BritBox Issue Three

A N E W M AG A Z I N E D E D I C AT E D TO B R I T I S H B OX I N G V I S I T W W W. B R I T B OX M AG . C O. U K

F E B R U A R Y I S S U E £ 1. 9 9

FEATURING:

CARL FRAMPTON jOHNNY nELSON SCOTT QUIGG LUCK NO FACTOR FOR IRISH

GUEST COLUMN

WORLD STAGE LOOMS

ERICK OCHIENG DEAN BYRNE JOHN RYDER EAGLE HAS LANDED IRISH INSIGHT

& EDDIE HEARN

&More

NOT A BUSINESSMAN BUT A BUSINESS, MAN. tyson fury WITH BRITBOX...

BritBox P1

.CREDITS .EDITOR SEAN POLLOCK

@SeanPollo

.ASSISTANT EDITOR JOHN MACDONALD .BOXING WRITERS MICHAEL J JONES BRIAN DONALD JOHN EVANS SEAN POLLOCK KYLE MCLACHLAN ROBBIE SMYTH .DESIGNS SEAN POLLOCK

.SOME DESIGN ELEMENTS VIA DAVE SMITH

.Contact Us CONTACT@BRITBOXMAG.CO.UK @BRITBOXMAG BRITBOXMAG.CO.UK

THECONTENTS EDITOR’S LETTER: Welcome to BritBox issue three. We are fortunate enough to have had a great start to 2013 with plenty of great fights announced, the Liverpool Bellew/Mathews/Crolla line-up is a must watch, not to mention the exciting Froch vs. Kessler II on UK shores and Frank Warren’s bumper London bill featuring Ricky Burns. Yes, British boxing is thriving, and this issue we explore some of the little men who are breaking the top barriers like Quigg and Frampton. There’s the ever entertaining Tyson Fury who speaks to John- on a rather sane day, mind you. Robbie’s story with Dean Byrne is a cracker too, it highlights the hard work fighters are putting in when moving abroad to learn their trade, Liam Vaughan and Amir Khan are also in Freddie Roach’s famed Wild Card gym.

Our long standing relationship with Mayhem Boxing Babe Promotions is also used to good measure with the beautiful Kerry Brash giving an interview with our own Big Fozzy. This is a great issue and we hope you enjoy it.

And lastly, huge apologies to our subscribers and readers for the late release of the issue. There was a problem on the app developer’s end which was of no fault of ours. As an apology, we will be releasing an extra issue on top of your six issue bundle.

Thanks, Sean

LUKE WILTON.3

Robbie Smyth speaks to Irelands Luke Wilton in the lead up to his huge fight with Satchell

.SPECIAL THANKS TO BODY FUELS LTD CHAD GAYNOR PETER FURY IRISHBOXING.COM BRITISHBOXERS.COM

ERICK OCHIENG .4

Mike Jones takes on Erick Ochieng uncovering his great story to stardom

BIG FOZZY’S FEMALES.6

BIG FOZZY takes on a Mayhem Boxing babe, Kerry Brash.

LOADED TV .8

John MacDonald takes his usual deep insight into another part of boxing- TV.

JOHN RYDER .10

Elliot Foster takes on Matchroom’s John Ryder and catches a word with Eddie Hearn

SCOTT QUIGG .12

Sean Pollock speaks to the superb Scott Quigg about his huge win over Munroe

TYSON FURY.16

Tyson Fury talks business with John MacDonald, John finds out his title ambitions...

WORD OF NELSON .18

Johnny Nelson gives BritBox his first guest column, talking Kell Brook.

CARL FRAMPTON.20

Rob Smyth talks to the rising star on all things titles and Scott Quigg...

FIGHTING FLYS .24

Kyle McLachlan gives you a history lesson in fighting flyweights, following on from last issue.

DEAN BYRNE .26

Rob Smyth finds his brilliant story of globe trotting to earn a place at the big table.

IRISHPROSPECTIRISHPROSPECT

BY ROBBIE SMYTH

I

LUKE

WILTON

n our last issue, BritBox briefly detailed the history of the flyweight division here in Britain in our feature story on Irish great, Dave ‘Boy ’ McAuley. This time round however we are going to take a look at another Irish flyweight who’s on a march towards title success. Luke ‘Winky ’ Wilton (13(7) -2-1) who takes on Liverpool’s own Kevin ‘Iceman’ Satchell (9(2)-0-0) for the British and Commonwealth flyweight title’s on Feb. 23 at the Echo Arena is determined to place his name amongst Britain’s best.

Hailing from a fighting family which includes father Alan, a former amateur boxer who had over 300 fights, and brother Matthew a current welterweight prospect with a 4-0 undefeated record, young Luke didn’t take to the sport until his early teens but soon realized he was somewhat of a natural, winning Ulster novice titles within a few years.

After a brief amateur career Wilton decided to dump the vests and headgear telling BritBox, “The amateur game just wasn’t suited to my style and I was on the end of some bad decisions, I liked to throw body punches and work on the inside sort of like my favourite boxer growing up Ricky Hatton.”

Turning Professional at the age of 18, Luke’s career didn’t get off to the best of starts as he registered two losses and a draw in his first seven outings. “I lost to Usman Ahmed and Delroy Spencer, they were close fights that could have gone my way but I got them back in rematches.”

Since then, Wilton has been on a hot streak winning his last nine fights, six by knock-out and recently picked up his first title, winning the International Masters superflyweight strap by knocking out tough Tanzanian, Francis Miyeyusho. He now feels ready to make an assault on the division, “I think I’ve matured into a proper flyweight now were as before I was often fighting up at bantamweight and I think I was too small for that weight but I’m maturing now, getting older and a bit stronger so I’m ready for that British and Commonwealth flyweight title fight with Kev Satchell,” he said.

It’s a title fight that’s been a long time coming but does the young lad from Belfast feel he has been avoided to some degree? “I don’t know, I think the likes of Shinny Bayaar and Chris Edwards have all gotten old now I don’t think they were avoiding me, those guys are warriors who’d fight anyone, I think it was the politics of boxing that stopped the fights from happening.”

Regardless of what has happened in the past, the big fight he’s been waiting for has finally arrived but what does Wilton make of his opponent Kevin Satchell and how they match up? “I think it’ll be a good fight, it’s probably my best chance of winning the British title, Chris Edwards got old so he wasn’t able to bring the pressure the way he used too— but I will. We’ve been working hard on how to get on the inside which shouldn’t be too hard as Satchell tends to drop his hands a lot

and leave his chin exposed and I’m starting to punch a lot harder now so if he makes those mistakes with me, I’ll make him pay.”

Currently managed by his father and trained by Ireland’s hottest emerging trainer Panamanian Bernardo Checa who also handles the likes of Paul McCloskey and Eamonn O’Kane, Wilton has no worries about heading into the champion’s backyard stating that, “I’ve sold over 400 tickets so there’ll probably be as many of my fans there as there will his.”

Undoubtedly a confident fighter the 24-year-old had this to say about his preparations, “Training has been going great at the moment, I started sparring in early January with some guys who are a bit taller and have a longer reach than me so it should be good preparation wise.

“I’ve been training hard over the Christmas period, even out running Christmas morning I’m leaving no stone unturned so I’ll be ready on February 23rd to bring those titles back to Belfast.”

Belfast has certainly become the capital of Irish boxing over the last few years with the likes of Carl Frampton and Paul McCloskey making waves, but does Luke believe he can join those stars at the top? “I don’t see why not if I win the British and Commonwealth titles then I’m up at that level as both Carl and Paul are at European level just below world titles, so if I beat Satchell I’ll be just behind them, it won’t take me long to catch up being at flyweight.”

Luke Wilton has the chance to not only join Frampton and McCloskey at the top of the Irish boxing but also to add his name to the list of fantastic flyweights this country has produced.

