny Pacquiao will enter retirement
off the back of a victory, having
dropped Timothy Bradley twice en
route to a unanimous decision win in
the final fight of their trilogy. It’s
possible that the retirement will be
short-lived, with speculation already
growing about his return. If this is
indeed the end, I’d like to say thank
you to Manny. WBO supermiddleweight champion Arthur
Abraham lost his title in the night’s
undercard to the hard-hitting
Mexican Gilberto Ramirez, who took
his record to 34-0. Former IBF
featherweight champion Evgeny
Gradovich was on the wrong end of a
beat-down as the ever-impressive
Oscar Valdez handed out a fourround stoppage to put his name
forward as a genuine contender in
the deep featherweight division.
37
SPONSORED FEATURE
Photo by RICHARD MURRAY
Talking boxing with…
Cardiff Devil Luke Piggott
The Devils’ Canadian centre Luke Piggott combines his career on the ice with groundbreaking scientific research at Cardiff University. We managed to grab a little bit of his
time to talk about his interest in boxing
What are your thoughts on Ice Arena Wales?
It’s great! I had some concerns about it feeling like home
when we first moved in but luckily it’s been packed out
with fans every game we played there and it feels just like
home. The atmosphere hasn’t been lost from BBT [‘big
blue tent’], which I think is important.
How would you feel about the arena doubling up as
a new home for Welsh boxing?
I think that’s a fantastic idea. There’s a great seating setup for it and I think it’ll make an ideal boxing venue.
Who are your favourite Canadian fighters on the
ice?
Bob Probert and Tie Domi were really tough guys. Probert
especially was always entertaining to watch fight.
Does your boxing knowledge ever help when you’re
playing?
I’m certainly not one of the guys who ends up fighting on
the ice very often, but then I think having a good boxing
knowledge would help!
Have you ever had any experience inside a boxing
ring?
I’ve never tried boxing other than hitting the pads for
work-out purposes. I wouldn’t mind giving it a try at some
point, though.
Have you had chance to watch much boxing in the
UK?
I tend to just watch the major fights when they come up.
Things like Anthony Joshua’s win over Charles Martin.
Pick one – Rocky Balboa or Apollo Creed?
Apollo Creed.
You have a really busy schedule, where do you go to
relax?
I usually pop into the Grosvenor Casino Cardiff. It has a
great atmosphere, lots of TV screens showing all sports
and a fantastic choice of food.
In order of preference which is your favourite game,
roulette, blackjack, slots or poker?
Poker, slots, blackjack then roulette.
Tell us a bit about your research work outside
sport...
I work in cancer research and currently we focus on the
development of new drugs so that they can realise their
clinical potential. We’re currently working to get a drug
into clinical trial that we have shown can slow and prevent
the spread of cancer.
The perfect day and night leisure destination
with a fantastic restaurant, amazing bar,
sports & entertainment lounge, great poker,
conference room and much, much more
Roulette, Blackjack and Poker with
slots and electronic roulette
games to make your gaming
experience the best in town
38
Issue 11
Seconds out for issue 12!
The countdown is already on
for edition 12 of your
favourite magazine. Get your
head clear, focus and think
about it… you know you
don’t want to miss out!
