By Terence Dooley
Anthony Farnell boosted one or two shows at relatively short notice in his heyday thanks to an unstinting dedication to training and personal discipline. Now a trainer, Farnell gave the go-ahead for his man Dean Byrne to step in against Frank Haroche Horta last Friday night after Frankie Gavin withdrew from the scheduled bout at the eleventh hour.
Byrne retired after eight difficult rounds, Horta too accurate and persistent for the Dubliner, 15-1 (6). Farnell feels that although Bryne lost his ‘0’ he stockpiled a lot of goodwill by agreeing to step into Frankie’s shoes.
“It wasn’t win-win because he lost and we’re devastated but Dean showed more balls than King Kong, he wanted to save the show and is a tough man. If he was fresh he’d have got through it but I didn’t want to see him taking shots like that,” said Farnell when speaking to me after the dust settled on Byrne’s defeat.
“His legs were heavy, he was taking uppercuts and I wouldn’t let it go on like that. It was my decision, not his. Dean’s a fighter, they keep on going but I told him, ‘Listen, you can fight another day’, and pulled him out.
“He lost weight, came in late to help the show out and will be repaid. I like my guys to be fit and ready all the time like they used to be in the old Champ’s Camp under Phil Martin. I don’t like them to have a pig out between fights and put on a stone in a few days. These days you have to be ready to fight.”
Bolton’s Ronnie Heffron put aside the disappointment of his training partner’s loss to register a fourth round retirement win over Arvydas Trizno on the same bill, Heffron’s second fight in two weeks. Farnell has guided the 21-year-old to an 8-0 (4) record; he feels that the quiet youngster has already shown the keenness required to reach the top.
“I have to tell Ronnie to chill out and have a day off. Ronnie’s tried a bit too hard at times in the past but he boxed twice in a few weeks and he looked fast and strong (in the Trizno win),” Arnie’s opinion of Heffron’s recent form.
“Ronnie will fight better the better the opponent. We’d trained for [original scheduled opponent] Chris Johnson and had trained for him but Ronnie can adapt. Ronnie will have a bit of a rest, Dean will have a rest and see where he goes from there.”
Paul Butler is another of Farnell’s hopefuls; the super-flyweight has looked the business whilst compiling a 5-0 (2) slate, the Ellesmere energizer bunny one for the future according to his coach.
“Brilliant,” Anthony’s summation of Butler, “sometimes he is a bit over-eager for the stoppage but he is a great little fighter. I know what he can do when he steps in with these other flyweights. He works hard in the gym and he brings it into the ring.”
Farnell had words of comfort for Gavin, telling me that he was disappointed when his former charge left Manchester behind to train in London with Jimmy and Mark Tibbs yet hoped to see the Birmingham WBO Inter-Continental welterweight titlist put recent troubles to one side.
“Frankie had personal problems (in Manchester). We talked about him living with me just before a fight but I can’t be there all the time for him so it was hard. I wish him all the best. I’d never hear a bad word about him. If he bucks up he’ll become a superstar,” his prediction.
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