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CANELO VS PLANT First blood drawn

No time to waste

BERNARD HOPKINS On King, 9/11 & Trinidad

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SEPTEMBER 30 2021

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Memories of a slugfest

VIRTUOSO RINGSIDE AT TOTTENHAM

The great Usyk explodes onto heavyweight scene with exquisite victory over Joshua

DAVID AVANESYAN + CALLUM SMITH + RICHARD RIAKPORHE + MATTHEW SAAD MUHAMMAD

Contents September 30, 2021

14

OLEKSANDR THE GREAT Usyk teaches Joshua a lesson he won’t forget in bewitching heavyweight masterclass

COV E R S TO R I E S

>> 4 NO NEED TO RUSH

24

HIGHLIGHTS

>> 5 RICHARD RIAKPORHE

Why Joshua should think very carefully

He’s so excited and he just can’t hide it

>> 12 CANELO-PLANT

>> 6 EXPERTS’ VIEW

The story of a heated press conference

Should Usyk now be atop the P4P charts?

>> 22 EUBANK SET TO SHINE

>> 7 THE BEST OF THE BEST

Late replacement should be easy meat

Ranking the Ukrainian’s finest wins

>> 28 THE ONE & ONLY B-HOP

>> 8 USYK-JOSHUA FIGHT WEEK

New and exclusive Hopkins interview

Steve Bunce on a build-up to remember

>> 38 MOORE-MACKLIN

>> 10 POLISHED PRODUCTION

Memories of a truly ferocious encounter, 20 years after it occurred

A huge event handled expertly

>> 18 CALLUM SMITH & CO

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Thoughts from the big-fight undercard

>> 24 DAVID AVANESYAN His sacrifice and frustrations revealed

>> 34 SAAD REFLECTIONS When Tris Dixon took Matthew to MSG

>> 42 A NEW FURY Tyson’s cousin, Mason, wins his debut

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SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 l BOXING NEWS l 3

EDITOR’S LETTER

Photo: IAN WALTON/MATCHROOM

WE GO AGAIN: One of Joshua’s strengths is his ability to learn and grow, even after defeat

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Cover photography MARK ROBINSON/MATCHROOM

TAKE YOUR TIME Joshua can come back stronger but an immediate rematch seems a bad idea ORE prominent than the cuts and bruises on Oleksandr Usyk’s face, as he sat down in front of the media a little before 1am on Sunday morning, was a smugness that said one thing: I told you so. And he did. He told you, he told me, he told Matt everyone. “I cannot Christie lose to Anthony @MattCBoxingNews Joshua.”

Reflecting on the Editor bout now, it seems odd that so many picked against the Ukrainian southpaw. Hindsight can do that, particularly in a sport as wonderfully unpredictable as boxing. But perhaps the oddest thing of all is that Joshua himself thought he could beat Usyk at his own game. Joshua had boxed exclusively at range in just two of his previous 24 contests, yet convinced himself after one training camp of sparring southpaws none of whom could possibly have been anything like Usyk - he could be clever enough to outbox someone who has been educated in the art of pure boxing for decades.

Joshua’s tactics have rightfully been called into question. But he’s not the first fighter to get it completely wrong on the night and he won’t be the last. Without question, he can come back stronger.

M

4 l BOXING NEWS l SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

Joshua’s dedication to boxing, to get better, to learn, has always been one of his strengths. The vast progress he has made in the 13 years since he first put on a pair of boxing gloves is testament to that. And this latest setback, and for now that’s all it is, will undoubtedly fuel his desire to write yet another triumphant chapter in what has been a truly engrossing story so far.

But whether he can come back successfully if he goes straight into a rematch with Usyk, as he strongly indicated would be the case, is another matter.

The immediate feeling among educated ringsiders was that Joshua would be well-advised to rediscover his confidence, rediscover himself, before even entertaining the thought of fighting Usyk again. The fact that he looks certain to trigger the rematch clause, though, shows exactly why Joshua is so different from those who merely sit and watch.

Not only did he not have to fight Usyk the first time, he doesn’t have to fight him a second. Nor did he have to face the media after such a humbling defeat.

It all speaks of a hearty resolve that most of us simply do not possess.

“I’m not going to go home tonight and be crying about it, because this is war.

It’s a long process,” he said. “I’ve got an opportunity to go back to the drawing board. So I can’t go back and sulk because that’s wasting time. I’m putting my energy into ways I can improve.”

Perhaps those of us who would prefer to see Joshua fight someone other than Usyk next, for his own sake, just don’t know him well enough. Or perhaps we’re too conditioned to the modern thinking that goes, if a fighter at the highest level loses two on the bounce, their career is effectively over.

Joshua is not scared of defeat,

however. The 31-year-old is scared of not getting better. In his mind, another contest with Usyk, win or lose, will only enhance his ability in the long term.

Regardless, one wonders if his team are being honest with him. If they saw the fight that everyone else saw. A fight where Usyk did exactly what was required to fulfil his promise of victory and, if we’re being honest, one in which he was rarely forced to stray into top gear. Even though Joshua will have a better understanding of what he’s up against, my own feeling is that Usyk can improve in a sequel in ways that Joshua cannot. At least not in a few months.

Only if Anthony is made acutely aware of the task at hand can he even begin to think about the possibility of revenge.

Joshua’s coach, Robert McCracken, indicated that Joshua can win the rematch with a little tweak here and there and he knows his charge better than anyone.

Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, said there was no other option out there for his fighter bar the rematch. That coming back with a “knock-over at the O2” would do little for him and make it difficult to break back into the already cluttered championship fray. The latter point is of course true to a degree.

Mandatories are piling up for the beltholders but surely a boxer as marketable as Anthony Joshua will always have opportunities.

Perhaps the person we should pay the most attention to is the person who too many ignored the first time. The fighter who is already getting ready to tell us all he told us so again.

“You didn’t see the best Usyk,” Oleksandr warned. “I can be much better.”

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The Opening Bell... l THE BN podcast has been described as the ‘most impartial and informative podcast around.’ l IN this week’s show we review the Usyk-Joshua showdown in detail, examine the brilliance of Usyk and wonder if Joshua can rise again. l Listen (& rate & subscribe) via Apple, Spotify and all major platforms.

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BoxingNewsOnline

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GUEST COLUMN

‘THE LIMELIGHT WILL BE BACK ON ME’ Photo: JAMES CHANCE/GETTY IMAGES

COMING THROUGH: Riakporhe is looking forward to being back in the limelight again

I’ve been out for a long time but now I’m back T was very frustrating being out of the ring for so long. I had to stay motivated, and just focus on training and perfecting my craft with Angel Fernandez.

We wanted to make sure Richard we tick all the Riakporhe boxes in every area, mentally, Unbeaten cruiserweight physically, and we did.

We know what we’re capable of. I’m blessed with a lot of power.

Now we’re working on intelligence and boxing IQ so I’m looking forward to showcasing that.

I’ve committed myself to this game and I understand what it takes and I want to do this to the best of my ability for however long I can do it for.

I can do so much more. That’s

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what we’re working towards; fulfilling our potential. We want to get in there and be back out ASAP. Now we’ve got the deal with Sky, we’re boxing on October 2 so we’re really happy.

I’m living in the moment and loving every every minute of this.

Sky promised they will deliver for me. They will do their part and I just need to focus on my part and there’s basically no limits.

I was worried at some points.

I was having a look around the domestic scene and seeing my rivals, like Chris Billam-Smith and Tommy McCarthy, and they’re moving on. They’re fighting for titles and they’re winning championships and they’re doing really well. But the good thing was my stock’s kept on rising. I beat all of them and I’m undefeated.

Though they’re progressing and doing well, I’ve got them on my resume, which makes me stand out.

But I don’t live off the hype and the talk or my past accomplishments. I always look forward. I know this game is about

discipline and living the lifestyle.

But now the limelight is coming back to where it’s supposed to be.

It’ll be shining on who it’s supposed to be shining on. I’ve learned to focus on myself, on what I can control. Everybody else is on their own path. One of the thieves of joy is comparison. Even though we’re athletes and we compete against each other, I’m happy I’ve got opponents and rivals I can look towards and think, ‘you know what, I need to step up my game’.

Because it actually helps me train harder. It helps me get into my zone and keep that laser focus.

It helps improve my game. I’m thanking them for staying active and being threats because it keeps me on my job.

I can see rematches with them happening. I’m here for the long run. As long as it makes sense, as long as there are titles and stuff involved, then of course 100%.

Fighters for centuries have been rematching, there have been amazing rivalries and I definitely want to be part of that. I beat them

so let me give them a chance to avenge their defeats, especially if they’re doing well and there’s titles on the line.

Lawrence Okolie is doing well, we have our eyes on him but at the same time we’re focusing on our career. I feel like for the last couple of years I was always chasing, chasing. But I’ve realised no more chasing; we’re attracting.

That type of mentality changed and more opportunities came. If I continue doing what I’m doing, putting on the performances and getting the Ws then everything will come together. The fans are going to be pulling for it and the fans are the powerhouse of this sport. All of those fights can be made. On top of that there are other fighters in the cruiserweight division. We’re the new crop of cruiserweights coming through. Mairis Briedis, Ilunga Makabu, they’re pushing on to the end of their careers, then there’s this new crop coming through. And they know if they’re defending their titles against us hungry fighters, it’s going to be war.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 l BOXING NEWS l 5

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LETTERS

ON FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/boxingnewsonline

LETTER OF THE WEEK

HOLD YOUR HEAD UP HIGH, AJ I’VE not written in before, but the way the mainstream media outlets have built Anthony Joshua up over the last eight years, only to pull him and kick him while he’s down is appalling.

I expect the odd swipe from illmannered fellow pros and rival promoters, but the journalists for the mainstream media are mearly adding spite to sell copies rather than taking it for what it was. The fact most analysed the fight completely wrong only adds insult to injury.

Joshua faced a phenomenal boxer, with one of the best amateur and professional records in the history of the sport. Credit to him and his team for not vacating his belts, or leveraging his superstar status to avoid Usyk. He can hold his head up high and say he fought the best in my opinion.

Caine Delargy

THE GOOD, THE BAD... AND THE BAD THE Joshua vs Usyk card had several of the things that I love and hate about boxing all on the same evening. Sadly, there were more of the latter than the former.

1. Stinking decisions given to ticketselling home fighters. Campbell Hatton should not have been given that decision and everyone knows it.

2. Undeserving mandatory challengers.

Lawrence Okolie’s predictable mismatch was a shocker. Thank heavens BN is trying to bring some sanity to this nonsense. It’s this kind of absurdity that has casual observers laughing at the sport and lovers of the sport holding their head in their hands.

3. Rematch clauses. AJ does not deserve an immediate rematch; he should fight another contender to earn his shot.

Someone once said, “you don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate”, but it doesn’t make it right

and it clogs up the sport.

The one positive was the performance of Usyk. A fight between two world class operators with a worthy winner. Despite all the aforementioned rubbish, those 12 rounds are why I will always love boxing.

Steve Hunt BRING ON THE REMATCH! JOSHUA-USYK was boxing at its best. They handled themselves like champions, before, during, and after the fight. The match proved that a great small man can beat a good big man.

When BN rightly picked Usyk to win the fight I actually started to look more critically at the fight. Usyk beat Joshua on skills, strength, heart and durability.

Those 400 amateur fights proved to be the perfect seasoning for Usyk. It is one of the best heavyweight fights I have had the privilege to watch. I cannot wait for the rematch.

Mike Hills

SUPERB CONTEST: Usyk and Joshua produce a bout to remember

Photo: MARK ROBINSON/MATCHROOM

6 l BOXING NEWS l SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

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10 COUNT THE PANEL

KING OLEKSANDR

SHOULD ANTHONY JOSHUA TAKE THE OLEKSANDR USYK REMATCH NEXT?

Usyk doesn’t just beat everyone he fights, he does it on their terms, and in their back yard. Here are 10 of his best wins 1. ANTHONY JOSHUA Usyk, the ultimate road warrior, had no qualms going to London and challenging Joshua, the darling of British boxing, in front of 66,000 fans last weekend. He made the fight look easy and left with all Joshua had spent years collecting.

Frazer Clarke Tokyo Olympic medallist Yes. He’s done 12 rounds with Usyk, he lost the fight, there were some close rounds where Usyk’s ring generalship and his brain won the rounds. It’s a fight that’s in Joshua’s hands and he’s capable of winning if he gets it right. He’s got a level to go up but there’s also a level up that Usyk can go to. It’ll be a difficult fight.

Michael Conlan London 2012 medallist Yes I think he should and I think he’s a great chance of beating him if he can use his natural advantages much better than he did in the fight.

AJ is a huge man and around the fifth it looked like he found his range and used his size but lost that momentum pretty quick. If he can do that from the start, it’s a different fight.

Kalle Sauerland Top Promoter In my opinion there’s a big gap to bridge and he should have ample time to do that. He’ll certainly have benefited from the fight in terms of learning experiences. I would try and buy as much time, even if that meant potentially Usyk fighting Fury in the meantime and letting them fight afterwards.

Darren Barker Former IBF beltholder Yes, absolutely.

He needs to approach the fight differently.

It’s obvious he’s got to get in there and have it with him. It’s got to be educated pressure but he’s got to stick it on him.

He can’t stand off him. I don’t understand the logic behind what he was trying to do.

IS USYK NOW THE NUMBER ONE IN THE WORLD POUND FOR POUND? Frazer Clarke Canelo’s had more fights, but I’d say Usyk. I think what he’s done there, he’s beaten an in-form champion, a good champion, at heavyweight.

Everyone knows how difficult the heavyweight division is as well.

Michael Conlan I’m a massive Usyk fan and predicted the outcome last week so I’m going to have him high up. I’m finding it hard to split him and Canelo, so I’m on the fence for one or two pound for pound.

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Kalle Sauerland His record is second to none.

The argument would be between him or Canelo, Canleo’s done multi weights but never completed the lot like Usyk has done. For me, Usyk is the absolute pound for pound number one at the moment.

Darren Barker Being undisputed cruiserweight champion and now a unified heavyweight champion, yes I would put him number one.

It’s remarkable.

Canelo is incredible and has beaten some amazing fighters but Usyk is unbeaten.

2. MURAT GASSIEV Usyk and Gassiev met in the final of the World Boxing Super Series cruiserweight tournament in July 2018 and it didn’t take long for Usyk to assert his dominance and prove brains will always beat brawn when the battle occurs inside the ring.

3. MAIRIS BRIEDIS Arguably Usyk’s toughest fight to date, Briedis matched the great Ukrainian every step of the way in January 2018, trading with him toe-to-toe and narrowly falling short on the scorecards after 12 enthralling rounds.

4. KRZYSZTOF GLOWACKI Usyk met the undefeated Glowacki in September 2016 and had to travel to Poland, Glowacki’s homeland, in order to outpoint the cruiserweight and leave with his belt.

5. TONY BELLEW In what was Usyk’s final fight as a cruiserweight, he spent the first few rounds of a November 2018 encounter figuring out Bellew’s style before then dramatically stopping the Briton in the eighth.

6. MARCO HUCK Though Huck had seen better days, and had just been beaten by Mairis Briedis, that should take nothing away from the job Usyk did on the German in September 2017, when stopping him in the 10th round.

7. MICHAEL HUNTER Now a heavyweight contender, Hunter was a 12-0 cruiserweight prospect at the time he met Usyk in April 2017 and gave a decent account of himself, too, despite losing a 12-round decision.

8. DEREK CHISORA For Usyk’s second fight at heavyweight in October 2020, he came up against the rough and ready Chisora, who gave him all he could handle for four rounds before being outclassed and outpointed over 12.

9. THABISO MCHUNU Usyk’s first appearance in the USA ended with him cutting South African Thabiso Mchunu down to size in nine rounds in December 2016.

10.CHAZZ WITHERSPOON Usyk’s first fight as a heavyweight in October 2019 saw him go through the motions against Chazz Witherspoon, eventually stopping the American inside seven rounds.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 l BOXING NEWS l 7

THE BUNCE DIARIES

A FIGHT WEEK TO REMEMBER T started at York Hall on Monday morning and ended on the streets of Tottenham very early on Sunday.

It was a proper fight week of locations, lunacy, down-facingdogs, kebabs, fight people from boxing’s ancient history and then a Steve craftsman at work.

Bunce It was a rare treat of @BigDaddyBunce a week.

Underneath the Voice of boxing constant rumble of a fight desperate to happen, I traipsed across the capital in six full days of searching. I stopped at venues, offices, hotel suites, studios, private rooms and a yoga parlour to speak to fight people on my way.

George Groves joined me on Monday at York Hall, which is an odd venue when the ring has been removed.

Groves now looks like a big, happy and healthy farmer. We stood on the balcony and he painted a joyous picture of Oleksandr Usyk’s skills and boxing brain. He was persuasive.

I grabbed Lawrence Okolie an hour later at the same venue; he went for power and it made sense, especially before noon on Monday. Eddie Hearn

I

8 O BOXING NEWS O SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

The build up to Usyk-Joshua was a rare treat

THE BIG FELLA: Clarke gets ready for the main event

:was there and he talked to me about the need for “AJ to put a dent in Usyk early.” It was, to be honest, the driving line of the week.

On Tuesday, I was out near Heathrow with Frazer Clarke. The big lad was in fine form, producing his beloved Olympic medal from his pocket and taking it out of the sock he uses to carry it. He still holds it like it breathes, gentle and in still in awe.

He told a wonderful story about fighting Joshua in a working man’s club in Burton-on-Trent. “I had sold the place out and I just thought they might have got me an easy one,” Clarke said. “No, I looked over as there was this giant. I thought, thanks.”

He praised Usyk, he knew enough about him from being on the road. He still fancied Joshua because of the size.

The yoga parlour in Hampstead was closed when I sat down with Dereck Chisora on Wednesday morning.

It’s possible that Del Boy at 37 is in the best physical shape of his life; he is certainly in the best frame of mind.