We’ve made it easy for you to
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HOW TO SUBSCRIBE:
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it’s easy to pay or to download the standing order form
RANKINGS
by PAUL DALEY
WELSH BOXING RANKINGS
Bocsio’s Paul Daley gives his take on the top Welsh fighters in each weight
division, and on the overall Welsh pound-for-pound list
POUND-FORPOUND TOP 10
Name
1. Lee Selby
Record
Residence
Upcoming fight
Dorian Darch
11-4-0
Aberdare
No fight scheduled
2. Nathan Cleverly
Andy Jones
3-0-0
Mynydd Isa
No fight scheduled
3. Enzo Maccarinelli
Darren Morgan
8-5-0
Swansea
No fight scheduled
4. Liam Williams
CRUISERWEIGHT
5. Craig Kennedy
Craig Kennedy
14-0-0
Cardiff
14 May-Joel Tambwe Djeko
Danni Griffiths
7-1-0
Nantymoel
No fight scheduled
6. Kerry Hope
7. Tom Doran
8. Chris Jenkins
HEAVYWEIGHT
LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT
9. Andrew Selby
Nathan Cleverly
29-3-0
Cefn Fforest
No fight scheduled
10. Mitch Buckland
Enzo Maccarinelli
41-7-0
Swansea
No fight scheduled
Nathan King
14-27-0
Mountain Ash
No fight scheduled
SUPER-MIDDLEWEIGHT
Tom Doran
17-0-0
Connahs Quay
No fight scheduled
Tobias Webb
16-5-1
Swansea
No fight scheduled
Alex Hughes
7-0-0
Maerdy
No fight scheduled
Kerry Hope
23-7-0
Merthyr Tydfil
No fight scheduled
Chris Ware
6-1-0
Swansea
No fight scheduled
Frankie Borg
9-5-0
Cardiff
14 May - Conrad Cummings
MIDDLEWEIGHT
LIGHT-MIDDLEWEIGHT
Liam Williams
13-0-1
Clydach Vale
2 April - Navid Mansouri
Bradley Pryce
37-20-0
Newbridge
11 March - Barrie Jones
Barrie Jones
21-10-0
Tylorstown
11 March - Bradley Pryce
10-3-2
St Clears
No fight scheduled
5-0-0
Pontypridd
5 March - TBA
Newport
No fight scheduled
WELTERWEIGHT
Dale Evans
Kyle Jones
Adam Goldsmith 3-0-1
40
Issue 11
RANKINGS
Name
Record
Residence
Upcoming fight
LIGHT-WELTERWEIGHT
Chris Jenkins
16-1-1
Garnant
No fight scheduled
Mitch Buckland
10-0-0
Cardiff
No fight scheduled
Romeo Romaeo
10-0-0
Cardiff
No fight scheduled
Craig Evans
14-1-2
Blackwood
No fight scheduled
Craig Woodruff
5-4-0
Newport
No fight scheduled
11-3-2
Holyhead
No fight scheduled
Lee Selby
23-1-0
Barry
No fight scheduled
Dai Davies
13-24-2
Merthyr Tydfil
5 March - TBA
LIGHTWEIGHT
SUPER-FEATHERWEIGHT
Mark Evans
FEATHERWEIGHT
SUPER-BANTAMWEIGHT
Robbie Turley
16-6-0
Cefn Fforest
No fight scheduled
Paul Economides
18-5-0
Connahs Quay
No fight scheduled
Kyle King
4-3-0
Cardiff
No fight scheduled
Robbie Forster
0-3-0
Caerphilly
No fight scheduled
Najah Ali
5-4-1
Clydach Vale
No fight scheduled
Jay Harris
7-0-0
Swansea
No fight scheduled
4-0-0
Barry
14 May-Louis Norman
BANTAMWEIGHT
SUPER-FLYWEIGHT
FLYWEIGHT
Andrew Selby
What do you think of Paul’s Welsh boxing rankings? To
give your thoughts, go to @bocsio or
facebook.com/Bocsio
Issue 11
41
SCHEDULE
BOXING SCHEDULE
Bocsio’s Paul Daley presents his schedule for the upcoming
worldwide action in May and June.