BritBox P3

by MIKEJONES

ERICKOCHIENG A G L E MiCHAEL J Jones talks to Erick Ochieng about his amazing rise to the top through personal triumph and professional anguish.

L

ight-middleweight contender Erick “The Eagle” Ochieng is riding a crest of a wave following his best year as a professional in 2012. Virtually unknown this time last year, Ochieng has put himself firmly on the fistic map with four impressive victories in 12 months, also picking up (and defending) the English title.

At 25-years-old and 12-1 (4kos), the novice pro' looks set for more title glory in 2013 as he appears to improve with every contest. Trained by Brian Lawrence in London, “The Eagle” holds fine victories over fellow prospects in Liam Cameron and Nick Quigley but also showed a clever boxing brain to clearly beat tricky veterans A.A. Lowe and Max Maxwell.

A successful boxing career never seemed likely in the Londoner’s younger days; however, after moving to the UK from Kenya aged 11, Erick would have a shock upon arriving at his parent’s house.

“I was brought up in Kenya by my Gran' but she passed away,” explains Erick. “I moved over to be with my parents in the UK but when I got here I found out my parents had separated!”

The youngster’s parents had moved to the UK when Erick was five. Upon arriving at the ‘family home’ he found his mother living alone. Erick found life difficult as he had to take in a completely new way of life he had never previously experienced.

“I had it in my head I would come home to a happy family but there was always that relationship gap between me and my mum. Coupled with the cultural shock of moving to a new environment, I ended up being caught up in the wrong crowd.”

Disillusioned and struggling with a new way of life, Erick went off the rails and was soon moved to a foster home.

“I just wanted to be like my friends; they liked to smoke weed, stay out late, steal…..in the end I was actually happy I was being moved to a foster home as I thought that meant freedom (away from home).”

Still barely in his teens, Ochieng had a spell in a few different foster homes before returning to his mother’s house but was soon back to his old ways.

“My mum told me I could only return if I lived by strict rules but I wanted to do what my mates were doing which was making money and riding motor-bikes!”

Erick was put in care for a second time and was moved to a home in Tottenham where his life would change forever.

While there, a care-worker (and former boxer) would take some of the local boys on the pads. Erick joined in and enjoyed the training. Just weeks later he took the five minute trip to the local gym; Tottenham ABC. Erick remembers, “I started out with absolutely no technique, but I was very strong. I started out in the proper gym and I got BritBox P4

ERICKOCHIENG

told by one of the trainers I had talent. I was training hard but I was still being bad…..then I had a vision.”

After attending Church in a service that focused on using talents, the young amateur started thinking about how he could better himself. He decided to give boxing everything he had before one day having the vision that would solidify his future intentions.

“I had a vision of myself holding two world titles. I think it was the WBC and WBA belts; one was around my waist and the other around my shoulder. That made me know what I was to become and gave me the drive I needed.”

The inspired teenager started training as hard as he could and was soon ignoring his so-called ‘friends’ to focus fully on his new love.

“Jesus Christ saved me,” states Erick pleasantly, “Within weeks I was just going to college and then training; there was no time anymore for anything else. Jesus saved me and boxing helped me.

Before my first amateur fight I was beating up guys in the gym who had a lot more experience than me.”

The strong up-an-comer would go a solid 55-10 in the vested code before turning pro' in September 2009. After six straight wins the prospect would lose his unbeaten record to Yorkshire’s Luke Robinson over four rounds, but Erick is philosophical about his only defeat to date.

“I don’t see that as a loss, just a learning experience and a blessing in disguise,” reflects the Londoner. “We were told it was a six rounder but when we got there it had been changed to four rounds. Robinson came out like a rocket and threw a lot of punches while my shots were the quality ones. The referee scored on volume and not quality so he got the decision by a point.”

The beaten fighter didn’t dwell on his first reverse and was thrown-in less than two months later with former amateur star and unbeaten prospect Liam Cameron in Sheffield in his first bout over eight rounds. It looked a daunting task coming off a defeat but Ochieng was very confident beforehand.

“My loss made me work even harder than before. Liam Cameron was a former ABA champion and 9-0 but the pro

game is totally a different ball game to the amateurs. I know if I am prepared I can beat anybody,” says Erick without arrogance.

Ochieng pounded out a clear decision over Cameron and, after another victory, was rewarded with an English title shot at York Hall against Liverpool star Nick Quigley. The scheduled ten-rounder was fought at a frenetic pace before Ochieng was crowned the winner when the former Prizefighter finalist couldn’t come out for the last round.

“He came for war in that fight. I expected him to use his height and reach and try and box me behind the jab but he came with a different tactic; just to get in my face! I ended up beating him at his own game, I was beating him inside, off the ropes….great champions can adapt and I showed I could [adapt] in that fight,” Erick says with pride about a fight he calls his favourite performance of last year.

The new champion followed up his title winning effort with excellent defences versus A.A. Lowe, Ryan Toms and Max Maxwell.

In each fight Ochieng has shown he can box to orders against a variety of opponents.

“I can fight in various ways,” explains the Matchroom-promoted champion. “I can put pressure on, box ‘in a pocket’, fight inside….a lot of people didn’t realise but they’ll soon understand. I’m after anyone who has a title, I’ve got the best team behind me, they’re job is finding the opponent; my job is to beat them.”

The 25-year-old trains twice a day under the knowledgeable Brian Lawrence and lists Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali and Evander Holyfield as his favourite fighters; “anyone I can learn from.”

With light-middleweight probably the best division in the UK, the 12-1 Ochieng looks set for more title action this year starting on March 9th at Wembley. British champion Brian Rose, Commonwealth holder Liam Smith and European champion Sergei Rabchenko need to watch their backs as an Eagle has them in his sights…

“Last year was a great one for me but I’ve come on in leaps and bounds and next year will be even better,” promises the likeable Ochieng.

It appears “The Eagle” may just have landed.

BritBox P5

BIG FOZZY’S FEMALES Some call him Elliot, some call him Foster; but here at BritBox, we call him Big Fozzy. The Foz searches from port to peak of the British Isles to bring you boxing’s best ring girls to look, listen and sometimes drool over in each issue.

For February, ‘Big Fozzy’ has Mayhem Boxing Babe, Kerry Brash aka Sweet Pea.

Who’s your favourite boxer?

I would have to say David Haye is my favourite boxer. His fight against Wladimir Klitschko was the first boxing fight I had ever watched on TV and since then I took an interest in boxing.

Would you ever consider having a relationship with a boxer?

Yes, I would consider having a relationship with a boxer.

However, it's like any relationship you have with anyone - there has to be an attraction there and I would have to click with the person.

If you could go on a date with any boxer, who would it be and why?

If I could go on a date with any boxer it would be Joe Calzaghe because he’s nicknamed "The Italian Dragon".

He’s fierce, tall, dark, handsome & an Italian stallion. He also looks like a true gent. If he's half Italian, he should be able to cook me a nice meal too.

His birthday month is February, which is the same as mine, so the perfect date with him would be Valentine’s Day with wine and a rose in his mouth with him cooking me a meal with just an apron on. Visions…

Afterwards we can dance the night away; I love to dance.

He was on Strictly Come Dancing so he can show me his moves and take the lead.

Then he can tell me all about his boxing career.

We are booked to be the ring girls for the event with Joe Calzaghe and Enzo Calzaghe in May so I'm looking forward to working at this event very much.

What’s your cup size?

My cup size is 32 D, and I know you shouldn’t be asking that question, but I’ll let you off.

What’s it like being a ring card girl?

It's a glamorous job and I love every aspect of working for Mayhem Promotions. It’s not just a case of getting up into the ring and holding up the ring cards. As a Mayhem Boxing Babe we walk the boxers to the ring, get in the ring ourselves during the rounds and hold up the ring cards - we are hands on at every event. We rally around and help sell raffle tickets and get

up in the ring and model items for auction.