He was reflective, honest and insightful.

We all overlook Chisora’s record and performances, the man is a fighting treasure.

He stood to show me how Usyk does what Usyk does.

You know, that little magical shuffle, the one where he gets outside, and you then turn into his straight left. He hurt Del Boy in their fight. The following night, live on Five Live, Tony Bellew would describe the same move. They each warned Joshua.

They each fancied Joshua with a heavy stoppage, but they had so much respect for Usyk.

On Wednesday afternoon, a long way from the yoga in Hampstead, I waited in a room on the 14th floor of an apartment complex in Stratford for Usyk and his team in turquoise to arrive. They did, Usyk had shaved his head and had just found the room he shared in a small block at the London 2012 Olympics.

“I found the window I looked out,” he explained. It clearly meant a lot to him.

The translation was performed by Egis Klimas, the Mickey Duff of the old Iron Curtain states. He is packed with knowledge and shrewd judgements.

Usyk left warning after warning. He

seemed shocked that anybody doubted he would win. He asked me when we sat down: “How do I lose?” That, obviously now, is a very good question.

Usyk’s utter calm concerned me.

On Thursday, high above the pitch at the stadium, I sat in the sun with Joshua.

We talked about Errol Christie, Ron Lyle and Usyk. It was that type of chat.

Joshua sounded exceptional; focused, clear on his job, fully aware of Usyk’s wizardry. I would like to lie and tell you there was a single thing that concerned me – there was not, he was ready. He ate dates stuffed with peanut butter.

The texts started to arrive late on Thursday, simple requests for some inside information from friends looking to bet. “What did he look like?” Very calm. “I fancy AJ early.” I don’t, I replied.

“I got sevens on the Russian on points.”

He’s not a Russian. “I still got sevens.”

It went on. I told them Del Boy did a mean down-facing-dog.

It was the O2 for the weigh-in on the Friday afternoon; no surprises, if anything I expected Usyk to be a few pounds heavier.

Carl Froch joined me for the BBC podcast.

Froch was crystal clear on Joshua’s task: “He has to hit and hurt him.” Trust me, when I say this, nobody at any point during the week thought that Joshua would struggle to hit and hurt Usyk. To be fair, everybody made a sensible case for Usyk winning, but in the end it was always Joshua’s power, power, power. The fella on the tube, Eddie, the security guard at the BBC, Del Boy, the manager at the hotel, Froch. It was the theme: Power.

And then the fight was over. There was no power, just a lot of Ukrainian magic.

A little after midnight I left with Froch. I walked with him and my producer, Jack Davenport, through thousands of lingering fans, and followed a hopeful beep on a phone that was Carl’s taxi. We finally found it in a gridlocked street about two kilometres from the stadium. People were just standing, talking into phones and waiting for buses and taxis that would never come. There was a fair amount of disbelief on the Tottenham streets.

The week was over and I carried on walking.

THERE WAS NO POWER, JUST A LOT OF UKRAINIAN MAGIC

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NO WORRIES: Pre-fight, both Usyk and Joshua were very calm Photos: MARK ROBINSON/MATCHROOM

UNSHAKEN: Usyk knows something that Joshua does not

BOXING MEDIA REVIEW

Examining the best and worst of the sport’s weekly coverage

DELIVERANCE The undercard aside, the coverage surrounding Usyk-Joshua was a triumphant return to form for big time boxing in the UK, writes George Gigney as he examines the boxing media’s offerings

BROADCASTS IF THAT was to be Anthony Joshua’s final fight on Sky Sports, it was a fitting send off – and not because of the result. Yes, Oleksandr Usyk’s stunning win over the Brit throws the heavyweight division into a fascinating state of disarray, but the event at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium can be described as nothing short of a roaring success.

As the UK, and the world, continues to fight its way out of the global Covid-19 pandemic, to see almost 70,000 roaring fans packed inside the mesmerising stadium was at once both strange and comforting. It was a sign of what is possible, and it was yet another testament to the staggering drawing power of Joshua, particularly when he’s fighting someone as accomplished as Usyk.

There may have been a noticeable lack in that ‘big fight’ feel leading up to Saturday night, but there’s no question that the event itself had that intangible and unmissable quality to it. Credit needs

to go to Sky and the organisers, including Matchroom Boxing.

The undercard was, as expected, pretty average, though the commentary and punditry teams worked well throughout the night. They rightly questioned the six-round decision gifted to Campbell Hatton, and handled another difficult situation elsewhere on the bill with class.

When Callum Smith floored Lenin Castillo with a flush right hand, the Dominican remained on his back with his left leg twitching uncontrollably. It was a distressing sight, and Andy Clarke and Matt Macklin on commentary did not focus on the finishing blow or what’s next for Smith, but instead kept themselves collected and monitored the condition of Castillo as he was attended to by medical professionals.

The same cannot be said for the DAZN commentary team, with Todd Grisham screaming in apparent ecstasy that “His [Castillo’s] body is no longer working!”

Reacting to the events in a boxing ring is a difficult job, but to revel in what was

clearly a medical emergency is just plain wrong.

Just as Smith chose not to celebrate once he realised Castillo had not risen, the Sky broadcast did not show any replays of the knockout. Thankfully, later on in the night it was confirmed that Castillo had undergone brain scans which came back clear and he was released from hospital, having once again become responsive.

Adam Smith took over from Clarke for the latter stages of the card, including the main event. While there has been criticism of Joshua in the wake of his loss, Smith and Macklin seemed to call the fight fairly, highlighting the masterful tactics and execution of Usyk’s work, rather than postulating that Joshua was under par.

We don’t yet know whether Joshua will stick with Sky or move over to DAZN with the rest of Matchroom Boxing, but Saturday’s event proved how adept the former are at staging The Joshua Show.

A shoutout should also go to Josh Taylor

Photo: EDDIE KEOGH/MATCHROOM

BREATH-TAKING: The stunning atmosphere at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is clear on television

10 O BOXING NEWS O SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

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Photo: MARK ROBINSON/MATCHROOM

and Chris Eubank Jnr, who were excellent as pundits.

YOUTUBE Boxing Social has steadily been growing into a valuable source of boxing content, providing interviews in the same vein as other channels like IFL TV. Now, they appear to have found a gap in the market and are producing more long-form videos and podcasts.

On Sunday, they invited in Clarke, writer Declan Taylor and pundit Ade Oladipo to break down and discuss the Joshua-Usyk fight and undercard. It’s a simple enough premise but one that conjured up an interesting discussion, with Rob Tebbutt hosting the chat.

Boxing Social also released a series of podcasts on their YouTube channel throughout the week, looking ahead to Joshua-Usyk but also fights like Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder and other prominent topics in the sport. The likes of Shane McGuigan and Mike Costello were guests on different episodes.

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With quality production value and insightful discussions, hopefully this series continues to grow.

IFL, as they so often do, also rolled out countless video interviews during fight week, though the most interesting ones came after Usyk had defeated Joshua.

While they managed to grab Joshua, Usyk and other names directly involved in the fight, it was the views of experts and observers that provided the most content to delve into.

The likes of Peter Fury, David Haye, Jamie Moore and Josh Taylor were all asked for their opinions and there was plenty of agreement on two points: that Joshua should be very wary of going directly into a rematch with Usyk, and that he may have had too many voices in his corner.

Whatever your take on it, there is something to be said for several different industry insiders adopting the same view.

Now, in the coming weeks and months, we will see if Joshua chooses to take any of it on board.

WEBSITES FOX Sports ran an op-ed reflecting on Joshua’s loss to Usyk, claiming that ‘A J’ had lost to another “banana skin,” the other being Andy Ruiz in 2019. Straight off the bat, that’s off the mark; anyone with an interest in boxing knew Usyk was so much more than that, and arguably the best fighter Joshua will have ever faced.

The piece also goes on to say that the heavyweight division is now in ruins because Joshua lost his titles and argues that potential future fights with the likes of Wilder and Fury hold no value because “it’s the belts, the undefeated records that make a fight.”

Obviously, that’s madness. For one, Joshua can still rebuild and remains one of the most marketable fighters on the planet, even without his heavyweight crown. Plus, the addition of Usyk into the heavyweight élite makes the division even more exciting, not less so. Now there’s another name to create potential superfights with.

CLASSY: Usyk and Joshua show off their battle scars as they embrace post-fight

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 11

NEWS AND OPINION

Highlighting the best of the week’s stories WWW.BOXINGNEWSONLINE.NET

FACE OFF: For a moment, it was just like every other press conference...

‘It will be over in eight!’

Pandemonium DW WKH ĆUVW &DQHOR 3ODQW SUHVV FRQIHUHQFH ZULWHV John Dennen 12 O BOXING NEWS O SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

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Photos: AMANDA WESTCOTT/SHOWTIME

OXING press conferences are rarely dramatic in their own right.

Typically a few anodyne comments follow some thanks to God, and maybe Al Haymon, and sometimes even the venue operator chimes in with a speech of their own.

But when Canelo Alvarez met Caleb Plant last week to formally announce their November 6 super-middleweight championship fight, pandemonium broke loose.

The two fighters exchanged words during their face off, and Alvarez pushed Plant across the stage. The latter strode back towards him and swiped his hand across. Canelo swayed away instantly and slammed back open palms, knocking off Plant’s sunglasses and leaving the American scratched on his right cheek.

It was an extraordinary way to kick off the build up to one of the biggest American fights this year, which Showtime will screen on pay-per-view and the MGM Grand hosts. Alvarez, a global superstar, clearly has lost none of his reaction speed, but he rarely loses his composure. “You can say whatever to me, but not to my mom. I’m going to fight anyone who says something about my mom. And he swung first. I just pushed

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SCUFFLE: Canelo pushes Plant, who storms back to get a whack and lose his sunnies

him. He swung first, and I do what I do.

He crossed the line,” Canelo said. “It will be over in eight rounds or less. I’m going to knock out this guy. Easy.”

Plant insisted, “We just had some normal back-and-forth banter up there and then whatever happened, happened.

It’s none of my concern though. I’m focused and locked in on November 6.”

He was however unsparing in his condemnation of Canelo. Noting Alvarez’s six-month suspension for failing a drug test in 2018, Plant lambasted him as a cheat. “You’re a drug cheat,” Plant said at the podium. “Óscar Valdez [one of Canelo’s gym mates] can pop positive for something and not get suspended for six months UNCONCERNED: but he can pop positive for Plant was scratched something and get suspended in the tussle, but is for six months but somehow remaining focused he isn’t a drug cheat? You’re a cheater… You got suspended for six months, you’re a cheater.”

Animated, Alvarez retorted, “Don’t make excuses before the fight. See you November 6. You’re going to see something special on you.”

“You are not on my level and you will find out November 6. You don’t want to fight now, I promise you,” Canelo continued. “We come from nothing and we worked hard to be here. For somebody to lie and talk trash about us, that upset Eddy [Reynoso, his trainer]. It is what it is though. We just have to show everyone who we are on November 6.

“Caleb might be on the same level as Billy Joe Saunders and Callum Smith, but he’s not on my level. I respect that he isn’t

‘I JUST PUSHED HIM. HE SWUNG AND I DO WHAT I DO. HE CROSSED THE LINE’

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here to back down. You can see this is definitely going to be a good fight.

“I know what I need to do and I know a lot about him. He’s a good fighter but I know my skills. My experience is going to give me the edge in the fight. I have faced similar styles to Caleb’s against Floyd Mayweather, Erislandy Lara, Austin Trout and Saunders.

“He’s an insecure person and that’s why he came with a lot of excuses about lots of things. I don’t care about it though.”

Canelo is ranked No.1 at supermiddleweight and while Plant is No.2 Between them they hold all the alphabelt straps and the winner be crowned world champion. “To be undisputed is history for Mexico and for everyone on my team.

To be the undisputed champion is just a great thing for my career,” he added.

The mayhem of the press conference will not persuade anyone that Plant isn’t the big underdog here. But the American is on a mission. “Miguel Cotto’s brother can make [Canelo] do the chicken dance but I can’t? Okay. Mark my words, on November 6 you will hear the words, ‘And the new undisputed super-middleweight champion,’ but you will also hear the words, ‘and still undefeated,’” he declared. “I know only one thing better than proving people right, and that’s proving people wrong. I’ve been doing that my whole life. As soon as I stepped on the stage, people started talking about what I can’t accomplish and what I can’t do – where I come from, there is no boxing community. There was no other pro I could look to and say that if he can do it, then I can do it. All I had was my mind and my heart.

“I don’t do this to be famous or to get attention. When I first started, it was just me and my dad. No one thought I’d be standing here today. I can remember him and my grandfather scrounged up a little bit of money to open a little boxing gym.

There was just one heavy bag hanging in the corner. But when you really want something, you don’t need all the fancy things. You just need your mind and your heart.

“I know that people don’t believe me when I tell them I’m winning on November 6. All those people who tell me that I can’t do something, you live believable lives and you do believable things. I promised myself that I was going to run this all the way to the top, with no problem crashing and burning along the way. I set out to live an unbelievable life and accomplish unbelievable things.

Those people who doubt me are the very reason that I’m here,” he continued.

“I’ve sacrificed so much to this sport and I’ve been doing this a long time. All that work would come down to one moment.

I want my name in those history books and that’s the only reason that I’m here.”

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THE EYES: Usyk gets his man where he wants him and attacks with both hands Photo: MARK ROBINSON/ MATCHROOM

Usyk teaches Joshua and the sport a thing or two about boxing at the highest level

THE LESSON 14 O BOXING NEWS O SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

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TOT T E N H A M SEPTEMBER 25 +++++ MAIN EVENT + + + + + AT M O S P H E R E

OME will call it an upset while others will say he was exposed. It was just a bad night at the office, say his team.

But regardless of how one chooses to describe Anthony Joshua’s second professional defeat, the mesmerising effort of its orchestrator is the Matt real story. Oleksandr Christie Usyk, the winner, @MattCBoxingNews take a bow.

Usyk not only RINGSIDE taught Joshua about the complexities of fighting at the highest of levels, he surely taught the sport a lesson, too. A simple lesson admittedly, but one that is frequently ignored.

And it is this: The next time the sport is presented with a contest that the whole world wants to see, make it. Don’t wait, don’t dilly-dally, don’t get bogged down by belts, politics and greed.

But now, thanks to Usyk and his majestic victory, we can stop talking about Joshua-Tyson Fury. We can at last stop scratching our heads at the absurdity of it all because the Joshua-Fury we wanted, the all-conquering heavyweight fight that would pit the best against the best (as opposed to a diluted version in years to come), is surely gone forever. Good riddance, too. Instead, let’s champion the arrival of Usyk, someone who can show us all how it’s really supposed to be done.

In the process, we should not kick a man while he is down. Joshua, even in defeat, deserves plenty of credit for how far he has come. Credit, too, for accepting such a difficult assignment.

No one should ever accuse him of not being a risktaker himself. And for fleeting moments against a technical genius, the comparative novice was holding his own, even threatening in rounds five and six to take control. But one can question, with complete respect, if he has what it takes to rise again. Particularly if he ventures into an immediate rematch, as is his wish, with a man who just defeated him so convincingly. One hopes those around him are honest about how far behind he really was the first time.

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The pressure he is always under should never be underestimated. The pressure to win, the pressure to improve. More than once in recent years, I have heard Joshua being privately described by writers and broadcasters as their ‘meal ticket’; if he’s winning, if he’s selling out stadiums, if he’s in the limelight, then we all have a job, such is the demand for content on the big man. For Matchroom, 258 MGT, Sky Sports, his sponsors and others attached far more closely to the superstar, the money generated from Joshua’s name is markedly higher. The human being beneath it all is too often forgotten. Perhaps that pressure was always destined to be too much.

But regardless of all that, regardless of the endless analysis about why he lost and what we as a sport lost, what we witnessed last weekend was not an upset or an exposé, or even a surprise. It was, in every way, a masterclass. The reason Joshua did not win is simply because Usyk is a better fighter. Much better.

Cleverer, cannier and more assured. In the end, despite the cuts and bruises he sported, he won a 12-round unanimous decision at a canter.

The Ukrainian is a modern day phenomenon. Fearless and confident in his beguiling ability, he’s acutely aware of how good he is and how inferior his opponents are as a consequence. Perhaps by regarding his 12-round drubbing of Joshua so highly we are also overrating ‘A J’ in the process; there can be no question that Joshua, as he did the same thing round after round, preferring to dwell on his odd moment of success rather than react to the crisis he found himself in, was increasingly disappointing.

His tactics were curious. Trying to outbox a master boxer, while failing to unleash his substantial physical advantages, was surely an error. Should the rematch occur, Joshua must rip up his battleplan and start all over again. It’s a gigantic ask.

Usyk’s performance, full of cunning and spite, was a privilege to witness.

He dared to stand and fight. And by being aggressive and elusive at the right times, Usyk dissuaded Joshua from doing anything other than follow him round and hope for the best. We can point to Joshua not taking enough chances, but if we do that, we must also highlight the manner in which Usyk countered and attacked so supremely. By the final bell, in front of a stadium bursting at the seams with his own fans, Joshua was mentally and physically broken.

Usyk is no stranger to wowing on the road. Since he entered the world stage at professional level he has defeated

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Poland’s Krzystof Głowacki in Poland, America’s Michael Hunter in America, Germany’s Marco Huck in Germany, Latvia’s Mairis Breidis in Latvia, Russia’s Murat Gassiev in Russia and British trio Tony Bellew, Derek Chisora and Anthony Joshua in Britain. To say the challenge of fighting away from home is a great motivator for Usyk would be an understatement. There is perhaps no other active fighter, particularly at his level, who is so fearless or happy to be placed at both a geographical and promotional disadvantage. While some, like Canelo Alvarez for example, can rightfully be accused of ensuring the deck is stacked in their favour each time they play, Usyk nonchalantly sits down at any table in the world knowing he has the tools to win regardless of how the cards are dealt.