7 MAY, 2016
14 MAY, 2016
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV, USA
(HBO PPV / BoxNation)
Ice Arena, Cardiff
Saul Alvarez
David Lemieux
Frankie Gomez
Patrick Teixeira
v
v
v
v
Amir Khan
Glen Tapia
Mauricio Herrera
Curtis Stevens
Manchester Arena, Manchester (AWE
/ Sky)
Anthony Crolla
Hosea Burton
v
v
Ismael Barroso
TBA
Lee Haskins
Craig Kennedy
Andrew Selby
Tony Dixon
v
v
v
v
Ivan Morales
Joel Tambwe Djeko
Louis Norman
Paddy Gallagher
21 MAY, 2016
Khodynka Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia
(Showtime / BoxNation)
Deontay Wilder
Denis Lebedev
v
v
Alexander Povetkin
Victor Emilio Ramirez
Barclaycard Arena, Hamburg,
Germany (Sky / SAT 1)
Houston, TX, USA (Showtime)
Dereck Chisora
Erislandy Lara
Jermall Charlo
v
Kubrat Pulev
8 MAY, 2016
v
v
David Carmona
Martin Tecuapetla
13 MAY, 2016
David Haye
Joe Mullender
v
v
Arnold Gjergjaj
Lee Markham
v
John Riel Casimero
25 MAY, 2016
Beijing, China
Macron Stadium, Bolton (BoxNation)
Amnat Ruenroeng
Jack Catterall
28 MAY, 2016
v
Joe Hughes
DC Armory, Washington, DC, USA
(BET)
Dusty Hernandez Harrison v
42
Vanes Martirosyan
Austin Trout
O2 Arena, Greenwich, London
Ariake Colosseum, Tokyo, Japan
Naoya Inoue
Akira Yaegashi
v
v
Mike Dallas Jr
Gila River Arena, Glendale, AZ, USA
(CBSSN)
David Avanesyan
v
Shane Mosley
Issue 11
SCHEDULE
The SSE Hydro, Glasgow (Sky)
MSG, New York, USA (HBO)
Ricky Burns
Tyrone Nurse
Felix Verdejo
v
v
Michele Di Rocco
Willie Limond
v
Jose Felix Jr
18 JUNE, 2016
4 JUNE, 2016
StubHub Center, Carson, CA, USA
(HBO)
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
(HBO PPV)
Francisco Vargas
Miguel Cotto
v
Orlando Salido
11 JUNE, 2016
Turning Stone Resort, Verona, NY,
USA (Showtime)
Ruslan Provodnikov
Demetrius Andrade
Issue 11
v
v
John Molina Jr
Willie Nelson
v
TBA
25 June, 2016
TBA, USA (CBS / Showtime)
Keith Thurman
Jesus Cuellar
v
v
Shawn Porter
Abner Mares
43
KICKBOXING & K1 - ADULTS
MONDAY
Kids
Adult Beginners
6-7pm
7-8pm
TUESDAY
Fighting Class
6-7pm
WEDNESDAY
White Collar Boxing 6-7pm
THURSDAY
Kids
6-7pm
Adults
7-8pm
(beginners welcome)
FRIDAY
Kids contact
Adults Pad Class
6-7pm
7-8pm
SATURDAY
Kids Class
1-2pm
CALL US ON 02920 481 740, DENZIL 07932 253849
Weekdays 7am to 10pm Saturday 9am to 4pm Sunday 10am to 4pm
Ultimate Fitness Centre, Penlline St, Cardiff, South Glamorgan CF24 3BD
www.ultimatefitnesscentrecardiff.co.uk
Photo by HUW FAIRCLOUGH, SHORT & ROUND PHOTOGRAPHY
NEWS
MMA in Wales
David Owen presents his round-up of the action-packed world of Welsh MMA
T
here’s only one place to
start and that’s with the
huge news that broke in
March that Cage Warriors
had acquired the massively
successful Welsh MMA promotion
Pain Pit, which becomes Cage
Warriors Wales with immediate
effect and has its debut show
scheduled for 4 June. Pain Pit
supremo Richard ‘Shakey’ Shore
will still head the newly named
promotion under the guidance of
Cage Warriors owner Graham
Boylan. The acquisition by Cage
Warriors will likely mean a return
to the Cage Warriors Fighting
Championship (CWFC) scene for
Welsh stars such as Jack
Marshman, who could get a
middleweight title shot sooner
rather than later, and also Lew
Long, who has been on a threefight winning streak.
It’s testament to the work Richard
Shore and everyone at Pain Pit has
been doing over the past few years
that Cage Warriors decided to get on
board and acquire the thriving and
ever-growing promotion.
It’s a giant step for
domestic
MMA and
the Cage
Issue 11
Warriors brand should bring some
much needed exposure to the sport in
Wales.
The action
Pain Pit – Renegade took place at the
Ebbw Vale sports centre in early
March and it proved the most
successful show for the Welsh
promotion to date. The massively
popular Jack Marshman headlined
against the vastly experienced Shaun
Lomas in front of a sell-out crowd.