I enjoy the banter with the spectators and giving words of encouragement to the boxers before they go into the ring. Being a Mayhem Boxing Babe is a fun and interesting role. We all work well as a team and we are friends outside of the ring too.

As a Mayhem Boxing Babe we all have nicknames of famous boxers and our nicknames were given to us by our PR manager Gerard Boyle-Welsh.

My nickname is Sweet Pea. The boxer who had this nickname was Pernell Whitaker. Gerard gave the name to me as he said he thought the name suited me because I look ‘nice and sweet’.

Looks can be deceiving.

What's it like working with Mayhem?

I thoroughly enjoy working with Mayhem Promotions. The events we are hired for are varied. In October we did an event for MMA called "On Top" this was a televised show. We have also appeared on Sky Sports. We have done charity work for an event to help raise money for Sick Kids and we were hired to walk on darts players at a recent event at the Corn Exchange for big names in the darts industry.

The company has recently taken on new girls and we are being booked for more and more events up and down the country.

Have you ever thought of taking up boxing yourself?

I've never thought of taking up boxing myself, I'm happy with going to my local the gym and fitness classes.

Why not?

I much prefer being a spectator at the boxing and sticking to being the ring girl. I shall leave the boxing to the professionals.

What's the biggest fight you've worked on?

I would say the event that I have worked on was bigger than the fight itself. Mayhem Boxing Babes worked at "An audience with Mike Tyson" last year in Ayr. This was a surreal experience.

At the event we met and greeted the crowds and served them with bubbly and sold raffle tickets. We also were the ring girls at this event with Tyson looking on. This event was a daunting yet amazing experience for me and I'm sure it was for the rest of the Mayhem Boxing Babes.

BritBox P6

BritBox P7

Loaded TV banner is that we can do things that BBC, Sky and Box Nation can’t because they get nervous. I mean I was up there (in Blackpool), (David) Price and (Tyson) Fury were there, Frank Maloney was sitting to my right and I just put a camera in Tyson’s face and said “When do you want to face David Price?” He just gave me one minute and forty seconds of Tyson Fury anger down the lens saying “He’s not fit to jump in the ring with me at this moment in time,” We’re going to do it Loaded style as we can push the boundaries a bit, we don’t just want to show run of the mill boxing, we want to interview the boxers, fans and referees.

“We’re also putting together a boxing show that will rival Ringside, it’ll be a bit Soccer AMish whereby we can have a bit of fun, get some audience interaction and again it’s a bit different to what’s out there. I’m not knocking them, I just think they ’ve had their day.”

Traditionally stations have built their coverage of boxing around an emerging young talent on the back of an Olympic medal winning performance.

Unfortunately this resulted in many televised main event mismatches as the rookie pro got to grips with the paid ranks which didn’t appeal to viewers.

Loaded are determined no to repeat the same mistakes.

Under the watchful eye of veteran promoter and company ’s boxing consultant, Frank Maloney, the station will build their coverage around 50/50 fights from a variety of promoters from up and down the UK. “I’m happy to work with any promoter out there if I think the fight will bring viewing figures and we can get it at the right price. Competitive fights will be the key to success for the station. This is about development, I want to give young fighters and promoters their chance. I’m very proud of my roots and what I’ve achieved now I want to give something back to the sport and with the help of loaded I can do that,” explained Maloney.

After a turbulent few years for the Londoner during which time he suffered a heart attack and endured the mental anguish of discovering the body of Darren Sutherland, the opportunity provided to him by Loaded, combined with the rise of David Price, has rejuvenated Maloney ’s love for the sport.

V

“I’m excited about my project with Loaded, It’s given me a new zest for boxing and my retirement has been put on hold.”

JOHN MACDONALD

ADEDTV LOADEDTV LOADEDTV LOADEDTV LOADEDTV LOADEDTV LOADEDTV LOADED

ADEDTV LOADEDTV LOADEDTV LOADEDTV LOADEDTV LOADEDTV LOADEDTV LOADED

The current economic climate has taken it's toll on everyone from the working man to global corporations. A culture of financial prudence has become essential for survival, unfortunately one of the major casualties of this frugality has been boxing. In recent years the BBC and ITV have ceased broadcasting live fights and 2012 saw Sky Sports slash their budget allocation for the sport. Despite these setbacks fans' hunger for the sport is as insatiable as ever, as result the emergence of Loaded TV as a boxing broadcaster has been a welcome one amongst the pugilistic fraternity.

At a time when the giants of the broadcasting industry are distancing themselves from the sweet science what makes Loaded TV feel they can succeed where others have failed?

"I come from a boxing background myself, I've worked in boxing with newspapers in the past so I've got a soft spot for it. We were launching a television channel at the back end of November so we looked at the Loaded demographic which is males 19 to 32 and I knew boxing would get a following on Loaded TV." Explained Loaded's managing director, Ray Kid. The company ’s faith in the sport was rewarded as the fledgling channel’s first live fight, a small hall classic which saw Brian Rose retain his British title against the game Sam Webb on December 14th, drew an audience of almost 60,000 viewers. Those figures represent an astonishing achievement as the station brought forward their anticipated first live bout from February this year and picked up the contest on three days notice which left little time to launch a marketing campaign.

“We were offered the title fight and it was a no brainer to show it live. I got the call on the Tuesday to ask if I’d like to show it so between Tuesday and Friday we sent a production unit down to Blackpool.

The spike that we saw on the viewing figures would suggest that the boxing audience were crying out for this fight to go out on live TV and quite a few had picked up on the awareness we put out on the forums on the Wednesday and Thursday. It was our first ever venture in to live boxing so ye we learnt a few things as it was all last minute. We are going to do nine or ten British and European title fights this year and get better at it,” continued Kidd, the pride clearly audible in his voice.

Since the dawn of televised boxing broadcasts have under gone a gradual evolution, opposed to the drastic revolution that other sports have embraced. Tune in to a live fight on any station and you will see the familiar mix of ex-professionals and veteran broadcasters. To appeal to their demographic Loaded are going to break the shackles of the status quo, a prospect Kidd is relishing.

“The best thing about doing this under the

V

II IT’S ON

BritBox P10

JOHN RYDER

w/

Elliot Foster

&Eddie Hearn

A

fter a win against Prizefighter winner Eamonn O’Kane in December, on Betfair’s Christmas Cracker show at the Olympia in Kensington, London, people are sitting up and taking notice of Matchroom’s latest middleweight star, unbeaten John Ryder.

The 13-0(8kos) southpaw from Islington, had a blistering start to his career in the paid ranks, beating Lee Noble, (15(3)-24-3), and several other names, on the way to where he is today.

24-year-old Ryder, nicknamed ‘The Gorilla’, is being touted for a shot at fellow southpaw Billy Joe Saunders, 16-0 (10kos), the current holder of the British and Commonwealth middleweight belts.

On the possible match-up with Saunders, Ryder describes it as, “a huge fight for British boxing,” and I’m not sure many would disagree with the unbeaten man.

It would be billed as a battle of the young guns at 160lbs and Ryder, due to box in March on Betfair’s ‘London’s Finest’ show, promoted by Eddie Hearn and Matchroom, is confident that he’ll be able to get the better of his Hertfordshire domestic rival, 23.

“It’s good to be mentioned in the same breath as Billy Joe because he’s a great fighter. The British middleweight division is booming at the moment and I want to be boxing for domestic titles, maybe even defending them, in the next 12 months.

“Going in against Saunders now doesn’t faze me and I believe that I have the beating of him.”

“I think it’s guaranteed to be a good fight,” said Ryder when talking about a possible matchup with the domestic champion.

With the backing of Eddie Hearn & Matchroom, as well as exposure of him and the rest of the Matchroom stable, brought by Sky Sports, Ryder certainly has cause to be excited about his future.