Of course, as the underdog, ‘challenger’ and away fighter, Usyk had no choice but to make some concessions. Nor did he care. Only one of the four officials came from Ukraine (Viktor Fesechko), whereas the referee, Michael Alexander, and another judge, Howard Foster, were British. The third, reportedly Team Usyk’s choice, Steve Weisfeld, came from the USA. It mattered not a jot as the scores, 117-112, 115-113 and 116-112 respectively, all favoured the party pooper. Boxing News scored 117-111 (nine rounds to three) for Usyk.

Another nod to his inner peace, to his zen-like approach to battle, would be the calm exuded by his team all week.

There was not a single row about judges, gloves, the ring, the dressing rooms, about anything at all. There were no toxic insults, no hints of displeasure, no effort to gain a head start. No, Usyk and his team took everything in their stride with smiles on their faces as they made unflinching promises about the outcome that would soon transpire.

That palpable confidence can cause havoc in the minds of his rivals. By the eve of battle, Joshua had already exhibited several signs that suggested Usyk had infiltrated his psyche. As he stood eyeball to eyeball with Usyk after weighing in, Joshua attempted a little jig from side to side in an effort to show he was just as relaxed as the shorter man in front of him. Before that, Joshua posted videos of himself juggling in the gym, he showcased his newfound ability to play chess, spoke over and over again about how clever he had become.

Knowingly or not, Joshua was trying to match Usyk trick-for-trick, obsessing over the strengths of his opponent at the expense of understanding how to make the most of his own.

The smiles, the winks, the carefree dancing, the beauty and diablerie of Usyk speak of a fighter who knows himself inside out. That mischief is not forced, it comes naturally. Being comfortable in your own skin is a gift that only a few can truly claim to possess. More than that, Usyk knows exactly what he does best and coerces

16 O BOXING NEWS O SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

respect than Usyk showed him, Joshua all only positivity from within. Joshua, in but invited his opponent to make the first comparison, cannot claim to understand move. himself nearly as well, at least not as a A sharp left hand zipped inside the fighter faced with this kind of challenge. guard of the favourite. Moments later, the As a result, perhaps since he almost came same left found the target again. And then unstuck when unloading his full repertoire another. A Joshua right was blocked. Usyk, on Wladimir Klitschko in 2017, the studious who has been a slow starter on occasion, Joshua has a tendency to overthink and took round one without an argument. overanalyse during his preparation, and in Cagey it might have been, but Oleksandr battle.

The Great was already well on his way.

Even so, Joshua enjoyed himself More of the same occurred in round beforehand. Or he seemed to. The two. Usyk was always agile but he was exuberance of his entrance, with hindsight, also finding the time and space to do spoke of a wandering mind. He bounced to what Joshua should have been doing; the ring in his elegant long white robe, fisthis best moments came when he was in bumping fans and embracing familiar faces. close, planting his feet in exactly the right He stopped to shadow-box as fireworks position and daring to fire. This tactic – fizzed and crackled. Yes, this was the taking the fight to Joshua – likely made Joshua Show, the kind that only Joshua can the Watford man second guess his own manifest, but eyes were raised at ringside approach. by how unfocused he appeared.

Round three was a huge one for Usyk.

Meanwhile, Usyk, who had strutted to It all began with his trademark counter, as the ring in a space helmet that blocked he balletically skipped to the side and flung out his surroundings, busied himself with a shot over Joshua’s lead. The Ukrainian stretching exercises and a brief smooch bounced forward, blasted the ribs before with the Ukrainian flag. a searing left hand socked back the The atmosphere concocted by the favourite’s head. Briefly, but tellingly, 66,267 in attendance was magical. the muscled legs of Joshua Suddenly, everything was alright disobeyed him. An aside at in the world; the apparent WORLD this point: Curiously (and fuel crisis forgotten, the RANKINGS concerningly) this was pandemic a bad dream the first session that and the sport of TYSON FURY, for now, remains all three judges gave boxing, our sport of world champion at heavyeight to Usyk. boxing, was proudly but Anthony Joshua slips to No.2 There were signs leading the way. contender behind Oleksandr Usyk in of improvement for These moments of the top spot. There is also a big rise Joshua in the fourth as anticipation, ahead for Usyk in the pound-for-pound a right bounced off the of a big fight, are like rankings as he moves to No.2 forehead of Usyk. But his nothing else on the behind Canelo Alvarez. right hand, a devastating planet. Even the most weapon in the past, was rarely seasoned members of press thrown at full pelt. The power that row reached for their camera Joshua has in both hands was sacrificed at phones and recorded the moment for the expense of trying to box smartly. The prosperity. bout was still being fought on Usyk’s terms The plot, like the mood, was thickening and with the first third gone, Joshua was at pace. No Easy Way Out, an anthem from playing catchup.

Rocky IV, blared through the stadium as He played it well in the fifth and sixth.

Joshua fired punches into the night.

Usyk gestured to the referee that he had The song turned out to be on point. been caught low when a looping left There would be no easy way out. cracked into his stomach. Joshua was Not for the crowd who would later upping the pressure at last, controlling struggle to find any trains, buses or taxis to matters from centre ring and it seemed, take them home, not for Usyk as he was if only briefly, that he was about to take pulled here and there in the early hours for over. A right hand, AJ’s best of the contest, selfies and interviews, and most certainly thudded into Usyk and reminded him what not for Anthony Joshua. he was up against at the halfway point.

The feeling beforehand was that It spurred on the southpaw. Joshua took Joshua needed to be the first to land a punch of note. If Joshua could enforce his a whack to the ribs. The crowd chanted physical advantages against a man whose his name but only Oleksandr responded. heavyweight credentials were questionable, Usyk sneaked inside, his feet – which were and early, there was a chance, or for excellent throughout – blocked Joshua’s some, a probability, the ambition would escape. A left stung the Briton up close. drain from Usyk. What Joshua couldn’t do, Another right and left soon followed. everyone agreed, was let his opponent Joshua tried to mount his own attack again gain any early advantage. Yet by fencing but was swiftly punished. The best punch and posturing in the opening moments, by of the round, a left cross that clumped off giving the southpaw time to calculate the the base of Joshua’s jaw, drew gasps from range and distance, by showing Usyk more the crowd.

IT’S ALL OVER: Joshua looks bemused and slightly shell-shocked as his defeat is confirmed by the judges inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Joshua’s final moments of success came in the eighth.

Photos: MARK ROBINSON/MATCHROOM Usyk’s punches lacked the accuracy of before. He missed with three punches in succession. His body was quickly forced to withstand a heavy clump from Joshua. But it would be the last time that Anthony managed to score downstairs; from that point forth, Usyk repositioned his defence to deflect any attacks to his body.

At times, Joshua could do nothing but smile and nod at the excellence of his tormentor. Irrespective of being outboxed there was a sense he was enjoying the high-quality combat, grateful, almost, to share a ring with such excellence. By the end of the session, Joshua was breathing hard and there was a swelling under his right eye.

Through the final three rounds, Joshua was visibly exhausted. There was no urgency from his corner. Perhaps there were simply too many voices for a clear plan to be understood, perhaps they could see their man was too tired to listen. By now, he was fighting on instinct. Jab, jab, left hand and a smile from Oleksandr.

Then he pulled Joshua towards him, manhandling the bigger but by now far weaker fighter. Joshua couldn’t wriggle free and as the 11th drew to a close, Usyk scored with three of a four-

punch combination.

As the bell sounded for the start of the 12th and final round, Usyk again showed what he’s all about. Instead of playing it safe, he went for broke. Joshua was under fire from all angles. He managed a right hand but his mouth hung open. Usyk drifted to his left and clobbered it twice. As the fight concluded, it was the man who needed a knockout to win who looked on the brink of being knocked out. Usyk hurled with purpose to leave Joshua stuck on the ropes, helpless, all he could do was smile in an effort to disguise his distress.

The bell clanged for the last time, saving Joshua from a stoppage defeat. He lurched to his stool, where he would not move for almost two minutes.

There was one final attack on Joshua in the aftermath. A telling one, an honest one. “This fight was the biggest fight in my career,” Usyk said, “but it wasn’t the hardest.”

An unbecoming finale for Joshua, but the final touches to a physical and psychological masterpiece for the Ukrainian wizard. It’s unlikely that Oleksandr Usyk will be so badly misjudged again. bn THE VERDICT Simply exquisite from Usyk. Joshua can come again but his reputation takes a gargantuan clout.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 17

ACTION

Chilling Callum Smith wins up at lightheavyweight with a frightening stoppage, writes John Dennen

+ + + + + U N D E RC A R D

ALLUM SMITH has returned.

The Liverpudlian moved up to lightheavyweight and proved himself a threat in that division. He halted Lenin Castillo with a frightening knockout early in the second round on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London on Saturday (September 25).

A powerful right cross connected and Castillo slammed down into the canvas, his legs shuddering while the rest of his body stiffened. It was an alarming sight. Castillo needed medical attention immediately and referee Bob Williams waved the bout off, 55 seconds into the second, so paramedics could promptly attend to the stricken fighter.

As well as this being Smith’s first professional contest at 175lbs and his first bout back since losing to Canelo

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“It’s not nice to see. I pray before a Alvarez in December, it was his first fight and it’s not to win, it’s for me and contest with new trainer Buddy McGirt my opponent to leave the ring safe. It’s in his corner. Smith had looked sharp, a sport at the end of the day. I’ve never catching the man from the Dominican been a fan of the badmouthing and Republic with fast right crosses in the first stuff. It is just a sport to me,” Callum said round, taking jabs down to the body and afterwards. whipping harsh left hooks into Castillo’s Top level light-heavyweights Dmitry trunk. His boxing was purposeful, quick Bivol and Marcus Browne had gone the and accurate, while his punch power distance with Castillo. The result proves has come up with him from superthat Smith belongs in the upper echelons middleweight. of the division. “[Castillo] has been at He could not celebrate the stoppage world level and I would say he’s held for long though. Smith soon realised his own,” he said. “The win was most Castillo was in a bad way. After kneeling important. I was never comparing myself in a neutral corner and crossing himself, to other fighters who beat him. [But] I Callum waited somberly, watching as the believe I can beat anyone in the world.” medics strapped Castillo into a stretcher With a huge roar from and carried him out of the ring. the crowd to greet him, The fighter was taken to Hackney’s Lawrence hospital immediately NEXT WEEK Okolie met but was conscious SERGIO MARTINEZ, 46, Montenegro’s Dilan and responsive on defeated Brian Rose via PrašoviÉ in a the way and after a unanimous 10-round decision in cruiserweight clash. scan was discharged Spain on September 25.

We will have Quickly Okolie that night, okayed a special report, including behind found his way to travel home the the scenes stories and interviews, through with power following day. on the curious event in the next issue of Boxing News.

Photo: EDDIE KEOGH MATCHROOM

SOBERING: Referee Bob Willams calls for medical assistance

F U L L R E S U LT S Oleksandr Usyk (221 1/2lbs), 19-0 (13), w pts 12 Anthony Joshua (240lbs), 24-2 (22); Callum Smith (175lbs), 28-1 (20), w rsf 2 Lenin Castillo (175lbs), 21-4-1 (16); Lawrence Okolie (199lbs), 17-0 (14), w ko 3 10 Dilan Prasovic (200lbs), 15-1 (12); Florian Marku (146 1/2lbs), 9-0-1 (6), w pts 10 Maxim Prodan (146 3/4lbs), 19-1-1 (15); Christopher Ousley (160lbs), 13-0 (9), w pts 10 Khasan Baysangurov (159 1/2lbs), 21-2 (11); Campbell Hatton (136lbs), 4-0, w pts 6 Sonni Martinez (136lbs), 2-5; Daniel Lapin (174 3/4lbs), 5-0, w pts 6 Pawel Martyniuk (175 1/4lbs), 4-8 (4).

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punches. A right cross stunned PrašoviÉ in the second round. He dropped his guard, dazed for an instant and Okolie whipped in an uppercut to drop the visitor quickly to his knees. Clambering back to his feet, nevertheless PrašoviÉ was in trouble.

He still lunged for Okolie but Lawrence stepped out, had PrašoviÉ out of position and slammed another right into the side of his head.

Okolie was in charge now and in the third, as PrašoviÉ tried to get to grips with him, they tangled. Okolie swung a sweeping left hook into his side as he spun away. PrašoviÉ listed sideways, his feet slipping out from beneath him and he slumped down, in pain. There he stayed as referee Steve Gray counted him out at 1-57 of the third. Okolie, the WBO belt-holder, moves to No.1 contender in the rankings.

Well supported Albanian welterweight Florian Marku overcame Maxim Prodan on a split decision after their 10 rounds. Marku had an edge in mobility and was a shade more accurate. He edged back as Italy’s aggressive Prodan came on, making space for repeated jabs and harder crosses, particularly when he switched southpaw. When Marku waited on the ropes Prodan hurled flurries at him but, apart from a hefty left hook that momentarily buzzed Florian, a major breakthrough eluded him.

Italy’s Matteo Montella scored 99-91 for Prodan but Steve Weisfeld and Howard Foster rightly scored for Marku, 97-93 and 96-94 respectively. Marcus McDonnell referred.

Campbell Hatton was lucky on the referee’s scorecard, but whether that will do him any favours in the long run remains to be seen. Campbell, the son of British boxing legend Ricky, struggled to contain Spain’s 2-4 Sonni Martinez, shipping shots. Martinez winged uppercuts through and caught Hatton flush as the latter marched into him. This was a punishing six-rounder that Hatton survived. But even though it was hard to see Hatton winning more than one or two rounds, referee Marcus McDonnell gave him a 58-57 points win.

American middleweight Chris Ousley opened the show, outpointing Ukraine’s Khasan Baysangurov over 10 rounds.

He won a majority decision, Marcus McDonnell scoring them level at 95-95 while Bob Williams and Steve Gray both had it 97-94 for Ousley. Howard Foster refereed.

POWER PUNCH: PrašoviÉ was floored by a left hook to the body and was counted out

YABUKI NEW LEADER Huge upset as flyweight No.1 Teraji is beaten K YOTO , J A PA N SEPTEMBER 22

IN a major upset MASAMICHI YABUKI, 13-3 (12), scored a 10th round stoppage of KENSHIRO TERAJI 18-1 (10). From the start Yabuki was untroubled by the light jabbing and movement of Teraji and he landed solid counters to be in front at the end of the fourth round 40-36 on two cards and level on the third. Teraji upped his pace over the middle rounds, finally beginning to use his right, but after he scored well in the sixth and seventh he

was shaken by hard rights from Yabuki in the eighth. The scores at that point were 79-74, 78-74 and 77-75 for Yabuki. The ninth could be a contender for Round of The Year as the give-and-take exchanges saw both badly rocked but Teraji was cut over the right eye by a punch. Cut by a legal punch, and behind on the scorecards, Teraji needed a knockout and he threw everything at Yabuki in the 10th but was sent reeling across the ring by some fierce head punches. The referee stopped the fight. Teraji slips to fifth in the rankings while new entry, Yabuki, takes his place at number one.

ROUND OF THE YEAR? The 9th round saw epic-giveand-take exchanges before the fight was stopped in the 10th

THE VERDICT Callum Smith looks ready to make his mark at 175lbs.

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LOCAL STARS

PARTY TIME

GREAT SUCCESS

Scottish novices get off to a flyer, writes Jon Bruce from ringside

Predictable results but a great crowd writes Gareth Jones from ringside

Philip Sharkey and the sell-out crowd enjoy a return to boxing in Bedford

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CARDIFF

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THE Kynoch Promotions event at Crowne Plaza, Glasgow on Friday night saw Glaswegian southpaw Liam Philip make a winning start to his pro career at welterweight with a 40-36 win over Castlemilk’s Gary McGuire. Philip has been waiting patiently for his debut and has spent time sparring Stewart Burt. John McGuire officiated.

Kaseem Saleem from Dumfries went up against Rotheram’s Christian Donfack in a heavyweight contest. Kenny Pringle awarded Saleem the victory by a score of 39-37, with Donfack playing his part in the tussle.

Cambuslang favourite Jordan McCorry got back to winning ways at lightweight against Jamie Quinn from Stockport. Since appearing in Boxing News during the first lockdown, voicing his concerns about not fighting again, he has been in action 12 times.

Mr McGuire scored the bout 40-37.

Glasgow’s Beth Arthur was another victorious debutant against Budapest’s Klaudia Vigh in a scheduled six-rounder.

Overwhelmed from the outset, it was waved off by Mr Pringle at 1-54 of the third round with Vigh, having already been put down twice, unable to beat the count.

Balloch resident Xander Savage outclassed Tommy Broadbent from Leeds at super-lightweight. John McGuire waved the bout off at 33 seconds of the third with Broadbent under sustained pressure.

A four-round super middleweight clash between Paddy Pollock of Coltness and Mancunian Scott Williams was scored 40-36

by Mr Pringle. Williams is now winless after 17 bouts.

Waterford light-flyweight Kate Radomska, a former kickboxer and stablemate of Hannah Rankin, won her debut against robust Hungarian Judit Hachbold. Mr McGuire scored the contest 59-56.

EIGHTEEN months after the last show in Wales, boxing returned to the Vale Sports Arena. Promoter Mo Prior should be commended for managing to put on seven bouts at a time when “opponents” are as sought-after as HGV drivers.

Craig Woodruff strolled to victory over Frenchman Faycal Rezkallah, unbeaten but disappointingly unambitious. The taller Newport man, hoping for a crack at the vacant British throne, danced around, hands low, flicking out the left to dominate throughout. Referee Chris Jones returned an inevitable 60-54.

The night’s best performance came from Ammanford’s Jake Anthony. After two years to ponder his first defeat, he took his frustrations out on veteran Norbert Szekeres. The Hungarian, a knockout winner last time out, took a battering, but was still upright when referee Reece Carter stepped in at 1-05 of the third of a scheduled six-threes.