Marshman came out of the
middleweight contest relatively
unscathed, winning by rear naked
choke (RNC) in the second round.
On the stacked undercard was the
highly anticipated debut of decorated
amateur Jack Shore. RNC was also his
winning formula as he defeated late
replacement Tyler Thomas to make it
a successful step into the pro ranks.
Other notable victories on a 23-fight
card included stoppage wins for
Geraint Hill (TKO), Richard Williams
(guillotine) and Daryl Grant (triangle),
while the pick of the amateur bouts
saw Ash Williams, who fights
out of the Chris Rees
academy, take home the
featherweight title by
defeating Michel Figlak
via RNC. After this
massively successful
show with quality
matchmaking,
we should
expect the
promotion to
flourish under
the Cage
Warriors
banner.
Coming up…
The most anticipated show of the
year will take place on 4 June as Cage
Warriors Wales hosts its first official
event at the Newport Centre. With
the main fight card yet to be released
there’s still speculation about who
could feature, but it’s safe to say that
the big names in Welsh MMA will be
involved. Expect the likes of Jack
Marshman, Lew Long, Jack Shore and
‘Mr Pink’ Martin McDonough to be in
action alongside international
fighters, as well as a giant 11-bout
prelim amateur line-up. It’s not a
show to be missed, so get your tickets
early… it’s sure to be a sell-out.
Adrenaline fight nights continue to
do great things in the south-west of
Wales and they also have a show
pencilled in for 4 June. The Swansea
event comes off the back of a
successful K1/Kickboxing show held
at the beginning of April in Briton
Ferry.
Former top-ranked bantamweight
and Cage Warriors fighter Dino
Gambatesa has taken the step into
the promotional side of MMA
following his retirement, with his first
show penned in for 30 April in Neath.
Others are in the pipeline for later in
the year, part of a busy and exciting
time for the MMA scene in Wales.
In action on 14 May on one of the
most talent-filled fight cards you’re
likely to find is Swansea’s Marley
Swindells, who takes on the very
highly rated Commonwealth Games
medallist Mike Grundy at BAMMA 25.
It’s a tough ask for Swindells against
the man known as the ‘Wigan
wrestling machine’, but it’s one that
the Welshman is more than
capable of winning. Both
fighters like to finish the fight
early, meaning this is unlikely
to go the distance and has
excitement written all over it.
45
FEATURE
World is not
enough for
KO-king Phillips
David Owen catches up with Swansea’s new world champion John
Phillips to talk about where it all started, the reaction to his win and his
plans for UFC glory…
N
ot many people warrant
the nickname ‘the white
Mike Tyson’, but for
Swansea’s new world
champion John Phillips it’s a moniker
that fits. With a predominantly
boxing-based background the
former five-time Welsh ABA
champion boasts tremendous power
in both hands. That was on show for
the whole world to see at the end of
February when the 30-year-old
demolished BAMMA world
middleweight champion Cheick Kone
inside a round to bring the title to
Wales.
“It hasn’t really sunk in to be
honest,” said Phillips with a sheepish
grin. “It doesn’t seem real. I was
sitting watching TV the other night
and I just started smiling to myself
thinking ‘Christ I’m a world
champion!’ The support was
something else, totally unbelievable.
I turned my phone off before the
fight and when I switched it back on
it literally took me two days to go
through all the congratulations,
messages and posts on Facebook, I
couldn’t believe it. It’s been an
amazing response from everyone
back home.”
Phillips has recently relocated to
Ireland, but the impact of what he’s
achieved really hit home a few days
after the fight when in a restaurant
with his partner in his hometown of
Swansea. “I went for some food with
my fiancé and there were a few guys
sitting on the table next to us,” he
says. “They were talking about me
and asking each other if they’d seen
46
the knock-out. They didn’t realise I
was sitting next to them… I was
waiting to see if they said anything
bad about me [laughs], but they
were saying really good things. That
was the first time it hit me that I’d
achieved something big.”