In the ring regularly over the last 12 months, fighting five times, winning three times inside the distance, Ryder believes he’ll be out with the same sort of regularity in the next calendar year.

“I imagine I’ll be out around four times this year but I’m not quite sure; I’ll speak to Eddie [Hearn] about that,” explained Ryder. “I want to be in the mix for titles in the next year.

“There’s talk of an international title, so I could be boxing 12 rounds. Training is going great,” he said.

On sparring, Ryder says, “I sparred Kell Brook last week.”

Talking of Brook, he continues, “It’s great to spar with fighters of his calibre.

“I felt nervous on the first day because it was the first time I’d ever sparred with Brook or anybody of his calibre, but it was a good, educating spar.”

The win over Eamonn O’Kane, who won the ‘Prizefighter: Irish Middleweights’ competition last May, earned the 24-year-old a lot of credit. He said that the recognition that he received in the wake of the O’Kane win ‘was nice’.

Ryder is part of one of the biggest stables

in British boxing, Matchroom, spear-headed by young gun promoter Eddie Hearn. Kell Brook, IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch and Liverpool lads Rocky Fielding and Tony Bellew are all part of the same set up, and the unbeaten prospect says, “It’s great to be part of Matchroom.”

“It’s good to be on their [fellow Matchroom fighters’] undercards as you know that they are going to be sell-outs. You’re part of quality shows in big arenas.”

Ryder described Eddie Hearn, the Matchroom Group Managing Director, as being “great to work with”. He continues by saying, “You often forget you’re talking to the boss and not your mate.”

I put Ryder on the spot and asked him about his stable-mates’ world title fights in months to come, asking for predictions. Kell Brook, Gavin Rees , and Carl Froch, are involved in world title fights.

“I believe they will do very well,” said Ryder. “I think Froch will win on points; I think Brook wins, via a close points decision.” He made no comment on Rees’ world title challenge in America against world-renowned prospect Adrien Broner, who currently holds the WBC lightweight belt.

On his career, Ryder finishes by saying, “I want to go all the way; I want British, Commonwealth, European and even world titles.

“That’s the dream at the moment.

“In ten years’ time, we can talk again and see how that went.”

John Ryder’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, spoke to BritBox and regarding his unbeaten prospect, said, “His [Ryder’s] last fight was a big test for him. It was pivotal for both fighters, who are both Matchroom fighters. It was a great fight for Sky and it was a great spectacle for the public to see two Matchroom fighters get in the ring together.”

“I promised titles in the next few fights for the winner of that contest, but I also said, ahead of the clash, that there wouldn’t be a problem finding fights for the loser [of the in-stable bout], because they would be out with regularity.”

On Ryder’s progress and future plans, Eddie couldn’t help but mention Billy Joe Saunders, and said, “John’s had two decent eight rounders now on the undercards of Froch/Bute and Brook/ Hatton, in Nottingham and Sheffield respectively.

“We’re looking at giving him one last test on our ‘London’s Finest’ show on March 9 before he becomes mandatory for Billy Joe Saunders.”

Finally, Matchroom chief Hearn, said, “I believe, as does John and the rest of the team, that he [Ryder] has the beating of Billy Joe [Saunders].

“Don’t get me wrong, Billy’s a great fighter and has a record to be respected, but I don’t believe that he’s boxed anyone of the class of John Ryder.

“Billy’s brilliant in the early stages of a fight but seems to tire in the latter rounds. I feel that Ryder has the beating of him, if he can get Saunders in to the later rounds of a fight, because I think he’ll be able to break him down and stop him late.”

BritBox P11

COVERSTORY

QUIGG WITH HIS Feet in the Clouds...

AND Head on the Ground.

The down-to-earth WBA world interim champion gives Sean Pollock the low down on his success so far and why he ‘lives like a monk’ as he nears the limitless heights of his beloved profession.

SCOTTQUIGG SCOTTQUIGG SCOTTQUIGG

A

S top British boxers continue to beat, bludgeon and batter foreign adversaries at the very summit of the sport, the way is paved for lesser known home-grown hopefuls to stake their claim at the pinnacle of domestic pugilism. Amir Khan, David Haye, Carl Froch: all worldwide renowned. And now, on the lips of boxing purists is a name tipped to be THAT next superstar, Scott Quigg (25(18)-0-1).

Quigg, 24, entered the professional ranks in 2007 and had stormed into the limelight by 2010 claiming the WBA Inter-Continental title before securing the British super-bantamweight crown from Jason Booth in 2011.

The Bury stylist’s biggest test came just last year when a mouthwatering clash with Rendall Munroe (then, 24(10)-2-0) for the interim WBA strap was called a three-round technical draw following a deep cut to Munroe. However, when the pair met again on Nov. 24, 2012, there was to be only one winner; a meticulous Quigg fired body shots at his elder, crippling him within six sessions on the Ricky Hatton comeback card: “After the first fight I was absolutely gutted because when I was in there I knew how I felt.nI knew whatever

happened in the rematch it would have been the same result,” said Quigg.

“In the first fight there was a lot of frustration because of the work I’d put into it and it’d come to a halt. Up until the time when I beat him, from he first fight to the second it was on my mind all the time.

“Going into the first fight I didn’t know what to expect, I’d watched him for years with my dad and said, ‘why is he so difficult?’ He just keeps coming forward and grinds people down, so I thought when I get in there, there must be something different, and when you’re in with him it’s a lot harder.

“There was a lot of frustration but I didn’t let that derail me from getting it done— after the first fight I was back in the gym on Monday! My mum and dad said I was a nightmare to live with for a few weeks!” recalled the 24-year-old.

Ironically, Quigg’s sweetest moment arrived just before one of boxing’s saddest. Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton was left in tears at the fists of Vyacheslav Senchenko on a cold night Manchester night. The media had hyped the return of Hatton and his notorious ferocious body shots; but it was ‘The Hitman’ himself who was stopped with an abdomen assault. >>

“ALL I DO IS EAT, SLEEP, TRAIN. I LIVE LIKE A MONK”

BritBox P13

SCOTTQUIGG >>And it wasn’t only the Ukrainian who had honed his downstairs work; Joe Gallagher had Quigg welldrilled. Numerous, beautifully picked right and left hooks to the sides of Munroe rendered the world title contender useless.

“After the first fight I knew that I’d get to him within 8-9-10, because there’s no way he’d be able to handle the shots he’d be getting hit with. I was confident of hitting him clean. In the second fight—because of his eye—his hands were a little bit higher, so that was the plan in the second fight, to go to the body,” revealed the WBA interim holder.

Quigg describes the experience of supporting a sporting icon as a taster for his own future,“It was good to be around that, as it gives you a taste of it and brings you into it, if I find myself where he [Hatton] is, which hopefully I will be, you already know what’s gonna be happening. Being on the undercard to Hatton, I thrive off things like that that’s when I’m at my best.”

The super-bantamweight may possess a talent set like few others, but he also has a burning desire to succeed, “When I’m in training I have a longer training camp than anyone else. Alls I do is eat, sleep, train. I live like a monk!” Ric Moylan, the Team Hatton fitness coach refers to his client as one of the fittest sportsman in the world, Quigg explains why, “I seem to be able to push myself to the limit more than other people. I try a couple of different little things, but it’s the training and the people you listen to like your coach. If you do the same thing you’re going to get the same result, you just find new ways to get stronger, get fitter and faster. It’s willing and wanting to be the fittest and be the best.”

In a business that may spawn some pantomime rivalries and shameful stunts to sell tickets, there are some genuine ‘rivalries’. Whilst some people may associate a ‘rivalry ’ with bitterness and confrontation, the pairing of Quigg and Irishman, Carl Frampton, sanctions a hugely competitive and respectful dispute—who is the best at 122lbs domestically?