The other six-rounder saw Barry boy Jason Sillett return after four years to earn 60-54 from Mr Carter over winless Carl Turney, from Bognor Regis.

In four-threes, Welsh super-light champion Kieran Gething removed some rust with a 40-37 decision over Josh Cook, Mr Carter generously giving the Mancunian a share of one session, while ‘Rhoose Rhino’ Jay Munn pleased his raucous following – he sold 400 tickets - with a 40-36 whitewash (Mr Jones) of Lancastrian Seamus Devlin.

Two well-supported ex-amateurs claimed 40-36 debut successes. GB Junior gold medallist Ben Crocker, given a deafening welcome by his non-stop choir of Swansea supporters, overcame early nerves to see off Blackburn’s Naeem Ali, while classy Pengam southpaw Kyran Jones, a Commonwealth Games rep, outclassed game Slovak Michal Gazdik. Mr Jones handled both.

MERVYN TURNER’S Shamrock Promotions returned to the Corn Exchange after a near two-year absence and it proved a sell-out success, with seven terrific bouts that included the away fighters looking for rare wins.

The evening’s only six-rounder ended early as Lewisham’s English Champion Dan Azeez proved too much for Ivo Zednicek.

An accurate right hand busted the Czech visitor’s nose in the second round. Dan upped the pressure at the start of the third, felling Zednicek in his own corner heavily. He was unable to beat Mark Bates’ count after 2-05 and seemed unsteady as the result was announced.

Bicester basher Scott James opened proceedings, Mr Bates marking a 39-37 victory over tough CJ Wood (Middlesborough).

Wood, in his second bout under Board control after boxing on Malta Boxing Commission cards in 2015, contested every round.

Mr Bates scored three further bouts from outside the ring as trialist referee Sean McAvoy controlled the action inside.

Nottingham’s unbeaten Josh Gooding notched a 40-36 win oven Mexican-born Spaniard Fernando Valencia, while Peterborough middleweight Mohammed Sameer also advanced to 3-0, his two knockdowns of Basildon-based Latvian Kristaps Zulgis reflected in the 40-34 scoreline.

Luton debutant Adam Dempsey had to take a couple of sneaky right handers as Newark journeyman Fonz Alexander took the final round. However, Dempsey’s crisp combinations had already claimed the first three; it was 39-37 on Mr Bates’ card.

Mozambican Bernando Marime prevailed by 39-38 over Basingstoke’s Jacob Gabriel. Marime looked close to defeat in the third but Gabriel ran out of steam. Both were unbeaten at 2-0 at the opening bell.

F U L L R E S U LT S Liam Philip (147lbs), 1-0, w pts 4 Gary McGuire (145lbs), 1-20; Mohammed Saleem (270lbs), 3-0 (1), w pts 6 Christian Donfack Adjoufack (224lbs), 0-3; Jordan McCorry (139lbs), 19-7-1 (4), w pts 4 Jamie Quinn (135lbs) 7-114-2; Beth Arthur (152lbs), 1-0 (1), w rsf 3 Klaudia Vigh (150lbs), 3-32-1 (2); Xander Savage (150lbs), 2-0 (1), w rsf 3 Tommy Broadbent (152lbs), 8-10 (2); Paddy Pollock (159lbs), 8-10-3 (2), w pts 4 Scott Williams (172lbs), 0-17; Kate Radomska (107lbs), 1-0, w pts 6 Judit Hachbold (105lbs), 5-12 (1).

20 O BOXING NEWS O SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

F U L L R E S U LT S Craig Woodruff (138 1/4lbs), 11-6 (4), w pts 6 Faycal Rezkallah (140 1/2lbs), 5-1-1 (1); Jake Anthony (175 1/2lbs), 7-1 (1); w rsf 3 Norbert Szekeres (180lbs), 19-824 (10); Jason Sillett (148 1/2lbs), 6-2 (1) w pts 6 Carl Turney (156lbs), 0-15; Jay Munn (155 1/2lbs), 5-0, w pts 4 Seamus Devlin (160 1/2lbs), 0-7; Kieran Gething (159 1/2lbs), 10-2-2 (2) w pts 4 Josh Cook (158 1/4lbs), 0-4-1; Kyran Jones (172lbs), 1-0, w pts 4 Michal Gazdik (176 1/2lbs), 6-13 (4); Ben Crocker (151lbs), 1-0 W pts 4 Naeem Ali (151 1/2lbs), 2-76-1 (1).

F U L L R E S U LT S Dan Azeez (180lbs 3oz), 14-0 (9), w ko 3 Ivo Zednicek (185 lbs 5oz), 2-7 (2); Scott James (159lbs), 7-7-1, w pts 4 CJ Wood (156lbs 6oz), 0-1-1; Josh Gooding (159lbs), 3-0, w pts 4 Fernando Valencia (163lbs 5oz), 8-22 (4); Micky Mills (150lbs 4oz), w pts 4 Charlie Sheldon (151lbs 4oz),0-2; Adam Dempsey (147lbs 9oz), 1-0, w pts 4 Fonz Alexander (149lbs 1oz), 7-113 (4); Bernardo Marime (144lbs 5oz), 3-0, w pts 4 Jacob Gabriel (144lbs 1oz), 2-1; Mohammed Sameer (163lbs 5oz), 3-0 (1), w pts 4 Kristaps Zulgis (166lbs 7oz), 5-20 (2).

www.boxingnewsonline.net

ACTION

SUNDAY SERVICE

EASY AT OEC

GONE MISSING

Former English champion Flatley eases back with six-round victory

Andy Whittle watches it all go to plan at new Sheffield pro boxing venue

They seek him here, they seek him there, writes Andy Whittle

B O LTO N

SHEFFIELD

WA L S A L L

SEPTEMBER 26

SEPTEMBER 25

SEPTEMBER 26

+++++ WHOLE SHOW + + + + + AT M O S P H E R E

+++++ WHOLE SHOW + + + + + AT M O S P H E R E

+++++ WHOLE SHOW + + + + + AT M O S P H E R E

FORMER English champion Jack Flatley made a long awaited return on this eight-bout VIP Promotions show at Whites and saw a 60-54 victory over Budapest’s Peter Kramer.

The Hungarian was on the back foot right from the start as Jack switched his attacks and with the man dubbed “Quiet Storm” increasingly upping the ante, the result was never in doubt. Preston’s Jamie Kirkpatrick refereed.

Nigeria-born southpaw Taiwo Agbaje had won all nine previously and he took his tally to double figures by outscoring Honduran banger Jayro Duran 60-53 for Mr Kirkpatrick.

Now based in Spain, Duran was counted early in the third after touching down having been tagged by a left to the head.

Salford debutant Luke Vaughan came a cropper in a four-threes against Hyde’s experienced Dale Arrowsmith with referee Mr Kirkpatrick awarding every round to the man from Cheshire who, working behind the jab, bided his time and picked his shots well when the opportunity arose.

Bury’s John Latham presided over two fourrounders that saw home fighters take every session. Wigan southpaw Andrew Fleming returned after an absence of two years to beat Driffield’s Danny Little, while Bolton-based Irishman Liam Gaynor saw off Lithuanian Simas Volosinas who was taking part in his 99th paid contest.

A pair of light-heavyweight bouts over four saw Manchester’s Rob Parry edging out Nottingham’s Tim Ventrella 39-38 for referee Kirkpatrick, while Rochdale new start James Albert bested Irlam’s Ryan Hibbert 39-37 for Mr Latham who turned in a card reading 38-38 at the conclusion of a four between local first-timer Mikey Young and Batley’s Nabil Hamed who had lost all eight previously.

THE OEC, a plush new venue that offers patrons a fine view of Sheffield’s speedway/ greyhound track, played host to pro boxing for the very first time. It was a small four bout-offering being served up by Stefy Bull, in association with Ryan Rhodes.

Three four-round contests and a female sixtwos bout set being on the menu prior to the screens coming down to allow those present to watch the big fight at Tottenham.

The men’s bouts, a case of novices versus more seasoned operators, all refereed by Manchester’s Darren Sarginson, saw the home boxers predictably triumphing by wide margins. Leeds first-timer Liam Hayes got the ball rolling by shutting out Liverpool’s still winless Lithuanian Genadij Krajevskij who seldom looked like living up to his “Baltic Bomber” nickname and was rocked by a huge right 15 seconds from the end of the second.

Another 40-36 win was garnered by crowd favourite Callum Beardow of Sheffield.

He banked a third successive victory, this one against Lydney’s always entertaining Lewis van Poetsch who, while keeping it entertaining, picked up a little late damage to the left eyebrow when heads clashed late, which might just rule him out for 28 days. He was hoping not.

Barnsley middleweight JA Metcalfe came out on top against southpaw Jan Ardon of Manchester at the conclusion of an enjoyable encounter. The Czech born boxer, victorious on the road a week earlier, being counted after touching down in the dying embers of the penultimate session.

The bout between High Wycombe’s former amateur champion Raven Chambers and Estonian Polina Golubeva, who to her credit had come to fight, ended 53 seconds into the fifth when Mr Sarginson stepped in to halt what had become an increasingly one-sided affair. Golubeva had taken a count late in the opener having touched down after being tagged by a flashing right.

WORCESTER ticket-seller Ameen Khalid had been looking forward to making his paid debut on the second Sunday in a fortnight that the Bank’s Stadium had hosted pro boxing. Instead, he was left having to apologise to his supporters after his proposed four-rounder against Plymouth’s Danny Allen had to be shelved at the eleventh hour.

One-bout novice Allen, having weighed in the day before and after seemingly staying locally overnight, was nowhere to be found come fight time. It meant the card, already weakened, fell to just three bouts.

Ameen’s supporters reacted to the news without so much as a murmur but the blow was doubtless softened by Black Country Boxing boss Errol Johnson announcing that all those who held onto their ticket would be allowed free entry for Khalid’s debut once a new date had been fixed.

And so onto the evening’s fare, first up was a four between Wolverhampton’s Italian born first-timer Traian Tudosache and Warminster veteran Paul Cummings who, turning in a really crowd-pleasing performance in one of the most enjoyable little see-saw bouts I’ve seen for a while, looked headed for a rare victory, only to be denied at the death by a late rally from the Italian.

I thought Paul might have done enough to nick it but there were no real complaints when Solihull referee Chris Dean turned in a card reading 38-38.

The same official took charge of the sixrounder between Birmingham’s Kane Baker and Hereford’s Dean Evans, who is fast closing on his 50th bout and he scored 60-54 in favour of the heavily tattooed Brummie whilst Newark referee Kevin Parker adjudged Bloxwich’s James Beech Jnr a 40-36 winner over Telford’s gutsy Dean Jones.

F U L L R E S U LT S Jack Flatley (156lbs 14oz), 17-1-1 (4), w pts 6 Peter Kramer (155lbs 2oz), 11-4-3 (8); Liam Gaynor (129lbs 14oz), 6-1, w pts 4 Simas Volosinas (131lbs 3oz), 7-92 (1); Andrew Fleming (149lbs 7oz), 8-1, w pts 4 Danny Little (157lbs 5oz), 8-70-2 (1); Taiwo Agbaje (131lbs 3oz), 10-0 (6), w pts 6 Jayro Duran (130lbs 5oz), 14-11 (13); Rob Parry (177lbs 14oz), 2-0, w pts 4 Tim Ventrella (180 1/2lbs), 0-5-1; Mikey Young (119lbs 15oz), 0-0-1, d pts 4 Nabil Ahmed (119lbs 1oz), 0-8-1; Dale Arrowsmith (162lb 6oz), 4-47-1 (1), w pts 4 Luke Vaughan (168 1/4lbs), 0-1; James Albert (175 1/2lbs), 1-0, w pts 4 Ryan Hibbert (177lbs 14oz), 2-14 (1).

www.boxingnewsonline.net

F U L L R E S U LT S Callum Beardow (176lbs 2oz), 3-0, w pts 4 Lewis van Poetsch (182 1/4lbs), 9-133-2 (2); JA Metcalfe (164lbs), 2-0, w pts 4 Jan Ardon (165lbs), 3-9; Liam Hayes (160 1/2lbs), 1-0 (4), w pts 4 Genadij Krajevskij (160 1/2lbs), 0-17; Raven Chapman (128lbs), 1-0 (1), w rsf 5 Polina Golubeva (128 1/4lbs), 1-3 (1).

F U L L R E S U LT S Kane Baker (137lbs 14oz), 15-8, w pts 6 Dean Evans (137lbs 14), 8-35-3 (4); James Beech Jnr (133lbs 10oz), 13-2 (2), w pts 4 Dean Jones (134lbs 6oz), 1-32; Traian Tudosache (147lbs 6oz), 0-0-1, d pts 4 Paul Cummings (154 1/4lbs), 2-52-1.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 21

PREVIEWS

Previewing the best upcoming fights around the world

+ + + + + O U T S TA N D I N G + + + + G O O D + + + FA I R + + D I S A P P O I N T I N G + RU B B I S H T h e s t a r r a t i n g s i n d i c a t e h o w w e l l t h e w r i t e r b e l i e v e s t h e f i g h t e r s m a t c h u p, t h e f i g h t ( s ) ’ c o n t e x t u a l s i g n i f i c a n c e , a n d h o w g o o d t h e f i g h t ( s ) w i l l b e

Keeping up appearances Eubank Jnr busies himself with late substitute as Sky Sports relaunch without any involvement from Matchroom, writes Declan Taylor

+++++ MAIN EVENT + + + + + U N D E RC A R D

T IS a case of out with the old and in with the new on Sky Sports this weekend as the post-Matchroom era kicks off at Wembley Arena on Saturday night.

A week after Adam Smith, Johnny Nelson and the rest of the gang assessed the wreckage following Anthony Joshua’s crushing defeat to Oleksandr Usyk a few miles east in Tottenham, they are back in their new guise.

Whether or not we see Joshua on Sky Sports again remains to be seen, given his ‘career-long’ alliance with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom, who this summer ended their relationship with Sky in favour of a mega-money deal with DAZN. That departure might have signalled an end to Sky’s long association with boxing but they have bounced back with a new set of ideas, shows and fighters. Perhaps the most prominent of them all is Chris Eubank Jnr, who tops this card staged

by Ben Shalom, the young promoter of Boxxer fame.

Incredibly, Eubank Jnr is now older than his famous father was when he boxed for the last time, a ninth round stoppage at the hands of Carl Thompson in 1998. By then Senior had become a two-weight belt-holder over the course of a memorable 52-fight, 13-year career.

For a number of reasons, his eldest son Chris Jnr is yet to hit those heights.

Recently, inactivity has been one of them, and COVID hasn’t helped. Indeed, in the 31 months since he beat James DeGale, Junior has managed just 12 complete rounds of action.

His latest outing, 10 comfortable yet largely unimpressive sessions against Marcus Morrison, came back in May and there is a feeling that, simply, the best is yet to come, particularly with Roy Jones Jnr in his corner.

Since that outing, however, the Eubank family were devastated by the loss of Chris’ younger brother Seb – himself a 2-0 boxer of much promise – who suffered a heart attack while swimming off the coast of Dubai where he lived

I

22 O BOXING NEWS O SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

with his partner and young son. Chris will box on in his honour.

The opponent this weekend was supposed to be little known Sven Elbir, the 27-year-old from Wedding, Germany.

Until, after yet another Tuesday (BN press day) pull-out, it was announced he had tested postive for COVID. So in steps Anatoli Muratov, a 33-yearold German who was due to fight on October 9. The 33-year-old has a glossy record, a highly misleading ranking with the WBA (because he claimed an intercontinental strap from that organisation two years ago) and is seriously out of his depth here.

Muratov has a solid KO ratio, but his 24-2-1 (17) record does not make for impressive reading when you dig deeper than the numbers. From the footage we’ve seen, he looks made for Eubank.

Place your bets on a stoppage in the first half of the bout.

Also in action is David Avanesyan [inset], who defends his European welterweight title against Liam Taylor. This is the Nottinghamshire-based Russian’s first fight since his superb sixth-round stoppage of Josh Kelly back in February, as he plots his path towards a shot at a belt.

There was once talk of a showdown with Conor Benn and, though greatly appealing, that fight now seems exceptionally unlikely. So “Ava” is taking on a different Brit in the form of Liam Taylor instead. Victories over the likes of Darren Tetley and Tyrone Nurse, as well as a draw in his challenge for Chris Jenkins’ British title two years ago, have proved his credentials as a very capable domestic level fighter and now he gets his chance to make a step beyond that.

But Avanesyan remains a nightmare for anybody at the weight, and stoppage for the Carl Greaves-trained Russian, somewhere between six and nine, seems like a safe bet.

Another man who will be at the forefront of Sky’s new product is Londoner Richard Riakporhe who has slowly but surely scythed down most of the domestic 200lb division. Over the course of 13 months, he beat Sam Hyde, Tommy McCarthy, Chris Billam-Smith

and Jack Massey to stake his claim as the man to beat at cruiserweight in this country.

He has not boxed, however, since December 2019 and will hope to be more busy as part of the new Sky set-up. The 9-2 Polishman Krzysztof Twardowski will not know what has hit him and will be lucky to manage three rounds here.

Elsewhere at cruiserweight, Mikael Lawal and Steven Ward clash in an intriguing bout. Undefeated Lawal has designs on working his way into position for a world title fight but Ward is hoping to spoil those plans in his first 10-rounder at 200lbs.

Ward had been a light-heavyweight for his whole career but decided to move up after he was stopped in just 2-21 by Ricards Bolotniks 20 months ago. He has since won over six at his new weight and also taken on strongman Games of Thrones star Hafthor Bjornsson in a bizarre exhibition bout. Lawal, not quite as big as ‘The Mountain’, should have enough to win this on points.

Another of Sky’s exciting unbeaten signings Germaine Brown faces Jamal Le Doux over 10 rounds as he bids to build on his 8-0 record, which includes a victory over Dmitrii Chudinov on his last time out. That night he travelled to Minsk, Belarus and dropped the Russian en route to a UD over eight.

