By Terence Dooley
Brian Rose has been warned that tonight’s opponent, Francis Togba Tchoffo, 5-2 (3), will represent his toughest challenge to date. However, Rose, who fights on the Lee Haskins versus Ross Burkinshaw undercard in Sunderland, is still smarting from the memories of his rough 2008 draw with Iranian tough man Manoocha Salari, and is using those memories to ensure that he is on the top of his game in every fight.
Rose, 24, fights out of Bobby Rimmer’s Manchester-based gym; he has a 12-0-1 (3) record. Brian is fast-approaching the point in his career when the real, title, business starts. Those fights cannot come fast enough for Rose, he is equally happy to be facing Tchoffo on tonight’s televised bill.
“I’m looking forward to fighting on another Sky bill, it is a big bill, and I can’t wait for it,” explained Rose. “I’ve had a couple of injuries over the last year, nothing serious, I had a bit of physio to clear up a niggle or two. I’m hoping to box for a British Masters or English title soon.”
Rose’s six-round draw against Salari came before Brian’s adoring Blackpool fans, Brian has since notched up a win in the coastal resort, a two-round TKO of Jon Harrison in January, but he is adamant that he still has a lot of making up to do in his hometown.
“I want to fight in Blackpool or the North West next,” said Rose. “I need another big performance in Blackpool to please the fans. I’ve never been wobbled before, but was hurt by Manoocher Salari in my first fight back in Blackpool. That fight taught me more than all my other fights, all those other wins, and it was a tough fight, the toughest I’ve been involved in. It taught me a hard lesson.”
Rose was tagged and hurt by Salari’s southpaw shots in the second round of their contest, Brian briefly looked like he may hit the canvas, he recovered, coming back strong in the last few rounds of the six-rounder. When the draw came in Brian left the ring in disgust, he is now philosophical about the fight.
“I couldn’t remember the fight at the time,” he laughed. “Looking back I was boxing on instinct, to a normal person it looks like I was boxing fine, but it was tough after taking the shot that wobbled me, but I did box well for the last three rounds, you wouldn’t have thought that I’d been hurt.”
“I was gutted afterwards,” he continued, “but it is a lesson. I’m glad it happened in a way, I could have won that fight easier, not taken any lessons onboard, and struggled in a later fight.
“When you are undefeated you class a draw as a loss, well I do anyway. I’m devastated that I got the draw on my record, but it was something that I had to learn from. I would love a rematch; I want him to fight me again so I can set the record straight.
“People were supportive, they enjoyed the fight, and it was the best fight I’ve been involved in, for me it was a letdown, I let myself down by getting caught with stupid shots. People could have been quite critical, but they were supportive.”
As mentioned, Rose had happier memories of his second Blackpool showcase. “In my return to Blackpool I dropped Jon Harrison twice in the first round,” he said. “Then caught him with a left hook in the second [promoting the ref to step in and wave it off]. His trainer complained afterwards but he didn’t look up for it, so the referee had to do his job, the lad went down, didn’t look interested, so they had to stop the fight.
“The demons are gone now. I boxed Ernie Smith [a points win] straight after Salari; it was a good fight to have. To get hit like I did by Salari, and then box well, shows that I’ve got heart, and ability. Maybe with a few more rounds I’d have turned it right around and stopped him.”
“Salari is the kind of opponent who people can do without,” he claimed. “He was brought in two days before fight night; I didn’t know anything about him, so a bit more notice would have been nice. You can either look fantastic, or get caught with a good shot and look bad; I looked a bit daft when I was wobbled! I am critical about my performances, and think that criticism can help me improve.”
Rose’s resurgence since that fight is partially down to the hard graft of his trainer, Bobby Rimmer acts as a friend, mentor, and surrogate father figure to the young fighter. “Bobby is like a best mate, he treats me like one of his own kids, and I can only improve with him in my corner. He makes sure that I’m not cheating on my diet, keeps me in the gym, and has made them ban me from the butty bar when I’ve got a fight coming up, I ask for a bacon butty, and they give me a ham salad instead.”
Rose continued: “We are serious when it is needed, but you have to chill out sometimes, and Bobby is a great person to relax and be around.”
Rose is on the rise, a win tonight will see him move closer towards a domestic title, for now, though, Rose is concentrating on his own race. “I am ranked about 16th in the country,” he explained. “There are a few lads above me that I would like to box, I won’t name names or disrespect people by calling them out, but there are a few fifty-fifty fights out there for me on paper, I think that if I box to my ability I can make those fights twenty-eighty, in my favour.
“I think I’ve got more talent than a few of the people above me. I trust [manager] Steve Woods to find me the right opponents, I want tough fights, I’m not in it to cruise to wins and take easy fights. I want to win titles, not just to look good and win fights.”
When asked about who he would like to fight, Rose clammed up. “I wouldn’t like to say, I don’t like to call out other boxers. I am quite modest and want to quietly go about things.”
In the meantime, Rose has been using his gym time to make improvements, get his stamina up, and prepare himself for the rigours of the title roads, sparring with European light-middleweight boss Jamie Moore has been instrumental in Rose’s development.
“I have sparring Jamie Moore a few times,” he said. “I’ve sparred him before but it is still a massive thing for me, even getting two or three rounds with Jamie is good for your confidence, because you’re sparring the best light-middleweight in Europe. Jamie doesn’t take advantage, but he doesn’t ease off either.”
Rose fights on tonight’s Sky bill in Sunderland, the show starts at 10pm on Sky Sports 1.
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