“My next fight will get my profile up and be a good test. Frampton is fighting Martinez next, which I think he

will come through and get him out of there. Him beating Molitor made the fight bigger, me beating Munroe the way I did made the fight bigger and him beating Martinez will make the fighter bigger again. If I beat this kid, then the fights even bigger! Then we’ve got a massive fight for in the summer,” said Quigg.

There has been an echoing request for the two to settle the ringside debate, “People were calling for it eight months ago, I’m not in the sport for money, but it doesn’t make sense—eight months ago it wouldn’t have sold an arena out, now, me fighting Carl in the summer will fill an arena. That’s what you want, big fights like that, it’s coming along nicely—a fight he wants and a fight I want, it’d be a cracking fight.”

The conveyor-belt of British boxing talent is fruitfully in full flow, with Jazza Dickens and Kid Galahad the latest 122lbs talents striving to reach the levels of Quigg and Frampton, “It’s a really exciting fight [Dickens vs. Galahad], but I’d go with Dickens, he’s got that pop in his shots. They ’ve both got that awkward sort of style, he [Dickens] can go backwards and forwards, but Galahad is a tricky customer.”

As Quigg finds himself only a few posters and bells away from Earth’s most dangerous little men, Nonito Donaire and Guillermo Rigondeaux, BritBox questions his preference between a rock and a hard place, with the two close to signing for a super-fight this year: “I’d say whoever can fight the fight in a relaxed manner. There’s gonna be some serious feeling out, it’s whoever can fight their fight and relax. Whoever gets hit first could go! I’m slightly with Donaire; but you put any fighter in the ring with either of them two and they ’d have more of a chance with Donaire because Rigondeaux doesn’t get hit, it’s all style wise,” said Quigg.

The Bury man holds the interim version of Rigondeaux’s WBA strap, if he keeps winning a meeting may be inevitable,“I’m realistic, I need three fights this year and that’ll get me ready for them. At the minute I’m not experienced enough at the top, I’ve got a lot to learn. But style wise, I’d be looking at Abner Mares, that’s the chance you’ve got. Then you’ve got Rigondeaux—it’s hard to even lay a glove on the kid!

But it’s one of them, I’ve sparred him in the Wild Card [gym] before, I did well, I know I can get to that level.

But it’s alright doing it in the gym, you need that top level fight experience and this next fight will give me a bit of a feel of it as well.”

After witnessing a Vegas fight night with his own eyes for Pacquiao vs. Marquez IV in the MGM Grand, Quigg got a taste for seeing his own name in lights, “It’s a fighter ’s dream, that’s what you work for. The atmosphere gives you the itch for it, as soon as I got back I went for a run— even with the jet-lag! The atmosphere made you want a bit of that, it was different to the Hatton fight— them Mexicans make some noise!”

Sean Pollock @SeanPollo

BritBox P14

BritBox P15

TYSON FURY SPEAKS TO JOHN MACDONALD ON HOW HE MEANS BUSINESS IN THE HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION...

O

n the stock exchange investors attempt to identify companies on the rise to back.

Similarly in boxing, promoters, managers, journalists and fans a-like tr y to unearth the next big thing when a fighter ’s pro career in its infancy. Throughout the early stages of his career Tyson Fur y divided opinion, his backers cited blistering hand speed and a 6-ft-9-inch frame as reasons he would succeed while the doubters felt his, at times fleshy, physique and the lack of refinement about his work would prevent him from reaching the upper echelons.

His strengths out-weighed his weaknesses, as at 22-years-of-age he claimed the British and Commonwealth titles from Dereck Chisora, along with the Londoner ’s undefeated record. While that achievement was impressive enough for a rookie in the professional ranks, Fury ’s success was made more remarkable due to the fact that at time he was training in a shed and eating and drinking as he pleased. While many would be content with such a feat, Tyson has greater aspirations:

“I don’t see it as an achievement. If you’re aiming for the stars and you win a British title you’ve underachieved. I’ve always been aiming for the stars from the beginning and I wouldn’t settle for less really. For a domestic level fighter the British title is an achievement, for a world class fighter it’s an

underachievement.”

The evolution of Tyson as a fighter over the past 12 months, in which time he has appeared in superior physical condition than his earlier bouts and showed vast improvements technically, has silenced many critics. The progress he has made under the tutelage of trainer and uncle Peter Fury has led him on the road to a shot at the WBC title.

“The world title is within grabbing distance and I’ve got to take full advantage of it,” proclaimed Fury.

Later this year he will face the winner of Chris Arreola and Bermane Stiverne in a final eliminator for Vitali Klitschko’s crown. The giant traveler earned the right to face the winner on the back of his most impressive performance yet against Kevin Johnson in December. That night in Belfast, Fury abandoned his trademark all action style in favour of a disciplined, patient exhibition of boxing.

“It showed people I can box as well as fight. When you’re fighting in an eliminator for the world title you don’t want to take any risks to impress anybody. “it was all about getting the W. Johnson was a good opponent, a dangerous opponent, the best I’ve faced, one mistake and it’s all over. He’s a world class fighter without a doubt.” >>

“The world title is within grabbing distance and I’ve got to take full advantage of it”

>> Ahead of the final eliminator Fury won’t rest on his laurels, as the hard graft begins to get back in shape ahead of a March “stay busy ” fight.

“When you’re at world level you can’t face someone making their debut, he’ll have a better record than 1-0. If we can find a 50-year-old it would be nice, never mind 45. If we’re going for the old guy record I want ‘Razor ’ Ruddock,” joked Tyson.

Having seen high profile fights with the likes of Tomasz Adamek, Eddie Chambers and Denis Boystov fall by the way side for a variety of different reasons you may expect the 24-year-old to be frustrated, instead he acknowledges why top heavyweights are reluctant to face one another.

“When you’re ranked in the top 10, top 5, top 3 you’ve got a lot to lose. To lose that ranking and all that work for nothing, for little money, it’s pointless for people. They ’re not going to turn up for £100,000 and miss out on a potential 2 million pound fight. Fighters don’t fight for a pat on the back— they fight for money.

If they were paid enough they would fight.

Holmes, Ken Norton. All these men fought each other, some lost, some won but they had rematches, that’s what made it so exciting. If we were paid properly we could do the same now,” vowed Fury.

When discussing Tyson Fury it’s almost impossible not to mention David Price. The pair have a rivalry which spans back to their amateur days when they were competing for a spot on the Olympic team, that battle was won by the giant Liverpudlian; however, Fury did drop him to the canvas.

“Professional and amateur boxing are two different things really. When I boxed him I was just a big, fat, useless bum really. A kid of 17 or 18 fat as a pig, flapping with the inside of my glove. I was useless and he still couldn’t do anything with me then so it’s pointless even talking about a fight with me now,” he admitted.

As the duo continue to progress in the paid ranks their trajectory ’s are set

a t u o b a s ’ t I . . sport. a s a l l e w s a .” s e s s e n n e i s s u s b s e a n i s s bu “It’ fight making Mike Tyson got fights and he was the baddest man on the planet, there was never a shortage of people for him to fight because he had people behind him paying his opponents what they deserved to take a good beating.”

“It’s a business as well as a sport. I do believe they are not scared of a fight, they ’ve had 20 to 50 of them already. It’s just about the fight making business sense.

We’re in an economic situation where there’s no money around and everyone is skint, everyone is just going to sit tight, ride it through and see what happens.”

Thankfully the fortunes of the heavyweight division are on the up. With the illustrious careers of the Klitschko’s seemingly approaching the end, a new crop of big men such as Kubrat Pulev, Deontay Wilder and Robert Helenius are emerging, who over the next few years will look to establish themselves as the dominant force, a prospect which Fury is relishing: “There are a lot of undefeated fighters in this new generation. If everyone was paid correctly, everyone would start fighting. Everyone says we’re all scared to fight each other and it’s all about protecting our records but I disagree. We’re ready to fight but the business isn’t right.