In the final 10-rounder of this stacked card Linus Udofia, a real favourite of the small hall circuit, takes on 17-3 Italybased Albanian Xhuljo Vrenozi.

There is also a run out for 17-0 former Frank Warren puncher Joe Pigford, who has not boxed in England for over two years. He stopped Jovia Jovanovic in two rounds in the middle of a sports centre in Luxembourg three months ago but he is back in the big time now.

But before any of that, debutants Ebonie Jones and Matty Harris will also kick off their professional careers in a pair of four-rounders.

THE VERDICT Eubank Jnr busies himself for a big fight later in the year.

www.boxingnewsonline.net

Photo: RICHARD HEATHCOTE/GETTY IMAGES

THE BEST IS YET TO COME: Chris Eubank Jnr is out to prove himself, and with Roy Jones Jnr is his corner big success could be imminent

www.boxingnewsonline.net

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 23

“Is this going to be a real place? One time, I go for Armenian food and they were Greek.

It was not the real food.” After assurances were made, he continued to go about his business of warming up and prepping for WKH URXQGV WR FRPH b Boxing gyms have a living, breathing life of their own. On sunny days like the ones we have recently enjoyed as part of the now traditional September Indian Summer, shafts of sunlight filter in from the windows and you can see clouds of dust motes drifting their way through WKHP b Gyms are inherently dusty places, and that makes sense when you consider that scientists claim that a third of dust is made up of human skin. Fighters wrap their hands before hitting the bags and

DREN www.boxingnewsonline.net

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 25

each other. A microscopic top-layer of epidermis is shed with each punch, and it flies into the air when the gloves and bandages come off, joining the other HOHPHQWV WKDW PDNH XS GXVW b At any given time, in any given gym, you are not only seeing what a fighter goes through to make it to the top of their chosen profession, you are actually breathing it in. And inside those gyms, amid that skin-soaked air, is where boxers endure a training camp that is often more gruelling than the fight at the end of it.

Presuming, of course, there is a fight at the end RI LW b Many boxers have told me that the worst thing in the world is either training for a fight that falls through or for one that keeps getting postponed.

Avanesyan experienced this when waiting on a long-anticipated date to defend his EBU title against Josh Kelly, a title he had won by going to the lion’s den in Bilbao to beat Kerman Lejarraga in nine, back in March 2019, before repeating the trick in a VLQJOH URXQG VL[ PRQWKV ODWHU b When he finally got to meet Kelly in February, it led to an emphatic sixth-round win and a sense of vindication, but you can still hear the frustration in his voice when he recalled it. “A big win, it was just a long time to get it,” he told BN b “Too many changes, many training for fights that were not to be possible for the date then I get told maybe another date. Every month it changed.

I am thinking, ‘Kelly doesn’t want to fight so I will fight Daniyar Yeleussinov instead’, as I just wanted to get into a fight. I’d have fought Yeleussinov then Kelly next – no problem. My head is ready for those fights and you are wondering what is up, ZK\ LW LVQȇW SRVVLEOH" b “Kelly felt my punches early. Yes, Kelly is fast, a good boxer and amateur, but I’m very hungry for the fight because it has taken away all my time. Then I get the win, I see everyone screaming ‘Argh’ and this team of (trainer) Carl [Greaves] and (manager) Neil [Marsh] is my best IULHQGV IRU P\ OLIH ȋb Once sparring was concluded, Avanesyan spent as much time warming down as he had spent warming up. Time is not his friend at this point of his career, especially after waiting so long for Kelly, and as Richard II said in the play by Shakespeare: ‘I ZDVWHG WLPH DQG QRZ GRWK WLPH ZDVWH PHȇ b Fighters have short careers and one of their pet hates is inactivity, particularly if there are good fights to be made. Avanesyan and his team have made no secret of the fact that they wanted to defend his title against London’s Conor Benn straight after Kelly, only to be offered a step aside fee if they were to vacate the belt instead so that %HQQ FRXOG FRQWHVW LW b “What is it with these fighters who don’t want to fight, man?” asked the Russian. By now, we had arrived at the Armenian Taverna and thankfully it had met with his approval. “If you want the title, why not just fight for the title?” he said again. “I GRQȇW XQGHUVWDQG ȋb The journey to the Kelly fight was an odyssey that began in 2014 when Avanesyan came over here to fight on a bill in Liverpool. It was a routine 10-round decision win over Laszlo Fazekas, but one that got him in touch with Marsh, who saw potential in the

visitor and made him a managerial offer. “I was with Neil for a week, he gave me five thousand for family back home and said it was up to me if I came back DQG VLJQHG ZLWK KLP ȋ KH UHFDOOHG b The next piece of the jigsaw was getting him a trainer. Marsh set up a few gym visits but the search was over as soon as he met former fighter Carl Greaves. They hit it off and have not looked back since. It was tough at first, conversations had to go through Google Translate as Avanesyan barely VSRNH D ZRUG RI (QJOLVK b Fortunately, they added another member to the team, Eric Teymour, formerly from Georgia but now based in London, in order to ease the transition and ensure someone was there to translate for them. Former pro Alan Levene completes the team.

Avanesyan constantly texts him and the two have IRUPHG D VWURQJ ERQG b “Here, we are relaxing, eating good food and speaking slow English together. In the fight, Carl talks fast, and Eric tells me the words. I talk to my friend Alan on the phone when I am alone. These things all help me. At first, I trained, went hotel, trained, went hotel. I make sacrifices. I have missed four of my children’s birthdays in my career. I miss my children very much. It is a long time to be away from them. They are growing every month and every day is not the same because they change, but Ζ DP KHUH WR ZRUN IRU WKHLU IXWXUH ȋb Skype calls aren’t the same, all they do is underline how far away they are from him.

For his own sanity, he had to come to terms with it.

“It is the number one bad thing for me not seeing my children,” he said. “I miss, what is the word? The hugs. I want to get home for my grandmother’s birthday after the Liam fight.

After I fight, I always see her first. I fly another two hours to get to see P\ SDUHQWV FKLOGUHQ DQG IULHQGV b “For relaxation I try not to think about missing home and to focus on my fights. If I think too much, I won’t be happy and I need to be happy for training. I think about the good things, the good times and how long it is until I get to go home. They NQRZ Ζ DP ZRUNLQJ ȋb Home is a place called Pyatigorsk in southern Russia. It takes him four flights to get back there after he’s fought over here. His parents had to find work, so as a child he would spend weeks with his grandmother, who is a two-hour flight away in Tabynsko, where he was born and spent long periods RI KLV FKLOGKRRG HYHQ DIWHU WKH PRYH WR 3\DWLJRUVN b An only child, “Ava” broke his mother and grandmother’s hearts by heading into boxing. They have come to terms with it but are still waiting for the day when he phones them to announce his retirement, although he told me that that day is still D IHZ ELJ ILJKWV DZD\ b “My mama is number one, she just doesn’t like me fighting,” he said. “I went to her every day and would say, ‘Mama please’, but I understand because I’m the only one child. I’m the special boy.

Grandmother is same as my mother, she says: ‘No, please – I will give you money if you stop boxing’. It is good for me that I get to see her after my fights then go back to my city. Now I have two children of my own and am happy. I have a boy and a girl, but Ζ ZDQW PRUH ȋb

IF YOU WANT THE TITLE, WHY NOT JUST FIGHT FOR IT? I DON’T UNDERSTAND”

26 O BOXING NEWS O SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

FRUSTRATION: Avanesyan is increasingly tired of being avoided Photo: MARK ROBINSON/ MATCHROOM

www.boxingnewsonline.net

“Do I want my boy boxing?” he said when asked the perennial question. “Yes. A man needs this (hits fist against open palm) so my son will go to boxing.

My daughter goes to ballet. She had her first lesson last week. My daughter boxing? No, I want her to stay in ballet. Go to the gym to learn boxing, but no boxing fights. Ballet is good for her.

“I wanted to do kickboxing, wrestling and boxing – I’d train even before going to school,” he added when expanding on his decision to enter the trade.

“I speak to physical trainer at school and ask if I can please start training, so he opens kickboxing training. Then I go to a gym that does boxing, and WKDW VWDUWHG P\ ER[LQJ FDUHHU b “There was no money in amateurs so many times my decision was to finish with boxing. One time, my coach says I’m good enough to fight professional. I tell him that I’m ready for it if I

can earn money for it. I became Russian Champion in 2010, kept my belt then got more wins and went on to get belt, belt, belt after coming here. I came here without any money to find fights. It wasn’t working for me, so I changed things – that is my PHQWDOLW\ HYHQ WKRXJK Ζ GLGQȇW VSHDN WKH ODQJXDJH ȋb There have been lows as well as highs. A standout decision win over an old Shane Mosley was followed by losses to Lamont Peterson and Egidijus Kavaliauskas (l pts 12 and l rsf 6 respectively).

This reversal of fortune led to questions about whether he still had the same desire. The wins over Lejarraga answered those questions. Now, though, he is fully focused on the future rather than the past. Time is of the essence and he has a clear idea RI ZKDW KH ZDQWV WR GR b “Having Armenian food like today, listening to the traditional duduk music, it gives me energy after sparring – it makes me feel at home again,” he said.

“I thought after Kelly, I would fight again soon. Then we must wait for six-months until Neil calls me with WKLV ILJKW b “I want to win, keep the belt and then go home to my friends, but this is hard, difficult work and anyone can cause problems. I need to make the money to have the life I want for when I retire. I like boxing, understand, especially when you win, but it is the risk that you could end up not fighting again VR JHWWLQJ ZLQV IRU IXWXUH LV QXPEHU RQH ȋb His friends have remained a constant despite the travel and continual changes due to his fighting life. Although he spends months away from them, life slides back into normality once he is home. “My IULHQGV QRZ ZHUH P\ IULHQGV DV FKLOGUHQ ȋ KH VDLG b “Over 23 years of friendship from our time at school. For me that is also number one in my life and I hope that stays the same. My friends do many different things: a restaurant owner, a doctor – lots of different things in their life. I used to think about education, but then went into boxing and then the babies come. But when my friends come over, we never speak boxing in front of my mama. We have WR JR WR GLIIHUHQW URRP ȋb When he is finally done, Avanesyan plans to walk away completely. As talk turned to the recent spectacle of the seniors tour, he shook his head. It must be tough chasing big fights and life-changing money only to see other fighters handed both for doing much less in recent years. Some fighters are the rewarded ones, others like Avanesyan, are the DYRLGHG RQHV b “Holyfield,” he said with a shake of the head that told the whole, sad story. “Why do this to yourself, man? Just as I cannot understand some boxers not wanting to fight me, I cannot understand some who carry on and carry on, and they get paid for it. For me, I can only focus on the next one and beating /LDP 7D\ORU b “I would never know when boxing finishes for me. It can finish anytime. I just want to have many fights. Now Liam wants what I have. He might think I see him as below me, but that would be a big mistake to make. This is an important fight for me, not just Liam. If he loses, he tries again, if I lose I go back down and have to start again.

I cannot lose.” bn

MAMA DOESN’T WANT ME TO FIGHT. MY GRANDMOTHER OFFERED ME MONEY TO STOP. I UNDERSTAND, I AM AN ONLY CHILD” www.boxingnewsonline.net

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28 O BOXING NEWS O SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

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CAST NO SHADOW Twenty years after the Twin Towers crumbled to the ground and postponed his showdown with Felix Trinidad, Bernard Hopkins reflects on the build-up to that contest, the events of 9/11 and the fight itself, which eventually took place three weeks later

Interview DECLAN WARRINGTON Photo: TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

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SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 29

N September 29 2001, 14 days later than originally scheduled, the great Bernard Hopkins produced perhaps his greatest performance of all to convincingly outbox and then stop Felix Trinidad, then 40-0 and considered by many the finest fighter in the world. In beating Keith Holmes and William Joppy, Hopkins and Trinidad had respectively progressed to the final, at Madison Square Garden, of a four-fighter middleweight tournament promoted by Don King with the intention of declaring Trinidad the world’s premier fighter at 160lbs. When New York was devastated by the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the twin towers of Manhattan’s World Trade Center, that final was postponed indefinitely, and then rescheduled for the 29th. Trinidad, like New York and the rest of the world, was never the same again.b BERNARD HOPKINS: Trinidad was undefeated, and had a fanfare and star power much greater than P\VHOI Ζ ZDV DQ ȊRSSRQHQWȋ ȂbQRW WKDW Ζ WKRXJKW WKDW way, but I had to understand what the promotion was going to be like, and became. Even though I was confident, and knew I could win the fight and later the respect, there was a different type of fight [before the fight]. I was the threat, and the ZLOGFDUG Ζ NQHZ VRPHWKLQJ DERXW Ȋ7LWRȋ Ȃb KH ZDV one-dimensional, but no one was strong enough and had that endurance to make him do something else. That one-dimensional thinking had got H[SRVHG ZKHQ KH IRXJKW 2VFDU 'H /D +R\D ȂbΖ knew I could expose that.

It was all about [being] undisputed – which hadn’t been done since the late, great Marvelous Marvin Hagler, who was my idol of middleweights in boxing. Me and Tito was the ultimate match – we had to have those fights [with Holmes and Joppy IRU LW@ WR FRPH WR IUXLWLRQ b Hopkins was the only one

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CONTROVERSY: +RSNLQV KROGV D ȵDJ DW KDOI PDVW EHIRUH JRLQJ RQ WR WKURZ D PLQLDWXUH YHUVLRQ WR WKH JRXQG VSDUNLQJ D QHZVZRUWK\ UHDFWLRQ IURP 7LWRȇV VXSSRUWHUV DQG KRPH FRXQWU\ Photo: TIMOTHY A. CLARY/ AFP via Getty Images

30 O BOXING NEWS O SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

of the four fighters not signed to King. Negotiations between fighter and promoter became so difficult that an agreement wasn’t reached until both had arrived for a press conference King hosted to promote his tournament. Some said that in Hopkins, King had met KLV PDWFK IRU WKH ILUVW WLPH b BH: If you could get the video for some of the negotiations... [whistles]. To see how we went back DQG IRUWK Ȃb 'RQ .LQJ VDLG Ȇ<RXȇUH WKH RQO\ RQH I f**king…’. It was serious; it was cursing; it was JHWWLQJ XS DQG VKXWWLQJ WKH GRRU DQG Ȇ<RXȇUH QHYHU JRQQD ILJKW LQ D ELJ ILJKWȇ Ζ VDLG ȆΖ KDYH WKH EHOWV DQG the only way you’re gonna get these belts is if you kill me’. I was willing to fight for what I believed in. Ζ GLGQȇW UHDOO\ JHW WKH ELJ SD\ GD\V XQWLO P\ ODWH V b Street smarts [made me his match]. We come from the same cloth. There’s a saying on the streets RI $PHULFD ȂbJDPH UHFRJQLVHV JDPH ȂbDQG YHU\ IHZ fighters who came up on the streets of a big city had to be involved in criminal acts DQG KXVWOLQJ <RXȇYH got two ex-cons looking at each other, trying to con each other. I’m saying why I need more money, and he’s saying why he can’t pay me more money. Don had never had to deal with anybody like that. When Ζ WDONHG WR 'RQ .LQJ KH NQHZ HYHQ WKRXJK KH WULHG every time, dealing with Bernard Hopkins was not going to be easy because game recognises game. <RX ZDQW WR WDON VWUHHW ZH FDQ WDON VWUHHW <RX ZDQW to sell me black to get me to do something I know I’ll UHJUHW ODWHU ΖȇOO VHOO \RX EODFN ULJKW EDFN b After Trinidad dropped Joppy three times before stopping him in the fifth round at The Garden, where Hopkins also convincingly outpointed Holmes, the first of four press conferences to promote their September 15 date was held at New York’s Bryant Park. Hopkins grabbed a miniature Puerto Rican flag out of Trinidad’s hand and tossed it to the ground, causing a reaction so great it made the news. After further, more peaceful, press conferences in Philadelphia, his home city, and Miami, Hopkins dared to do the same again in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where Trinidad remains a national hero. This time he had to flee. His limousine was set on fire; suggestions HYHQ SHUVLVW RI D JXQ EHLQJ VKRW b BH: Unless something drastic happens, you don’t make the mainstream news, but it did. We were GRZQ LQ 1HZ <RUN &LW\ +%2ȇV QRW HYHQ KDOI D EORFN down the street; we had a press conference set up, and there’s hundreds of people, and all the HBO KRQFKRV :HȇUH LQ 1HZ <RUN ȂbWKH PLFURSKRQHV DUH KRW 'RQ .LQJ RI FRXUVH KDG IODJV LQ ERWK KDQGV and they started the press conference. I said, “I’m not going to play second to nobody, not even 7ULQLGDGȋ <RX ZLQ WKH ZDU EHIRUH WKH ZDU VWDUWV Ȃ I’m clear on that. They tried to call my bluff, and I called their bluff. All hell broke out. Everyone was upset. Before we reached San Juan they said I had WR DSRORJLVH b We agreed in a [later] meeting nobody was going to bring up the flag throwing [at the later press conferences]. “We might have some problems in San Juan but we’ll try to have security.” Everything was going very smooth. Then we get to San Juan, at WKH 5REHUWR >&OHPHQWH@ &ROLVHXP Ȃ RQH EORFN DZD\ is the ghetto, the worst part of Puerto Rico. All of a sudden the rules changed. Tito was home. He’s FRPIRUWDEOH :H JRW RII WKH DLUSODQH ȂbWKH VROGLHUV

THEY TRIED TO CALL MY BLUFF AND I CALLED THEIR BLUFF. ALL HELL BROKE OUT. EVERYONE WAS UPSET”

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Photo: STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images

WORTH THE WEIGHT: 'LɝFXOW QHJRWLDLRQV ZLWK .LQJ WKHQ SRVWSRQHG DIWHU WKH DWWDFNV RQ +RSNLQV DQG 7ULQLGDG ȴQDOO\ UHDFK WKH ZHLJK LQ

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SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 31

Photos: AL BELLO/GETTY IMAGES

I WAS TOO DANGEROUS TO GIVE A SECOND CHANCE TO. THIS WAS A CHOICE BETWEEN LIVE OR DIE”

DUH WKHUH ZLWK WKHLU JXQV DQG WKH\ GRQȇW ORRN KDSS\ at me. I’m not home anymore, so I’m being cordial.