Coming from a humble
background on a council estate in
Swansea, Phillips found MMA by
accident after an invitation from
former world boxing champion Enzo
Maccarinelli to come down and do a
little sparring with a few fighters
who were preparing for an
upcoming MMA show.
“Enzo asked me to go over and do
some sparring with these cage
fighters as I was then at a high level
in the amateurs, having won the
Welsh championship,” he
remembers. “I went down and ended
up knocking all of the fighters out in
sparring. The promoter of the show
was there watching and he came
onto me straight away, nagging me
to fight on his show. But I didn’t
really know what cage fighting was,
I was a boxer. I ended up agreeing
and I knocked the guy out in the
first round, leaving me thinking ‘this
cage fighting is easy’.
“It all went from there, I just kept
getting fights and knocking people
out. But at the time my preparation
was shocking, it was basically just me
and my mate Mike training from a
shed in the garden. As the
opponents got better I obviously had
to take training more seriously – it’s
crazy looking back to where I was.
Now I’m training every day with
some of the best fighters in the
world at one of the best gyms in the
world in SBG Ireland. It’s all starting
to pay off, this is just the
beginning.”
It could all have been very
different, though. The biggest night
of Phillips’ life almost didn’t happen
after he picked up a severe knee
injury on the week of the fight. “I
popped my knee out on the Monday
in the gym,” he says. “It was totally
gone and in my mind that was me
out of the fight, I couldn’t see a way
I would make the Saturday. I went
home that night and iced it up, did
nothing on the Tuesday, same on
Wednesday, and it was only Thursday
that I thought ‘yeah, I’m definitely
fighting’. It still wasn’t right in the
fight and if Kone had taken me
down I could have been in trouble…
but it didn’t get that far.”
Already known all over Europe for
his knock-out power, Phillips is in no
doubt that his move to Ireland to
link up with one of the most indemand coaches in the world of
MMA, John Kavanagh, is what’s
taken his career to the next level.
“John’s incredible,” he says. “He’s
without doubt the most
knowledgeable man I know. He
literally lives in the gym, everything
he does revolves around the sport,
he eats, sleeps and breathes it. Since
I arrived in Ireland he’s been brilliant
with me, they’ve all welcomed me
and made me feel like one of them.”
Mostly known for his knock-out
power, Phillips’ stand-up skills have
never been called into question. But
Issue 11
FEATURE
“I’LL BE FIGHTING IN THE
UFC AT SOME POINT AND,
TRUST ME, I’LL BE THERE
DOING WHAT I DO…
KNOCKING PEOPLE OUT!”
some have queried whether he has
the ground game to make it all the
way, the scepticism based on defeats
to Frank Trigg and Jesse Taylor who
took him to the floor.
“People don’t realise what I can
actually do”, says Phillips, keen to
stress that he’s no ‘one-trick pony’.
“I’m a 1st dan black belt in judo,
purple belt in ju-jitsu and I’m also in
the Welsh wrestling squad, so for
people to say I’ve got no ground
game… they have no idea how much
I’ve progressed since joining SBG. I’ve
learned so much in the short time I’ve
been there, it’s crazy. The way I look
at it, I’ve got at least another six
really good years left in MMA. To
think where I’ll be in terms of my
ground game and what I’ll learn in
that amount of time is scary.”
Phillips’ belief in his own potential
was backed by the man who took
Conor McGregor to the top of UFC,
coach Kavanagh. “I’ve been working
with John for a few months now and
we’re still getting to know each other
really, but it’s clear he has unreal
amounts of potential,” said the
Dublin-based trainer. “I hope I can
help him achieve whatever goals he
has.”
With the world title safely in his
possession, calls have now come for
Phillips to take a possible step up into
the UFC, an ambition that the fighter
is confident of achieving. “We could
be looking at UFC in Rotterdam in
May,” said Phillips. “It’s not a done
deal, though… if that doesn’t come
off I think I’ll be defending my title in
June. Either way I’ll be fighting in the
UFC at some point, that’s where
everyone wants to be and, trust me,
I’ll be there doing what I do…
knocking people out!”
Giving Welsh boxing the exposure it deserves
David Owen
[email protected]

feature - Bocsio

Transcription

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