“If you look at the 60’s and 70’s there was Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Joe Fraizer, Larry

for a collision course in the future, as a direct consequence the discussion amongst both sets of supporters has become heated. Recently the debate escalated, which resulted in Fury receiving tasteless, personal comments from Price’s supporters on social media sites after sending abuse to Price himself.

“They are going to give abuse aren’t they?

They want David Price to jump 18 months ahead in his career and jump ahead in the ranking without fighting. I’ve been working on making an impact at world level since giving up the British title 16, 17 months ago. If he wants to get there I suggest he works his way up,” said Fury.

Will Fury and Price meet this year? Will Fury get his shot at a Klitschko? We will find out soon, but for now, Tyson gets down to business.

John MacDonald

BritBox P17

THE wORD OF NEll SON Johnny Nelson gives BritBox his first guest column; talking British boxing and Kell Brook’s big chance.

GUESTCOLUMN JOHNNY NELSON

A

lthough the year has only just began there have been a number of top quality fights announced. One of the fights I’m most looking forward to at the start of the year is Kell Brook challenging Devon Alexander for the IBF welterweight title at Joe Louis stadium in Detroit on Februar y 23rd. It is rare to see two world class fighters in their prime go head-to-head.

In the first half of the fight Devon will come out and tr y apply pressure as he’s never faced a fighter like Kell Brook, he doesn’t respect him, he doesn’t know him well enough, he only knows a little bit about him, his team will be showing him the fight with Carson Jones. After a few rounds when Kell is still there throwing heavy shots in return Alexander will realise that Brook is harder to hit than he believed and carries more punch power than he anticipated.

At this stage he will tr y and box his way through the remainder of the fight reverting to his natural style as he is actually a better boxer than he is a fighter.

When Alexander moves onto the back foot it is important for Kell to stay patient, if he was at boxing home I could see him getting frustrated. Being in Detroit will help him stay focused as he doesn’t have to deal with the pressure of an expectant crowd, he will box on instinct and ability.

While the change in strategy won’t be crowd pleasing it won’t bother Alexander. He is happy and comfortable to box in a style that doesn’t roar the crowds, we’ve seen it before, most notably when he dethroned Randall Bailey to claim the title. I know that because I used to be that kind of fighter, I didn’t care if a fight was exciting: crash, bang, wallop or not. That wasn’t my priority, my priority was winning and the same is true of Devon Alexander.

to keep the fight at his pace, he doesn’t throw it to hurt or bully you it ’s not in his nature, he’s not an aggressive person, no matter how much he pretends to be. I recognise this as I was that kind of fighter.

It may sound harsh to question a fighter ’s heart but mental strength is something you either have or you don’t. I’ll use Audley Harrison as an example.

Audley is a grown man, it ’s hard to say that he will gain maturity, gain confidence, gain heart with age as he is a grown man. Devon Alexander is a man, these traits are now ingrained in his character and are ver y difficult to overcome. Devon finds it ver y easy to feel sorr y for himself and this is reflected in the way he fights.

There are ver y few fighters who have overcome mental frailties to reach the elite level, Shane Moseley is a rare example. He doubted himself at times, you could hear his father in the corner giving motivational speeches in the corner to tr y and give him confidence. They were technical instructions they were words to raise his sons heart and belief. When Shane Moseley was on form he was unbelievable but when things weren’t going right you could see him doubt himself even though the possessed all the physical tools. Devon Alexander is the same, at this moment in time his mentality doesn’t match up with his physical ability.

He has shown us that he is mentally fragile and no matter how hard you tr y to fight it, disguise it or pretend it ’s not there it ’s true. He showed us that in the Bradley fight. It ’s not a trait that he’ll grow out of, it ’s something that he is stuck with. Kell needs to work on breaking this man’s heart, his focus and rhythm. He has the artiller y to do that with his speed, his accuracy and his strength. When he gets in close he needs to throw him like he’s a rag doll, push him around, make him think “Oh my god this guy is strong”.

I can put my hand up and say that this is how Devon is because I was the same, I was that kind of fighter. I managed to hustle and bustle my way through to world championship level at which point my self belief married up with my physical ability. Until that point it didn’t marr y up, I had the psychical ability but it wasn’t till I became world champion that I gained that belief. At that point I though to myself if I don’t have belief now then I never will, it was then I finally became the full package. Kell needs to trip Devon up as when his physical and mental ability marr y up he will be ver y difficult to beat. He doesn’t even realise how good he is, that ’s his problem. Once he does he will be ver y hard to beat. He may not be the most exciting fighter in the world, he may not put bums in seats but he will be ver y hard to beat. At the moment he doesn’t fully appreciate what he’s capable of, so if Kell is going to beat him it has to be now

I’ve sat done with Kell and his trainer Dominic Ingle and they asked me what I thought of Devon Alexander ’s character. I told them that he’ll come out confident for the first two to three rounds. He utilises the jab more as form of defence rather than offence it ’s main purpose is to keep you at bay and

If Devon Alexander comes through this fight it will make him a more confident, rounded fighter because he will start to believe in himself. Kell need to get him now otherwise he he’ll no longer doubt his abilities. This is the prime opportunity to break this man, it will not be easy but he can be broken.

BritBox P19

COVERSTORY

ROBBIE SMYTH TALKS TO CARL FRAMPTON ABOUT HIS HUGE FEBRUARY 9TH FIGHT WITH KIKO MARTINEZ.

UNFIN BUSI BritBox P20

COVERSTORY CARL FRAMPTON

ISHED NESS

NextPages...

BritBox P21

F

ebruary is a big month for Irish boxing with a lot of great fights scheduled to take place, perhaps none more exciting or important than ‘Unfinished Business,’ were Belfast’s own Carl ‘The Jackal’ Frampton takes on the man dubbed ‘The Scourge of the Irish,’ current EBU European super-bantamweight champion Kiko Martinez.

The fight was scheduled to take place on two previous occasions but was postponed due to Martinez suffering training injuries both times and it is now officially on for Saturday February 9th in Belfast’s Odyssey Arena.

The terrific match-up of two tanks should make for an exhilarating fight, with both in the prime of their fighting lives and ready to duke it out for the European super-bantamweight title as well as a high ranking within the IBF. Martinez has fought in Ireland on numerous occasions most notably in August 2007 when he broke Irish hearts by stopping Bernard Dunne in less than 90 seconds at the old Point Depot in Dublin to lift the European crown he currently holds.

After three tough losses including two to England’s ‘Boxing Bin Man’ Rendall Munroe, Martinez is back on these shores intent on causing more heartaches.

Frampton returns from a marvellous victory over former world champion, Steve Molitor, this past September and is determined to make Martinez pay for twice pulling out, as well as ending the Spaniard’s five fight unbeaten streak in Ireland. The win over Molitor was fantastic for the young Frampton but this is the acid test: beat Martinez and he’ll move onto

world championship fights, lose and it’s back to the drawing board.

Carl very kindly took some time out of his hectic training schedule to speak to BritBox about this fight and update us on his progress: BritBox: How has training for your fight on February 9th against Kiko Martinez been going ?

Carl Frampton: No problem, training has been going good were doing all the heavy stuff now, the hard grafting ect, the fight is just a couple of weeks away and it’s been a long time coming he’s pulled out on me twice before so I don’t think he’ll pull out on me this this time because nobody in boxing will take him seriously if he does, so I think it’s going to be on and I’m excited about it.

We’ve recently seen some pictures of you from this training camp, I have to say look in terrific shape, how are you with making the weight?

CF: Yeah I’m lean, I’ve got down and I’m very close to the weight already, that was the plan for this fight to get down earlier than usual and stay strong so that’s what I’m doing. I’ve been training hard, if I really wanted to I could probably make the weight in a couple of days but it’s important to be strong and that’s what I am, I’m ready to fight tomorrow if I have to.