We get to the Roberto Coliseum – you’re talking DERXW D VWDGLXP IRU D SHS UDOO\ 7KHUH KDG WR EH RYHU WKHUH $OO RI WKHLU GLJQLWDULHV ZHUH WKHUH WKH ZKROH FRXQWU\ KDG KHDUG ZKDW KDSSHQHG 7KH\ were telling me if I came there I was a dead man and ZRXOGQȇW OHDYH Ȃ Ζ VWLOO ZHQW :KHQ 7LWR JRW XS WKHUH – and remember he didn’t do this in Philly or Miami, ȆFDXVH ZHȇG KDG D SHDFH WUHDW\ FRQYHUVDWLRQ Ȃ DQG said something like, ‘I’m going to win this fight for P\ SHRSOH P\ FRXQWU\ ZKHQ \RX WKUHZ WKH IODJȐȇ D ERRN RU PDJD]LQH MXVW PLVVHG P\ KHDG 3HRSOH VWDUWHG FRPLQJ IRUZDUG ȂbFRPLQJ DIWHU PH WKURZLQJ ERWWOHV DQG VWXII DQG FDOOLQJ PH Ȇ'LDEORȇ b ΖW ZDV ZDU Ζ UDQ 7KH VROGLHUV SRLQWHG Ȋ*R WKDW way”, and that was it. There was a room, and we, VHYHQ RU HLJKW RI XV ORFNHG WKDW GRRU Ȃb ZH ZDV holding the door like a horror movie. If they got through the door we were done. I thought it was some fireworks, but it might have been a gun VKRW Ζ NQRZ RQH WKLQJ Ȃb WKH\ ZDV WU\LQJ WR NLOO XV Eventually, it rained so hard, for damn near half hour, that it had to be a blessing from God. They ORDGHG XV XS LQ D FDU ZH URGH EDFN DQG WKHUH ZHUH QHLJKERXUKRRG SHRSOH RQ ERWK VLGHV RI WKH FDU giving us the finger, throwing stuff, all the way to WKH DLUSRUW 7KH\ SXW XV RQ WKH SODQH ILUVW QR FKHFN LQ RU HPSW\LQJ SRFNHWV Ȃb>WKH IOLJKW@ ZDVQȇW SULYDWH b Ζ NQHZ WKDW WKH SUHVVXUH ZRXOG EH WRR PXFK IRU D man to train in his hometown where he’s beloved, and reminded every day: “You have to get him for XV ȋ 7KDWȇV D ORW RI SUHVVXUH IRU DQ\ERG\ )LJKWLQJ IRU

32 O BOXING NEWS O SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

D FRXQWU\ Ȃ Ζ ZRXOGQȇW ZDQW WKDW RQ PH b The fight was just four days away when, in an attack orchestrated by Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, 19 men hijacked four US commercial airplanes bound for the west coast. Two were flown into the north and south towers at the World Trade Centre in Lower Manhattan, one crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and the fourth crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennysylvania. A total of 2,977 people were killed.

BH: 0\ ELJJHVW YLFWRU\ ȂbP\ ELJJHVW UHGHPSWLRQ Ȃ LV attached to 9/11. I was running Central Park in the PRUQLQJ ȂbZKHQ WKH VHFRQG SODQH ZHQW LQ Ζ ZDV MXVW taking off my wet clothes at the St. Regis Hotel in /RZHU 0DQKDWWDQ ΖȇG OHIW WKH 79 RQ Ȃb Ζ FDPH EDFN and it was still on. Breaking news ΖȇP QRW SD\LQJ DWWHQWLRQ :HȇUH LQ 1HZ <RUN &LW\ KHOLFRSWHUV IO\ ORZ LW ZDV DQ DFFLGHQW :KHQ WKH VHFRQG SODQH sliced through: “My God, we’re being attacked. This is a terrorist attack.” Five minutes later, sirens go off in the building. They want everybody out. We knew other buildings might get attacked. There might be bombs. Absolutely [I was scared]. We were training two blocks away from the twin towers. We were JRLQJ WR EH WKHUH IURP SP SP 7KH J\P JRW demolished; the whole area was done. You couldn’t PDNH SKRQH FDOOV RXW DQG \RX FRXOGQȇW PDNH SKRQH FDOOV LQ 1RERG\ ZDV DURXQG Ȃ LW ZDV D JKRVW WRZQ b The next day I started saying: “This fight ain’t JRLQJ WR KDSSHQ ȋ Ζ ZDV QRW VFDUHG Ȋ:HȇUH QH[Wȋ I was more scared that what I’m hearing is going to affect one of my biggest moments. How do I H[SUHVV WKDW ZLWKRXW ORRNLQJ VHOILVK" Ζ ZDV VFDUHG

SUPERB FINISH: Hopkins delivers an unseen blow to knock out Trinidad in the 12th

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for a lot of reasons. For the first time in my life I can make a substantial amount of money; say I’m undisputed. But I couldn’t express that, because we ZHUH EHLQJ DWWDFNHG b Don King was negotiating so that the fight could still happen, for the solidarity of the people. “Let’s show that we’re not going to shut down.” We set up camp in Philadelphia because nothing’s open LQ 1HZ <RUN Ȋ/HWȇV JHW RXW RI 1HZ <RUN Ȃb LWȇV EHHQ two days. I’ve got to train.” I didn’t do anything that camp didn’t allow. I don’t know if the fight’s going WR EH FDQFHOOHG Ȃb ZH FDQȇW JHW QRWKLQJ RXW RI 'RQ .LQJ 7KH\ JURXQGHG DOO WKH SODQHV Ȃb 7LWR FRXOGQȇW leave. Tito was out at every fire station, campaigning to show his support, which anybody would have DJUHHG ZDV WKH ULJKW WKLQJ WR GR b Three days after leaving New York it was announced that the fight was going to happen – I IHOW VR JRRG DERXW WKDW b Elements of drama continued to unfold until the opening bell at Madison Square Garden. In the pre-fight changing rooms, Hopkins’ assistant trainer Naazim Richardson objected to Trinidad’s hand wraps, claiming they were illegal. Though Trinidad complained, the New York Commission member present agreed that they didn’t meet the necessary VWDQGDUGV DQG KLV KDQGV ZHUH UHZUDSSHG b BH: Naazim realised that that hand wrap looked like D FDVW Ȃb7LWR ZDQWHG WR KXUW PH ΖȇP QRW PDG DW KLP Pressure. How bad he wanted to hurt me is how I ZDQWHG KLP WR EH ȂbWKDW W\SH RI HPRWLRQ NLOOV \RX Brother Naazim noticed an ice bucket was next to Tito’s leg, and not his trainer, and diluted more with water than with ice, so he wanted to see and feel the wraps. I’d warmed up in the dressing room and was ready to fight. Naazim’s 10 people in one. He said: “We’ve got a problem. There ain’t going to be a fight.” He said the bucket gave them away. They went crazy. “He’s scared; he can’t get out of the fight now.” They made him cut it off. The fight was GHOD\HG b A uniquely emotional atmosphere existed in the arena where, just three miles from Ground Zero, among those still mourning were firefighters, police officers and survivors. Unlike when Trinidad beat Joppy, The Star Spangled Banner wasn’t booed.

Trinidad entered the ring wearing a New York Police Department hat; when Hopkins removed his warm-up jacket, he revealed a GoldenPalace.com ad on his upper back. They had paid him $100,000 for that, and he bet the fee on himself to win at 3.5/1.

BH: Ninety-nine per cent of those people wanted Tito to win. I felt that. I was more concerned that LI Ζ GLGQȇW ZLQ Ζ ZDV GRQH Ȃb WKH\ ZHUH QHYHU JRLQJ to bring me back. I was too dangerous to give a second chance to. This was a choice between live or die, and I had to suffer the consequences if it didn’t turn out my way. In the first big sports event since 9/11. It had to be shown that the people of New <RUN ȂbWKDW WKH QDWLRQ WKDW ZDV ZDWFKLQJ ȂbZRXOGQȇW EH VKRRN b Hopkins then proceeded to impose himself on Trinidad, building an early lead and systematically breaking him down. At the age of 36 and therefore eight years Trinidad’s senior, he convincingly won the sixth round before hurting him at the end of the 11th and stopping him in the 12th to record a careerdefining win, claim the Sugar Ray Robinson Trophy and universal recognition as the world’s best middle.

BH: I reviewed the Oscar De La Hoya fight [against Trinidad] a dozen-plus times. Tito was a rhythm fighter – rocked to the right, to the left, to the right ȂbEXW ZKHQ KH VHWWOHG GRZQ WR WKH OHIW WKH OHIW KRRN comes. He didn’t throw it on the move. Once I’d

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seen this pattern, and understood I could off-stand WKDW URFN b Ζ WKUHZ HQRXJK MDEV WR NHHS KLP IURP setting his rhythm. I was confident I’d beat him, and make it look easy. Why do you think I kept that right hand glued to my eardrum? I couldn’t take that chance. That’s the way [my trainer] “Bouie” Fisher had me training in the gym. I could only use my left hand when I was sparring, and every time [my right KDQG@ GURSSHG WKH WHQQLV EDOO ȂbDQG Ζ GRQH LW PDQ\ WLPHV Ȃb Ζ KDG WR VSDU DQ H[WUD URXQG $IWHU rounds of sparring, you ain’t gonna drop the ball.

My right hand, from my knuckles to my wrist, was so swollen after that fight. It was like someone took a EDVHEDOO EDW DQG ZDV MXVW KLWWLQJ RQ P\ KDQG Ζ UHDOO\ QRWLFHG LW KRXUV ODWHU LQ P\ KRWHO URRP b I knew, in that sixth round, that it was a matter RI WLPH Ȃb LW ZDV XS WR PH WR HQG WKLV ILJKW Ζ NQHZ I was faster; I knew I was slicker, a better counterpuncher. He was getting beat mentally, and it was a matter of time. The uppercut [at the end of the 11th], the bell saved him from getting knocked out.

He was still hurt, and bewildered. I rocked on the ropes, let him come in, and the uppercut caught him and the bell rung. Tito was hurt as he rested ȂbDQG KH GLGQȇW UHDOO\ UHVW +H ZDV D GHDG PDQ 7KH ILJKW VKRXOG KDYH EHHQ VWRSSHG b The counter-right [the punch that ended the fight] was something that I was hitting him with periodically, every now and again. That counter right happened automatically because of training.

It was like my hand had a mind of its own. “Catch it, fire back, don’t even think about it.”

If you watch it back, I didn’t even look at him. The SXQFK ZDVQȇW D KDUG SXQFK ȂbLW ZDV D TXLFN SXQFK KH didn’t know was coming. It’s the punches you don’t see that hurt you. It was automatic, and that was the end of the fight. bn

DEFINING VICTORY: Hopkins’ win over Trinidad remains the most impressive of his Hall of Fame career

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 33

WELCOME TO THE

CHEAP SEATS Armed with fake credentials and two printed T-shirts, Tris Dixon and Matthew Saad Muhammad embarked on an emotional journey to watch Hopkins-Trinidad at Madison Square Garden

H

E had a rough, lined face, battle scars above both eyes, a nose that had been battered flat but he still had a champion’s smile. The T-shirt he wore was navy blue. On the left chest there was a pair of boxing gloves and the initials MSM. Centralised on the back over two lines were the words Team Saad.

Former WBC light-heavyweight champion Matthew Saad Muhammad had fallen on hard times and was living in Atlantic City at the turn of the century, 20 years on from his time at the top of the sport. He was around 50, working as a roofer and rising as early as 4am to get to work each day. The $4millionplus he’d made in the late-70s and early80s was long gone. Beyond bankruptcy, he’d wound up owing the IRS more than quarter of a million dollars.

He’d become a tragic cliché, falling from star and pound-for-pound contender to an also-ran whose name was used to pad the records of up-and-comers. Then he became a sparring partner. When some commissions refused to licence him on the grounds of reduced skills, he travelled

34 O BOXING NEWS O SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

further afield to slip through the loopholes of the less strict regulatory bodies and jurisdictions. When 10 disastrous years of bleeding his name dry came to an end, he had a spell training fighters but it didn’t work out and with bills to pay he found work as a roofer for the union. Ironically, some days he was working on the roofs of the big Atlantic City casinos and it wasn’t lost on him that he was the boxer who instigated the New Jersey seaside resort town becoming a fight capital. His first bout with John Conteh opened the door for big-time boxing to come to the Boardwalk – in all its gaudy glory – and he would put his title on the line five times in Atlantic City.

But, in the 2000s, he could walk up and down the wooden boards by the sea and be unseen, unheard and unrecognised.

He’d kindly taken me under his wing in 2001 and I would stay with his friends in and around the city. A couple of guys had places a few blocks back from the Boardwalk, in the ghetto, and one had a trailer out towards Mays Landing, a few miles out from the bustling neon madness. Matthew always made sure the young penniless English guy who wanted to be a fighter had a place to stay. He also would train me once in a while at the Atlantic City Police Athletic League Gym and I could see that although we were friends, boxing remained a serious business to him.

Even when I skipped, he intently glared.

“Look up,” he barked, if I lost concentration or stared towards the floor. “Your opponent isn’t on the floor, he’s in front of you. Look at him.”

“I hope he’ll be on the floor,” I smiled at Matthew.

His face didn’t crack. I looked up and I looked ahead.

On the pads, he’d rattle the side of my head with his bear-like swipes if I was slow bringing my hands back, he’d smile

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SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 35

if I tried to wrestle him a bit, before putting me in my place, and then we’d either go and grab something to eat or he’d go back to one of his friends and light up a joint, either trying to remember the great days of his past or trying to forget where he was in the present.

Through all of August 2001 we’d see each other almost every day. We talked about everything, and we went over his career in fine detail as I listened to stories from his incredible life. Matthew had been damaged by the ring. You could tell he was an ex-fighter within seconds of meeting him. How he moved and how he spoke indicated that his boxing mileage was high but anyone in the sport could have told you that. He was one of the most entertaining fighters of all time, a blood and guts warrior whose come-from-behind victories were on loop for a six-year spell from about 1975 to 1981. Until they weren’t. Then he became target practice. Well, years on he and I became friends and to try to help him feel good about himself I went to a cheap clothing printer and had two T-shirts made, navy blue with yellow wording on them. Saad was so grateful. I thought he was acting, over-acting, at first, but he was genuinely moved and put the Team Saad shirts on right away. All of his own memorabilia, robes, belts and Hall of Fame ring were sold, stolen, hocked or all three.

And in the aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks Saad said he wanted to go to Madison Square Garden to watch another Philadelphia legend, Bernard Hopkins, fight Felix Trinidad. He also told a mutual friend of ours – a small-time crook in Atlantic City – of our plans and that said-crook set about making fake credentials for Matthew to get him inside Madison Square Garden on fight night. The guy went to an internet café and produced the most fraudulent, cheap clip art-type looking document I had ever laid eyes on for Matthew. Saad treated it as though it was a golden ticket. I didn’t think it had a prayer of getting us in anywhere apart from trouble!

Photo: GETTY IMAGES

waited all night for him if Matthew had been able to get in, but he couldn’t. We were told that the only way anyone would I don’t even remember how the idea came gain admission would be with a ticket. I was about to go to Madison Square Garden near enough broke after several months that night. Originally the bout was set for in the USA but I did have an unused credit September 15 but the atrocities saw the card with a £250 limit up my sleeve so Don King-promoted show pushed back a I bought Matthew and myself the two fortnight, while still being the first significant cheapest seats money could buy, $75 each. sporting event in New York since the Twin Matthew was so grateful he hugged me Towers came down. I’m sure Matthew and I and repeatedly thanked me. had not planned to go on the original date, Anyone who’s been in the nosebleeds and I don’t recall a conversation about in MSG will know that you promptly start going. But, on that Saturday in September, climbing, zig-zagging escalators as you go Matthew and I left Atlantic City in his rickety up, and up, and up. We scaled so many it old Cadillac and precariously made our felt like we were moving in to a different way to New York. I’m not sure what I had time zone and by the time we hit the top it the least faith in, the Caddy or Matthew’s was safe to say I was wary about how much driving. How we got there and parked we would actually be able to see. within walking distance of Madison Square My fears were realised when we stepped Garden I will never know. It might have into the arena. The undercard had started been a miracle that we got there, it was but the ring was the size of a postage not a miracle that we couldn’t get in. stamp and the fighters looked like decimal Matthew and I approached security and points. he told me to stay back and act cool. Saad If we really wanted to see what was would get us in. going on, we would have to make do with I saw him showing off the fake watching on the big screens above the ring. credentials but they weren’t even on the I couldn’t have been happier as I naively same colour lanyards that were being used took my seat next to Matthew. I was at that night. They didn’t fool me and I was Trinidad-Hopkins, sat next to my friend wet behind the ears. They weren’t going the Hall of Fame legend, and we were in to fool a person whose one job was to Madison Square Garden. It was the best recognise who was authentically allowed day ever! Then, however, things started to in and who was not due to the credentials change. Matthew looked distracted. they wore around their neck. Then I could I was thrilled when I got to see Ricardo hear Matthew asking to see Don King, and WKHQ KH ZDV XVLQJ KLV 7HDP 6DDG 7 VKLUW bWR Lopez in his final fight, but Matthew sat quietly next to me. Lopez was a flyweight explain who he was. My gesture had now but, in truth, everyone looked like a made me an unwitting accomplice to fraud. flyweight from where we were sitting.

Staff didn’t know that he’d headlined in Without saying anything and seeming this building as part of a TV co-feature the ungrateful, I could tell Matthew wanted to night Aaron Pryor fought Alexis Arguello be closer to the action. He looked tired and the second time in Las Vegas and they forlorn and urgently peered around the didn’t care. I had no idea how it would end entrances and exits, trying to establish how up, but I thought if Matthew could get in he might get down there, among his peers. then I’d be left behind to meander up and The likes of Chuck Wepner and Iran Barkley down the long New York avenues until the were introduced at ringside and they were early hours. not even Hall of Famers.

I was just his plus one. I Matthew was inducted in 1998 would have stayed outside and BITTERSWEET: Saad the first year his name was on couldn’t support the ballot. Now he was sat up Hopkins at ringside in the Gods next to some odd travelling English kid who was geeking out watching the last bout of a flyweight legend. +++

+++ I’m not American, of course, but I kind of felt it that night. I had been in Atlantic City the day those planes came down twoand-a-bit weeks earlier and I had been on top of the World Trade Center eating pizza with an ex-girlfriend just a few days before it happened. Afterwards, as I moved around the East Coast in the nomadic way I was living, I would see more and more American flags flying on people’s houses and on cars. It was hard not to be taken in by the overwhelming feeling of patriotism that swept through a nation that was trying to heal its awful wounds.

That night in Madison Square Garden, R and B star Ginuwine sang the national

36 O BOXING NEWS O SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

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Well, when Hopkins won in round 12 anthem with care, flamboyance and passion in equal measure and fight fans and did his ecstatic forward roll, Matthew were brought to tears as they displayed looked at me and seemed momentarily their gratitude to the dozens of emergency content. He was thrilled for his friend, services personnel who had been gifted B-Hop, and he’d at least been there but ringside tickets weeks after losing friends, there was a sadness behind his smile. colleagues and comrades in debris that Trinidad regained his senses in the had not had time to be cleared. It was a ring. It sounds clichéd but he couldn’t stirring ovation so warm and heartfelt your beat Hopkins that night, he couldn’t beat face glowed involuntarily.

America. It was written that the American Occasionally Saad was bothered to do would win, riding a wave of patriotism – an autograph, which modesty forbade him although the flag in truth had nothing to do from truly enjoying. Selfies with the fundamental boxing REMINDER: Saad was weren’t a thing then. Before lesson Hopkins had dished grateful for the small the main event I went out to the favoured gesture of a team T-shirt to the toilet and when Puerto Rican.

I came back Saad was in a long-sleeved +++ check shirt that had some creams, browns Twenty years have and yellows in it. I passed since that night had no idea where it in The Garden but had come from but somehow Matthew he wasn’t looking at and I made it back to me. By now, we were the car and somehow moments away from the car made it back to the main eventers his friend’s apartment coming out, with bigin Atlantic City. name fighters still The 130-odd mile being introduced at drive home was not ringside. comfortable.

We made small talk But as Hopkins and but he’d been humbled Trinidad made their way by not being ringside. to the ring, Matthew was Sometimes he was so getting more agitated. quiet and thoughtful He was restless in his I thought he’d gone to chair, half in and half out sleep at the wheel. With of it, almost squatting a few uncomfortable as if he was going to silences to break, I be summoned down finally asked where and given a ringside the T-shirt had gone seat to see his Philly and why he was brother do what no wearing the new one thought he could lumberjack number. do.

I was so young and Matthew looked green, I originally almost panicked. thought he’d been “I need to get embarrassed about down there,” he how cheap my gift was finally said to me. and he’d somehow, “I should be there.” somewhere had the “I know him.” shirt on him.

If Hopkins had Then he told me a known, I’m sure he fan had offered him would have had $20 and the check Matthew as a guest shirt in exchange. By but now was not the now, you have to understand, one of the time. That window had shut and Matthew great light-heavyweights of all-time was either had to go and try his luck or make do more concerned with where the next meal with sitting in the cheap seats. was coming from rather than the next I certainly didn’t want to ‘twist’ and see paycheque. if we could do better. I was happy ‘sticking’ I couldn’t be mad at what he’d done and being a part of it all. or why he’d done it. I was just upset that Through the next 12 rounds, Matthew someone had infiltrated our club that was was up and down in his seat. He was made up of two original T-shirt owners. thrilled as Hopkins asserted himself and then started to dominate, all the while being reminded how far he’d fallen from +++ grace given that he was stuck in the nosebleeds with me.

Late that night, back in Atlantic City – I was having the time of my life while at and I’d later find out that Matthew was a the same time just feeling terribly sorry for notoriously bad driver, having discovered Matthew and equally bad that we were so for myself first hand – Saad and I went to helpless to make our position any better. one of the apartments as we had done

HOPKINS WON...

MATTHEW LOOKED AT ME AND SEEMED MOMENTARILY CONTENT ”

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many times. His pal was an old man called Willie and he lived in a skyrise in the ghetto.

Willie had his own bedroom but he would always let me and Matthew use his front room. Either Matthew would take the single bed under the window and I’d take the sofa, or vice versa. On this night, the night Bernard Hopkins started one of the great middleweight title reigns, Matthew and I talked into the early hours about some of his big nights. His memory wasn’t great but we spoke about the wars with Richie Kates, Marvin Johnson and Yaqui López, I knew that always cheered him up. We spoke about his fights with John Conteh, which took place in one of the casinos that flashed so brightly in the window above him. Matthew brought big time boxing to this city and here he was, anonymous in its backwaters. Looking after me.

Two decades on, that night remains one of the very best and one of the very worst of my life. I have no idea if I was elated to be in a boxing mecca with a legend watching a superfight with two Hall of Famers in one of the most memorable middleweight title contests of all time or if it was horrific as we couldn’t blag our way in, that Matthew had to watch someone he knew from the cheapest seats and that we were now back in, with all due respect to Willie, a Godawful roach-infested apartment that smelt of damp, weed and medicinal supplies.

I still don’t really know how to process it now, but when you factor in 9/11 I was just grateful to be able to tell the tale. It was a sentimental and nostalgic time in my life. +++ I would spend the next few years being friends with Matthew but we lost touch in around 2008. He was officially living in a homeless shelter in Philadelphia in 2009 and died in 2014. He’d suffered badly from the after effects of his thrilling career when I knew him. His speech and memory were both okay at times but then not great at all at others. We still managed hours of interviews over the years but when my friend died in 2014 a GoFundMe page was set up to pay for his headstone. He wasn’t in an unmarked grave for long but that, of course, should never have been the case.

That night in The Garden might have been a nightmare for him but it meant the world to me. This time of year may tinge many with sadness due to the tragic events that happened in New York, Washington and in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001, but they always make me think about Matthew and I guess that’s why my memories remain bittersweet. Being with Matthew was special and being in America then was unforgettable.

Some of the best days of my life were set against one of the most terrible events of my lifetime.

A version of this story appeared in Tris Dixon’s book, The Road to Nowhere, and his biography on Matthew Saad Muhammad, Warrior: A champion’s search for his identity, is out next year.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 37

THE EYE OF HE difference between a good fight and a great fight might be this: with good fights you remember the details of the fight, whereas with great fights you remember where you were when watching them and how you felt as greatness unfolded before your eyes.

In the case of the 2006 British lightmiddleweight title fight between Jamie Moore and Matthew Macklin, one of the greatest to ever take place in a British ring, recollections come to me quicker than they normally would when casting my mind back to British title fights.

As if the fight happened yesterday, I can recall standing on a plastic chair in order to see the television my parents had for some reason decided to position high on top of our fridge. I can then remember, with my eyes inches from the screen and the fight barely underway, shutting the kitchen door in the hope that none of my six family members would interrupt what I was experiencing.

These details, innocuous and forgettable any other time, only linger by virtue of their association with the fight playing on screen. The action. The drama. The conclusion. In other words, what Jamie Moore and Matthew Macklin produced together on September 29, 2006 in Manchester was so special it gave unexpected significance to the mundane and made an ordinary Friday night somehow extraordinary.

Now, 15 years on, Moore and Macklin offer their own recollections of that night in Manchester, knowing it is, for them, impossible to forget something that all who experienced it, either at the time or since, will forever remember and want to discuss.

T

PEDIGREE: Macklin is now a leading TV analyst...

... while Moore is passing on his skills as a trainer

Fifteen years after one of the most brutal British fights in modern history, Jamie Moore and Matthew Macklin tell the story of the fight from its roots to the aftermath

By ELLIOT WORSELL 38 O BOXING NEWS O SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

the fight was put back two or three times due to Jamie’s injury. It dragged out a bit and I thought Jamie was looking to move on. Why would he really want to fight someone like me when he’d already won a Lonsdale Belt outright? But I was impatient, sometimes to my detriment, and the reality was, although I had nothing against Jamie personally, I wanted to be the man who beat the man. I didn’t want to win a vacant title. I knew Jamie was well thought of and respected and I really fancied the fight.

JAMIE MOORE: I had shoulder problems throughout the second part of my career.

The fight got cancelled originally because I had an injury to my left shoulder. I actually had the operation to get it fixed on the Tuesday after the fight. If I’d lost that fight, at that point in my career I’d have probably thought, ‘Well, training didn’t go that great and I had a bad shoulder’, and maybe used all that as an excuse.

It just shows that you rarely go into a fight without problems and those problems only sort of come out if the fight doesn’t go the way you want. I had a great camp in terms of my fitness and conditioning because I knew how intense that fight was going to be. I was telling people in interviews before that I thought this would be ‘Fight of the Year’. I knew Matt, I knew how he trained, I knew Billy Graham (Macklin’s trainer), and I knew the tactics they’d come with.

MACKLIN: There was never any needle between us but when you hear someone talking about how they are going to beat you, it gets on your nerves, doesn’t it?

So, even though there was no animosity, there was definitely a rivalry. He trained in Salford and I was training in Manchester with Billy Graham, who is from Salford.

It was hotly talked about. We both had come-forward, aggressive styles and threw a lot of punches. This wasn’t going to be a chess match.

MOORE: I remember standing with Oliver (Harrison, trainer), 12 weeks before the fight, and saying, “How do you think we go about this fight?” He said, “What do you

FIGHTERS OVERTHINK A LOT. THE BEST ONES CAN THROW THAT ASIDE”

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

MATTHEW MACKLIN: I got made mandatory to fight Jamie Moore for the British title but

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BRUTAL, BRUTAL END: Moore is concerned for his stricken opponent Photo: JOHN SIBLEY/ACTION IMAGES

THE STORM www.boxingnewsonline.net

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 39

think?” I said, “Well, he’s a big, strong f**ker, so I think we box him.” He said, “What do you mean box him?” I said, “Box him similar to how I boxed Delroy Mellis” – who was a strong kid, a bit of a journeyman, but probably hit me harder than anyone. Oliver said, “If you box Macklin like that, you’ll get run over.” I went, “Right, okay, f**king hell. So what do you think? Surely we can’t stand and fight with him.” He said, “If you go at him and try to have a fight with him, you’ll get run over as well.” At that point I’m thinking, ‘What the f**k are we doing?’. He then explained to me, “You’ve got to be like James Toney. You’ve got to sit in front of him and make him miss and when he stops punching, then you punch.”

The first few times we practised this I was thinking, ‘He’s lost the plot. He’s f**king nuts’. I’d never really been a defensive fighter in that way – although, when I started training with Oliver fulltime after the Scott Dixon fight, the first thing he did was tell me, “The reason you lost that fight was because you couldn’t defend yourself on the ropes.” From then on, he had me technical sparring, where I couldn’t throw any punches and just had to defend myself. I had to work on my timing and my slipping and he spoke a lot about reading your opponent’s rhythm and anticipating the shots coming. Never expect the shot coming to be the last shot.

Your head should always be moving. We drilled it and drilled it but I never really got into a situation where I had to use it until

40 O BOXING NEWS O SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

POWER PUNCH: conditioned to cope with the Delroy Mellis fight. The Moore lands a brutal left the onslaught. If you watch next time I used it was when on an exhausted Macklin the fight back, you can hear Michael Jones had dropped Photo: JOHN SIBLEY/ACTION IMAGES Oliver early on say, as soon me twice and I was nearly out as Macklin starts punching, in the third fight. They were ‘Now! Now! Now!’ He wouldn’t let me leave the only times in my pro career I’d used him alone because he didn’t want him to my defence properly. I was thinking, ‘F**k, recover. I remember saying to Ol, “F**king I’m about to go into the biggest fight of my hell, Ol, if this goes the way you’re planning, career using a style I’ve only used in tiny it’s going to be some fight, this.” He said, patches’.

“W ith the tools you’ve got, it’s the only way Anyway, we drilled slipping a right hand, it can be.” It worked, but only f**king just. rolling under a left hook, and stepping out MACKLIN: They wanted to do the fight at of range and dropping low. My head had the G-Mex, which holds about 5,000 people to be off-centre and a constantly moving and would have sold out. But because the target, so it would be hard for Macklin to Labour Party conference was on there that catch me clean. It didn’t make sense until week, and because Sky had already put this we started doing it in sparring but those thing back a few times, people just wanted patterns that I’d been working on for a to get it done. The only venue available couple of months meant that as soon as at the time which matched the date that someone threw a right hand and left hook Sky had was the George Carnall Leisure I’d instinctively slip and roll out. It was Centre, which held about 1,500 people. I then I thought, ‘F**king hell, Oliver’s Mr remember they gave me 49 tickets. That’s Miyagi’. Without me understanding what I all they would give me. was doing, he had taught me how to do it MOORE: A fighter’s mindset is crucial, before anyone had thrown a punch at me. especially in fights like that one. There’s MACKLIN: People were split down the a big difference between knowing you’re middle. I think I had the promise and the going to go into a fight like that – a war – amateur pedigree. I’d had a lot of hype and and thinking that that could happen. When then I had the loss (against Andrew Facey you’re not sure, the unknown is the scary in 2003) and rebuilt again and was back part. Fighters overthink a lot and the best firing on all cylinders. Jamie had had his fighters are the ones who can throw those losses but had been in a couple of ‘Fight thoughts outside. I knew how difficult that of the Year’ candidates, was the British fight was going to be, so I had three months champion, and was tried and tested over to prepare for it and I wasn’t wondering if 12 rounds. It was a perfect storm really. it was going to be tough. I knew it was MOORE: It was then all about getting me

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going to be tough. I can’t tell you how relaxed I was and how good my mind was because of that. I wasn’t questioning myself anymore. There was no unknown.

I knew what was going to happen. I knew I was fit enough to do it and I knew I was tough enough to get through it. I knew how the fight was going to go. I just hoped I would come out the other end of it.

THE PERFECT STORM

MACKLIN: I remember sitting down at the end of the third round and feeling water on my head and thinking, ‘F**k, I’ve never been this tired in my whole life and it’s only the end of the third round. What the f**k am I going to do? How am I going to get through this?’. It’s amazing, though, how you can go much further than you think you can when you need to.

I don’t know if I ever had it in me to dig as deep again. After that, I always had the experience to pull back a little bit. If you imagine a car going off the cliff with no brakes, after that I had brakes. Against Jamie, I just let myself go off the edge of the cliff and didn’t have the ability to stop even if I wanted to.

It wasn’t that I didn’t try. There were moments where I stood off him and tried to box a bit. But Jamie knew he was a fullsized light-middle and that I was much bigger than him. If it hurt him to make 11 stone, he must have known it had absolutely killed me.

Their tactics were: if he wants to step off and rest, don’t let him. It wasn’t just a case of what I didn’t do right, it was also a case of what Jamie did well. As much as I set off at a mental pace, like a lunatic, in the spots where I did pull back and try to box, Jamie adjusted well. He jumped on me when I tried to do that and didn’t let me get a breather. He was experienced. He knew not to let me rest.

MOORE: I think it was after the sixth round when I walked back to the corner and Matt was on top towards the end of the round and I sat on the stool and was shaking my head. Me and Ol could have a conversation without speaking, so he must have understood that I was panicking a little and thinking Macklin was maybe getting on top. He just slapped me on the cheek and said, “Close your eyes. Relax.”

I said, “I can’t, I can’t.” He said, “You can.

Relax. Breathe.”

Because my conditioning was so good, I was getting to 20 or 30 seconds and recovering. Before I’d even got off the stool, I’d recovered and my mind was in a better place. I never looked back then.

I could see that Matt was falling apart a little bit because the fatigue was kicking in. I still had structure and was recovering between rounds whereas Matt wasn’t recovering between rounds. That was the big difference.

MACKLIN: It was a war but it was high quality s**t. If you look at some of the slipping and sliding that Jamie did, it was great to watch. Even with me, when I was under fire I was taking shots on the shoulders and showing good defence by

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rolling and coming up underneath. To keep that quality when the intensity is that hot you know then that it’s quality s**t.

MOORE: Oliver Harrison believed in me long before I believed in myself. I didn’t really understand what he was teaching me and what I was doing until I look back now as a coach. People who don’t understand boxing will look at the Macklin fight and go, “What a war that was.” But the stuff I was doing defensively on the ropes to get out of those sticky situations, all stuff Oliver had drilled into me for months, I appreciate a lot more now. I can look back and analyse it differently now. At the time you’re like a programmed robot. You just do what your coach is telling you. You don’t ask why.

You just do it. Looking back, Oliver got that particular fight spot on.

MACKLIN: Jamie needed the will but he also needed the skill. My will was unbreakable – no one’s will was broken in that fight – but he had the skill and the experience. His experience and savvy got him through it.

He knew when to rest and when to fight and his defence was good throughout. I was too honest. There was no cuteness from me. I fought every second of every round whereas Jamie knew how to pace it.

He knew when to take a rest and when to let me punch myself out. He was smarter.

My heart completely overruled my head. A lot of times in my career I was too much of an emotional fighter, which was probably why I was exciting, and sometimes that gets you in trouble.

MOORE: When it ended, I was scared to death because I thought he was hurt bad.