How do you feel you match up with Martinez?

CF: Well I was supposed to be fight him last September and I think I would’ve beaten him then, >>

“The only fight in Europe I’m interested in is Scott Quigg.”

BritBox P22

COVERSTORY CARL FRAMPTON

>> I’m a more improved fighter now so there’s no doubt in my mind I’m going to beat him. It’s going to be dangerous, he’s a big puncher who carries his power late into a fight so it’s going to be a big test for me but I’m sure I’ll pass it with flying colours, I’m going to cut him to pieces.

cracker of a fight. We also have Jamie Conlon fighting for a title and Martin Rogan will be on the card as well so it should be a fantastic show. Belfast boxing is on a real high at the minute so hopefully everybody can keep winning and picking up titles to continue bringing big fight cards to this city.

The world middleweight champion, Sergio Martinez, who promotes Kiko has been quoted as saying he believes his man will knock you out, what do you make of those comments?

CF: Well, Sergio is someone I really respect as a fighter but he’s talking a lot rubbish to be honest.

He’s just saying that because he has to say it, he is backing his own man which is fair enough I understand that, but he doesn’t know me or what I can do. We’ll see, it’s going to happen soon enough and I really am confident of victory, there’s no doubt in my mind I’m going to win and look great doing it.

Are there any plans for you to fight in the south of Ireland sometime soon?

CF: That’s been talked about and I’d love to fight in Dublin. I’ve fought down there lots of times as an amateur so it’s definitely something we’re thinking of doing but I’m a homebody, I’d like to fight in Belfast as much as possible; but if I win a world title we can take it on the road and hopefully fight in Dublin sometime in the future. I would also love to fight in America as well, it would be a dream come through to fight in Madison Square Garden or Las Vegas.

What is your opinion on the domestic superbantamweight division with the likes of Scott Quigg & Kid Galahad?

CF: I think it’s a good division with some decent fighters but they are not near my level at the moment.

If I beat Martinez then the only domestic or European fight I’d be interested in is Scott Quigg and nobody else. Kid Galahad is a little bit of a mouth, I met him at the sports personality awards, he came over, shook my hand and asked when are we going to fight? I said any time but you have to win something first because you really haven’t fought anybody yet. So again the only fight in Europe I’m interested in is Scott Quigg, if it doesn’t happen then I’m ready to move on and fight for a world title.

Can you tell me what it’s like working with the McGuigans, having Barry as your manager and his son Shane as your trainer?

CF: It’s great, the main thing is they are very professional and very meticulous with everything they do—particularly the training. Shane is in my opinion one of the best trainers in Britain, it won’t be long before all the top boxers will want to work with him because he’s a really good coach and not just a one trick pony, he has guys there who are great with tactics and guys who are great with nutrition as well as strength and conditioning so he has everything covered. Barry has done a fantastic job managing me, I always take his advice because he knows what this game is all about he’s been there and done it so I have a great team around me, I’m in a good place.

So after Martinez, if you can’t get Scott Quigg in the ring with you the next step will be a world title fight?

CF: That’s it, after Kiko I want Quigg, if he doesn’t want it then we’re going for the IBF title or hopefully even a fight with Abner Mares. I think the top two in the division are Donaire & Rigondeaux, everybody says Mares is up there with them but I don’t think so. In a couple of fights I’ll be ready for the likes of Donaire & Rigondaux but for the moment I’m ready to fight everybody else.

So everything is moving along well and you’ll be ready for the big fight February 9th?

CF: Yeah everything is going perfectly, I’m feeling strong and I’ve been down at the weight for a few weeks now, I’ve also been doing loads of sparing well over 100 hundred rounds already so I can’t wait for February 9th to come, I’m really excited about it. Kiko Martinez will be wishing he avoided me for a third time.

What do you make of the renaissance of the Belfast boxing scene with the likes of yourself & Paul McCloskey regularly fighting in front of sell out crowds?

CF: I think it’s great, the people of Belfast and Ireland always come out to support their own. This next bill is a big one with lots of good fights on it, including Andy Lee versus Anthony Fitzgerald, I think the fans from down south will love that one and Martin Lindsay versus Lee Selby which I think is going to be a

In closing Carl, have you anything you’d like to say to the fans of BritBox? CF: I’d just like to say thanks to all the fans of BritBox who support and follow me on this journey and hopefully I will win a world title for them, stay tuned and we’ll see what happens.

BritBox would like to thank Carl for his time and also Barry McGuigan for arranging this interview.

Robbie Smyth @RobbieSmythBoxing BritBox P23

BRITBOXHISTORY

KYLE MCLACHLAN’S

FANTASTIC FLYWEIGHTS For fans of British boxing accustomed to living through years of the super-middleweight division being swamped with home-grown talent, it may be a surprise to learn that until halfway through the 20th century, the flyweight division, now associated with tiny tough guys from Asia and Latin America, was once dominated by the UK. Even before flyweight was universally established as a division in 1920, a Briton was regarded as the greatest of all time. Legendary Welsh puncher Jimmy Wilde continued to be held in high regard for years to come, with The Ring magazine founding editor and allround boxing mogul Nat Fleischer ranking Wilde as the greatest flyweight of all time.

The 1930’s saw Benny Lynch, the instinctive fighting force from the Gorbals, tear through the division during The Great Depression, becoming the first fighter to unify the major titles since Wilde.

The little men were huge business, with a reported 40,000 crammed into Shawfield Park to see Lynch dismantle prodigious puncher Peter Kane of Lancashire. The 19-yearold ex-blacksmith was known for a hefty dig, an impressive 42-0(34) record and a violent drubbing of the brilliant Jimmy Warnock, who had twice beaten Lynch.

Kane Dropped with the first punch of the fight and, as reported by The Glasgow Herald ‘punished unmercifully ’ down the stretch, Kane was battered by the Glaswegian force of nature in 13 rounds.

A battle-hardened Kane gave Lynch a real argument in their rematch, staged five months later at Anfield, not allowing himself to

be pushed back and earning a 12-round draw. The 35,000 strong Liverpool crowd voiced disapproval at the decision that can still be heard on the surviving celluloid of the bout.

Lynch had to forfeit his title on the scales. His career fell apart

The flyweight division was once dominated by the UK due to alcoholism, and died of malnutrition at the age of 33.

Kane punched his way to the vacant crown against Lynch’s former challenger Jackie Jurich, assaulting the American so severely that Kane had to have a finger amputated after the bout!

In his early 20s and filling out his 5ft-4in frame, Kane left the division for bantamweight, where he struggled to impose his power and lost his best form.

Like so many others of his era, Kane was called up for national service, and according to the Winnipeg Free Press he found the regime he followed in the R.A.F as a sergeant helped him to make to make the limit he had struggled to maintain years before. Never having

lost his title in the ring, Kane would be reinstated as champ’ by two major governing bodies some three years after relinquishing his title.

Despite Kane’s punching prowess, his opponent, the British and Empire champ’ was a 3 to 1 favourite going into the fight and had been ranked the top-ranked flyweight by The Ring for two years.

Scotland’s greatest fighter may have died, but another contender for that title was about to emerge.

Paterson Also serving in the R.A.F was a former ship worker named Jackie Paterson, known for his two-fisted power from the southpaw stance and described as a ‘dour little killer ’

by The Winnipeg Free Press.

It didn’t take long for it to materialise against Kane. A gun fight broke out in the opening stanza, and Paterson came off better, flattening Kane for the full count a little over a minute into the bout.

Paterson, like Lynch and Kane before him, would struggle to keep his weight down, but his record at bantamweight was exceptional also, at one point holding the Commonwealth and European bantamweight championships as well as British, Commonwealth and World titles at flyweight!

Paterson would be The Ring magazine and World Flyweight champion for six years, in a division that was filled with quality fighters that could beat anyone on any given night. In 1945 Paterson was champion and the first four highest ranked contenders by The Ring were all from Britain and Ireland!