That’s why I was telling everyone not to celebrate. Everyone was going mad and all I was thinking was that Matt could be seriously hurt. It wasn’t until he came round and we spoke a little bit that I relaxed. He had an oxygen mask on and I was saying, “F**king hell, what a fight. I’ll come and see you in a bit.” They then carried him off and it was at that point I thought, ‘He’ll be okay now, he’s on the way to the hospital’.

THE AFTERMATH

MOORE: I went straight to the hospital to see Matt and Kerry Kayes was there, Ricky (Hatton) was there, and Billy Graham was there. The next morning, we took our son to the hospital because he had an ear infection. When I was walking in, Matt and his mum and others were walking out, so I saw him again the next morning. We hugged and were laughing about what we’d done to each other. The day after that I went to the (Manchester) United game and was in the pub when one of my mates came up behind me and grabbed me by the ribs. My ribs were so sore. I’d never been in pain like it after a fight.

MACKLIN: I returned to Birmingham on the Sunday and went to this local pub where there was a party for me. It felt like I’d won even though I’d lost. But, also, here’s the reality: I was 24 years old and hadn’t even won a British title. In fact, I’d lost twice and ended up in hospital after my last fight.

People were talking about my guts and courage but there was also the question of, ‘Where does he go now?’. With a fight like that, you might not box again. If you do, the likelihood is you’ll never be the same.

MOORE: I watched the fight at least 10 times over the next month or so, then didn’t watch it for a long time. Every time it was on TV I’d catch a glimpse of it but I saw more of it when I got on social media around 2012. Sometimes I’d watch the highlights, usually a 10-minute compilation that made it look horrendous, and I’d sit there and think, ‘Wow. How on earth did we even do that?’. It was just hectic.

MACKLIN: It was a stupid fight for Jamie because I was high-risk, low-reward, and, from my point of view, I should have just let Jamie go. I should have been a bit more patient, let him vacate, and fought for the vacant title. But my ambition and pride wouldn’t let me do that. I wanted to take his scalp and Jamie, even though the fight didn’t make sense, was too proud to shy away once he realised I wanted to fight him. You had two proud men who were gladiators really. Neither of us were going to back down.

MOORE: In terms of achievements, me winning the British title the first time, then getting it back a third time against Michael Jones, and then winning the European title are the top three wins for me. But without a shadow of a doubt the Macklin fight is my signature fight.

When people talk about my career, it gets mentioned every time. With it, I’ve left this little mark on British boxing I never in a million years imagined I would. To be involved in a fight like that, which people are still talking about 15 years later, is f**king insane. bn

WE WERE TWO PROUD MEN, GLADIATORS. NEITHER OF US WERE GOING TO BACK DOWN”

M AC KLIN: I remember waking up in hospital, seeing everyone there, and sensing it wasn’t really all doom and gloom. Kerry Kayes (Macklin’s strength and conditioning coach) was like, “Wait until you see the fight. It was f**king unbelievable.” They kept me in overnight for exhaustion and dehydration and the next morning I saw Jamie again. He’d been up peeing blood and didn’t feel too good. It was a brutal fight, wasn’t it? Brian Peters (Macklin’s manager) came in that same morning to see me and we were talking about the fight and the future and I remember I couldn’t really see Brian because both my eyes were closed.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 41

AMATEURS

AMATEUR SCENE

The very best action, previews and news from Olympic-style boxing With JOHN DENNEN | @BoxingNewsJD

SEND us your club's news, results or upcoming events to john.dennen@kelsey.co.uk or 01959 541 444 BEGINNINGS: Mason Fury gets the new club off to a winning start

A NEW FURY Tyson’s cousin Mason is Abington’s first competitor, writes Matt Bozeat

THE latest fighting Fury got a new club off to a winning start in Leicester. Driton Muhaxheri and Shane Graham have set up Abington ABC in Northampton and the first boxer to represent them was Mason Fury.

The 15-year-old cousin of Tyson Fury, the heavyweight star who holds the WBC belt, was matched tough at Braunstone Working Men’s Club. The older boxer by almost 12 months, Kian Quinn (Braunstone Golden Gloves) was a Schoolboy finalist and Tri Nations silver medallist in 2019. He also had the backing of his noisy home crowd.

Fury showed heart and smooth boxing skills to come away with a desperately close split decision win after being handed a count in the second round.

Quinn’s coaches were convinced the decision should have gone the other way, while Muhaxheri felt Fury’s strong finish was decisive.

42 O BOXING NEWS O SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

Fury was soon under fire. At the opening bell, Quinn raced from his corner and threw a barrage of punches at him. Pinned on the ropes, Fury had to fight ferociously to keep Quinn off him.

Once the opening onslaught was over, Mason found the centre of the ring and got his jab working, but Quinn still had his successes with clobbering counters.

Fury was able to hold the centre of the ring better in a quieter second round, but in the dying seconds of the session, Quinn picked a clean right hand that knocked Mason onto his heels and the referee gave him a standing ‘eight’ count.

The bell went before the bout could resume.

Fury recovered well enough to produce his best work in the final two minutes, scoring with jabs and an eyecatching uppercut. Fury had Muhaxheri and his father, Joe, in the corner.

Fury was around six years old when

he first went to Far Cotton ABC and won a boxer-of-the-night trophy on their home show a couple of years ago before switching to Burton Park and now Abington ABC. “The kids work hard here,” said Muhaxheri. “There’s no talking, but it’s a happy environment, it’s a good environment.

“They enjoy coming here, but they know it’s going to be tough.”

Muhaxheri has previously been an assistant coach at Kings Heath, Northampton and Far Cotton ABCs and said: “I always worked under other people and I’ve learned from them. I’ve learned from good coaches.

“I always wanted my own club.”

Muhaxheri had 15 amateur bouts – winning 14 – in the former Yugoslavia before his family fled when he was in his teens. He said: “I owe this country so much and now I’m trying to give something back.”

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AMATEURS

EURO YOUTH PAIN

Photo: ANDY CHUBB/ENGLAND BOXING

&RYLG UHVWULFWLRQV VFXSSHU WUDYHO SODQV ENGLAND has been forced to withdraw its talented Youth team from the European Youth championships. The tournament is due to take place from October 13-24 in Montenegro but with the host country remaining on the UK government’s Covid 19 red list as a destination, where all but essential travel should be avoided, the Board of England Boxing has decided they cannot send a team.

It’s a bitter blow to the squad [pictured below] of good boxers. “It is hugely disappointing and frustrating for everyone concerned that we have been forced to take the decision not to compete at the European Youths, especially for the boxers who have trained so hard and shown a tremendous attitude in training camps over the last few weeks,” said interim Talent Pathway Manager Andrea Rankine. “The decision, which was not taken lightly, was left as late as possible to give it chance for the situation in Montenegro to improve, but the high risk of catching Covid-19 in the country – plus the need to isolate for a period of 10 days in nominated quarantine government hotels on return, and the safeguarding issues that poses – meant there was no other option but to withdraw.

“The health and safety of all those who were scheduled to travel remains our number one priority and this was not something we were prepared to put at risk.”

England will look for an alternative international duel or event for the team, subject to the England Talent calendar and any ongoing Covid-19 government restrictions.

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SCHOOLS BACK IN England and Scotland ĆQLVK WKHLU ĆUVW QDWLRQDO FKDPSLRQVKLSV VLQFH WKH FRURQDYLUXV SDQGHPLF WITH domestic tournaments suspended due to the pandemic over the past year and a half, it’s been a long wait for national championships to come back in the UK. But after 573 days without such tournaments, the England Boxing national Schools championship finished at the Vertu Arena in Newcastle on Sunday (September 26).

Eighty-four contests took place on the last day of the competition. Repton and Rainham were the most successful clubs, with five champions a piece. The bout of the tournament, was judged to be Rainham’s William Howard’s split decision victory over Tony Saunders at Chadwell St. Mary in the Class B 52kgs final. The boxers of the tournament were Ruby White of Sturminster Newton, Newham’s

ENTERTAINERS: Saunders and Howard win the prize for best contest in the finals

Talia Rumbol and Lexi Walker of Great Wyrley in the female competitions.

On the boys’ side they were Rainham’s Archie Coates, Bailey Wilding of Mikey’s Boxing Gym and Mohammad Safari of the Ring. For more details, visit: www.englandboxing.org The Scottish Schools championships also finished on the same weekend at the Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility in Motherwell. “I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who helped make the 2021 School and Junior Championships a big success,” said Boxing Scotland CEO Chris Roberts. “This was our first Championships in 18 months due to the coronavirus pandemic and there was some terrific boxing on display.

“Many thanks go to all of the boxers, coaches, officials and volunteers.”

Boxing Scotland’s next event is the Intermediate Championships on the weekend of October 16-17, also being held at Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility in Motherwell.

THE BOUT OF THE TOURNAMENT WAS HOWARD vs SAUNDERS

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 O BOXING NEWS O 43

YESTERDAY’S HEROES

The tale of Lucas and Speare NO FAULT: Speare took Lucas’ place in the 1974 Commonwealth Games

An amateur rivalry with zest and needle

Miles Templeton Boxing historian

N May 4 1973 Frankie Lucas of the Croydon-based Sir Philip Game ABC beat Carl Speare of Liverpool in that year’s ABA middleweight final at the Empire Pool, Wembley. This was Lucas’ second straight ABA championship victory, having beaten another Liverpudlian, Tony Byrne, in 1972. Still only 20 years old at the time of his triumph over Speare, Lucas seemed destined for great things.

A noted big puncher, Lucas was also prone to cuts and when he travelled to Belgrade early the next month to take part in the European championships, BN was slightly guarded in its prediction that he could do well, “Lucas is particularly effective with a big right over the top, but I would feel a little more optimistic about his chances if he went back to his old style of natural aggression, as these days he seems to be concentrating a little too much on tightening up his defence.”

Lucas lost in the quarter-final to the eventual winner, the Russian, Vyacheslav Lemechev. His fine form saw him ranked at number one throughout the year in BN’s amateur ratings and he appeared to be a shoe-in for the 1974 Commonwealth Games, in which he hoped to win the gold for England.

The ABA dropped a bombshell in

O

‘A MEMORABLE WEEKEND’ The EBA British Hall of Fame makes triumphant return

Simon Euan-Smith simonoldtimers @googlemail.com EBA correspondent

I WAS delighted to hear from Leeds EBA Secretary Paul Abraham that the British Ex-Boxers’ Hall of Fame weekend, held at the Mercure Holland House Hotel in Cardiff this month, was a “brilliant success.” Paul goes on: “Great credit must go to all the organisers who after a year’s delay were able to bring a boxing family of over 400 to the event from the four corners of the UK. “Many Ex-Boxers’ Associations were represented, including a party of 14 members from Leeds EBA – including Mickey Vann, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his lifetime services to boxing.

“It was especially pleasing to see Eddie Copeland inducted into the Hall of Fame for his massive contribution to the Manchester Ex-Boxers’ Association, and a driving force behind the Northern

44 l BOXING NEWS l SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

Boxing Federation – and also Cyril Thomas for all his hard work as Secretary of the Welsh Ex-Boxers’ Association, and the dynamo for the event being held in Wales. There was definitely a welcome in the hillsides for all who attended, and it made it such a memorable and enjoyable weekend.”

That’s great to hear, with last year’s event having been cancelled because of the pandemic. This is always a good weekend – next year’s is set for St Albans, hosted by Home Counties EBA. The three inductees Paul mentions definitely deserved it. All have done a lot for boxing, and the Ex-Boxers’ movement.

Mickey Vann had a brief career as a pro featherweight (1969-70) – but is better known as a world-class referee and judge. And I thoroughly recommend his autobiography, Give Me a Ring.

I saw Eddie Copeland box several times – he was a fine lightweight. Eight of his 11 bouts were held in London, the majority on major shows – four at Wembley, one at the Albert Hall. The latter staged his sole defeat, when a swollen left eye ruled him out against George Feeney in February 1981. Feeney of course later became British 9st 9lb champion.

(There will be a full report on all the inductees in next week’s BN.) Time to dig into the archives.

Mug’s Alley, the monthly newsletter of the Merseyside Former Boxers’ Association, always had interesting articles, and the March 2013 issue had an in-depth piece on a tremendous bout at Liverpool Stadium in August 1940.

Freddie Mills, of course, went all the way to the world light-heavyweight title – but most of his early bouts were in his

www.boxingnewsonline.net

WORKAROUND: Lucas boxed for St Vincent in an elegant solution to the snub

October 1973 when they picked Speare for the Games team and the Croydon man was, understandably, enraged. In a BN article headed ‘Lucas hopping mad over Games snub’, Frankie stated: “I’m just too choked to think about what to do in the future. I’ve had my heart set on winning the gold medal in Christchurch.

I’ve had offers to turn pro, but I held back because I wanted to win the Commonwealth title. Now they do this to me and after they left me out of the Olympic team last year too, I’m beginning to think somebody doesn’t like me”.

He soon made up his mind. As he was born in St Vincent, he contacted that federation to enquire whether he could box for them at the games, and they snapped him up. So the 1974 Commonwealth games middleweight tournament would have some zest and some needle, and it was watched with considerable interest.

Speare continued to impress for England.

He won three out of four international contests for England that season and was part of a very strong England team that also included Billy Knight, Robbie Davies, Mickey Abrams and Pat Cowdell.

Both lads won their opening two contests at the games and were then

matched against each other in the semifinal, with the loser picking up a bronze medal. I can remember the excitement generated by this scrap as the games were well televised. Lucas and Speare fought another hard, close contest, with national coach Kevin Hickey stating that “their ABA final was close, the decision to choose Speare instead of Lucas was close and the semi-final could have gone either way, and Frank got it”. Lucas must have felt a great sense of satisfaction as, although he felt no enmity towards his opponent, he had a big score to settle with the authorities.

Now all he had to do was to win the final.

He came up against a Zambian, Julius Luipa, who had performed extremely well and was the slight favourite. None of this mattered at all to Frankie who, after being cut in the first round, took the initiative in the second and floored his rival before blasting him out for good with a big right hook.

Both Lucas and Speare turned pro in 1974 and although their paths never crossed within the paid ranks, they each had respectable careers. Lucas twice contested the British middleweight title losing to two of the best, Kevin Finnegan and Alan Minter.

HE HAD A BIG SCORE TO SETTLE WITH THE AUTHORITIES

RECOGNITION: Eddie Copeland is inducted into the Hall of Fame

native Bournemouth, and he had never boxed further north than Coventry. Not many in Liverpool had heard of him when he took on “Rochdale Thunderbolt” Jock McAvoy.

McAvoy, though, they certainly knew. A former undefeated British and Commonwealth middleweight champion with a devastating punch, Jock had impressed in America – notably with a one-round win over reigning world champion Babe Risko at Madison Square Garden. He had also challenged John Henry Lewis for the world lightheavyweight crown, and Jack Petersen and Len Harvey for the British 12st 7lb title.

Mills could always take a punch, and when McAvoy caught him with a left hook in the first, Freddie came straight back with a left to the head and right to the body. Mills wasn’t so well-known as a

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skilful boxer, but, to quote: “That vicious right hand, which had brought [McAvoy] so many knock-out victories, lacked its usual accuracy and Mills, time and time again, slipped inside it and slammed home a fierce left hook to the body.”

Realising he was behind, McAvoy raised his game over the last three sessions, but Freddie punched with him – and at the end of 10 rounds he was declared the winner. They would meet again, at the Albert Hall in February 1942, in a final British light-heavyweight title eliminator – but disappointingly McAvoy had to retire after one round, with an injured back.

The next time out, Mills KO’d Len Harvey in two rounds to become the British and Commonwealth champion.

EMAIL simonoldtimers@googlemail.com with your ex-boxer association news.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 l BOXING NEWS l 45

SIXTY SECONDS

GERMAINE BROWN The former Fitzroy Lodge boxer is getting his break and boxing live on Sky. He speaks to John Dennen

‘IT WAS GOOD TO GO AS THE AWAY FIGHTER AND COME OUT WITH THE WIN’ Have you ever been starstruck: Andre Ward came down to Fitzroy Lodge. He gave a speech, that was good. He explained his whole career to us. In proper detail explained the transition going from amateur to becoming a pro, winning world titles, everything.

Last time you cried: Bad man don’t cry!

Best advice received: The feedback from sparring Joshua Buatsi, after sparring feedback on what went well, things I should improve on.

Worst rumour about yourself: No bad rumours about me!

Something not many people know about you: Everyone knows everything about me.

FAST FACTS

When and why you started boxing: I started boxing when I was 15.

They brought it to my school, an after-school activity. My brother was boxing down at Fitzroy Lodge and he brought me down to Fitzroy Lodge. That’s when I started properly taking it more seriously.

Favourite all-time fighter: Number one I would say is Tommy Hearns.

Best fight you’ve seen: Josh Taylor vs Regis Prograis. That was a good fight, Fight of The Year.

Personal career highlight: The Dmity Chudinov win. Going out to Belarus, boxing a Russian and getting the win. I think a lot of people felt I was going to lose. It was good to go as the away fighter and come out with the win.

Toughest opponent: I think Chudinov.

Best and worst attributes as a boxer: The jab would be my best. As for worst, I don’t know, maybe head movement but I’m working on it.

Training tip: Always work on the basics. Straight shots, jab, footwork, basics. Because they’re always the most important.

Favourite meal/restaurant: Mum’s cooking. Whatever Mum’s making.

Best friends in boxing: Everyone down at the gym.

Other sportsperson you would like to be: Usain Bolt.

Last film/TV show you saw: Power probably. I’m always behind on everything.

Who would play you in a film of your life: Will Smith.

Age: 27 Twitter: @Gmanbrown23 Height: 6ft 1ins Nationality: English From: London Stance: Orthodox Record: 9-0 (3) Division: Supermiddleweight Next fight: Brown gets his break and will box Jamal Le Doux on October 2 live on Sky.

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