Among the top quality contenders were Ed ‘Bunty ’ Doran from Belfast, who in March ‘46 had, according to Reuters, ‘skilfully ’ beaten Paterson on points.>>

BRITBOXHISTORY >>Joe Curran, inconsistent but World ranked, had beaten Doran and challenged Paterson for the title.

Footage from shows a ruthless Paterson stalking an evasive Curran, dropping him with single shots and roughing him up, well in control against the number one contender.

But one domestic rival Paterson struggled to contain was a strong all-rounder from Belfast who serenaded the audience with his sweet singing voice.

‘Rinty’ John Joseph Monaghan and Jackie Paterson must’ve been born to fight each other. Both were strong and broad backed aggressors. Paterson could hit with both hands but ‘Rinty ’ was known for his accurate right hand, typically the best punch for an orthodox fighter to land on a southpaw.

They got right to it. With only a single pro’ bout to his name Paterson took the ‘0’ of Monaghan with a 5th round K.O. Monaghan would gain revenge when Paterson was at the height of his success, forcing a cut stoppage in seven rounds in 1946.

Their third bout, in ’58, would be for Paterson’s World title, only his second defence of the Flyweight championship in five years.

Having failed to make weight for a previously scheduled defence, there were concerns that Paterson would struggle against his close rival, and it showed during his performance. The AP report said Paterson was ‘weak from shedding too many pounds’ and ‘was a far cry from the nimble boxer who won the title in 1943’.

The footage that survives of the bout shows ‘Rinty ’

catching Paterson with a hard shot that the same Associated Press report described as ‘piston powered’.

Not letting up, Monaghan ‘hammered the defenceless Scot’ with every blow in the book’.

Paterson was left draped over the ropes. Monaghan left with the belt draped over his shoulder, and left the crowd with the sweet croon of ‘Irish Eyes Are Smiling’.

But the high flying ‘40s were coming to an end.

Another brilliant Brit’, Londoner ‘Seaman’ Terry Allen, was a world class boxer who had given what The Indian Gazette said was a ‘sound beating’ to Monaghan over 8 rounds. In a rematch for the World title, Monaghan was knocked down but battled his way to a draw.

But the champion had sung his last song. Diagnosed with a chronic lung condition, Monaghan was forced to retire from the ring as champion.

The Flyweight dominance of the ‘40s ended as the decade did.

The Fighting ‘50s Terry Allen won the vacant title but was usurped by the new international talent emerging at the time, suffering hard fought losses to Dado Marino and Yoshio Shirai of Japan. Talented Olympian Dai Dower of Wales, the European champion, was sparked by legendary Flyweight champ’ Pascual Perez, Argentina’s first World champ’ inside a round. What had been a division dominated by the United Kingdom in a way never seen since, was now devoid of fighters able to push the World’s best to the limit.

It would be 16 years between a Brit’ again reached the dizzying heights of boxing’s smallest division, fittingly a Scotsman, the tough and talented Walter McGowan.

BritBox P25

Dean.

Byrne.

IT'S been a long road travelled for Dublin’s Dean Byrne, a journey that has literally taken him all over the world chasing a dream—to be the very best. It began when the hyperactive 9-year-old's father decided to take him to a kick boxing gym in the hope that his young son would let out some of his pent up anger in a controlled environment instead of on the tough streets of their Crumlin neighbourhood. “I enjoyed the kick boxing,” said Dean, “but it was semi contact so I kept getting disqualified for hitting too hard.”

Fed up with not being able to properly let off steam, Byrne opted to instead try boxing by joining the local amateur club where he met former two time Olympian Phil Sutcliffe. “Phil said he’d take a look at me, it turned out I was somewhat of a natural, you could say I took to it like a duck to water.” In my first year I reached the national finals and the next year I won the All Ireland title, I owe everything to Phil Sutcliffe and the Crumlin boxing club, they made me the fighter I am today.”

After a highly successful amateur career which saw him win numerous national championships as well as representing his country in a host of international tournaments the then 20-year-old decided it was time to change codes and punch for pay. However, it wasn’t until a visit to Australia where he met the legendary Johnny Lewis that he decided exactly where he would turn over. “I fought in an Ireland vs. Australia tournament and Johnny Lewis seen me, he asked if I'd like to turn professional down there.

“I always wanted to be a professional but there was nothing happening in Ireland so I decided to make a go of it down under. I took to the pro game easily, Johnny had me sparring with guys like Gary St Clair. I started off doing six rounds against tough Filipinos and in my fifth fight I won the Australian lightwelterweight title in a ten rounder. So I

IRISHINSIGHT

jumped into it pretty quickly but I got the results because I put the work in,” said Byrne.

One defence of that title followed before Dean chose to leave the land down under behind by boarding a plane heading to Los Angeles, the next day he found himself in the Wild Card gym speaking with Freddy Roach. “I told Freddie my story that I was 6-0 and was the Australian light- welterweight champion, I asked if he would train me, he said he'd take a look at me so I went in the next day. I was only just off a flight from Australia and a bit jet lagged but he put me in to spar with Michael Katsidis, I did really well so Freddie said he'd be glad to train me.

Dean spent the next three years in L.A sparring with some of the best pros in the world. “I was sparring Manny Pacquiao, Victor Ortiz and Amir Khan, as well as an untold amount of great fighters. On any given day you'd walk in and there would be absolute killers waiting to spar with you but that's how it was, if you were one of Freddie Roach's boys you got stuck in and did the work. I really learned the professional game when I was over there,” recalled the Irishman.

After six fights in the U.S, Byrne returned to Ireland with a perfect 12(5kos)0 record. He fought twice in his native Dublin winning both before sitting out for almost a year. “I relocated to England and signed with Frank Warren but was left on the shelf for the best part of a year due to cancellations. A fighter of my calibre should be busy fighting non-stop throughout the year so I became a bit ring rusty.”

He returned from the lay off on October 2011 defeating Michael Frontin over eight and returned one week later to replace late pull out Frankie Gavin against a hardened Frenchman. “I stepped in on 24 hour notice to replace Frankie Gavin and fight a French guy called Horta. >> BritBox P26

Dean.

Byrne. >> “I thought fighting again within a week would be good after been out so long but making the weight killed me, I lost 9 pounds in a day and fainted in the sauna but I fought my heart out and tried my best but I just wasn't able so the corner pulled me out after eight against my wishes, I can’t hold it against them though they were just looking out for me,” lamented Byrne.

Another tough loss followed and the career of ‘Irish Lightning’ seemed in limbo, but after getting back to winning ways this past September, Byrne got the opportunity he’d been waiting for. “Lee Purdy pulled out the week of his fight with Carson Jones so they were looking for an opponent, they called around but nobody was willing to take the fight because of what he had done to Kell Brook. Well when they called me I jumped at the chance, it was just the type of fight I had been looking for. It was a chance to prove all the critics who said I was done and have had too many hard fights and sparing sessions wrong.”

IRISHINSIGHT That’s exactly what he done by putting on the performance of his life, gaining a draw in a fight most observers felt he should have won. “It was a good fight but to be honest I thought I boxed the ears off him and won comfortable, unfortunately the judges didn't seem to think so and called it a draw but even in that situation, taking the fight on short notice, a draw is a win,” he happily told BritBox. So after breeding new life into his career what does the future hold for Dean Byrne? “I'd like to fight for the Irish light-welterweight title if it was available or even the welterweight title. If Steven Haughian's people called me I'd fight him on two days notice. I'd also like to fight Lee Purdy. That fight is a possibility seen as he was supposed to fight Jones and I came along and upset the applecart. Other than that I want to move up the rankings and position myself for a world title fight.

Robbie Smyth

Want to advertise here?

Email: Contact@BritBoxMag.co.uk Twitter: @BritBoxMag

BritBox P27