British News: Stephen Smith, Truman; Barker on Sky

TONY BORG: ‘THERE’S GONNA BE A LOT OF TEARS IN THE SMITH HOUSEHOLD ON SUNDAY MORNING!’

It took Tony Borg almost 40 years of graft to become an overnight success in boxing.

The fight game has been the central feature of the diminutive Welsh trainer’s life since he first laced up at the tender age of seven. However, it wasn’t until his flagship fighters, Lee Selby and Gary Buckland clumped their way to British titles, just a week apart, in 2011, that the fight cognoscenti finally started to acknowledge Borg’s knowledge and talent.

Senior Welsh ABA champion at just 17 and a Welsh Area challenger in the pros, the ‘no nonsense’ 48 year old currently fronts the St Joseph’s gym in Newport; one of the hottest stables in Britain.

Ahead of Buckland’s crucial British super-featherweight title defence against Liverpool’s Stephen Smith in Cardiff this Saturday, boxing writer Glynn Evans spoke to Tony about his 12 year association with the ‘Dynamo’.

Remaining tickets are available from the Cardiff Motorpoint Arena Box Office on 02920 224 488 or Eventim on 0844 249 1000 or www.eventim.co.uk

Watch the whole ‘Red Mist’ event - headlined by the unmissable WBO World Light-Heavyweight collision between Nathan Cleverly and unbeaten Russian KO king Sergey Kovalev, plus Gary Buckland’s British Super-Featherweight title defence against Stephen Smith and Commonwealth Light-Heavyweight Champion Ovill McKenzie’s rematch against Enzo Maccarinelli – live and exclusive in the UK on BoxNation (Sky Ch.437/Virgin Ch.546) from 7pm.  Join at www.boxnation.com

“I’ve known Gary since he came to my amateur gym (St Joseph’s ABC) when he was just 14 years old. He’s always been a very quiet, shy kid outside the gym – still is – but in a spar or a contest, he’s the toughest man I’ve ever met. He’s no bully in the street but, if ever he was pushed, he’d take your head off; a proper hard case!

As a young amateur, he’d just walk through everybody and he won the British Boys Club’s title.  He simply wasn’t affected by the shots coming back at him. There was no way he could spar boys his own age so I put him in with my seniors, then later, established pro champions like Dazzo Williams and Steve Robinson.

Being a travelling boy, Gary had no interest in boxing senior in the amateurs. He wanted money.  I told him if he just wanted cash he’d need to find another gym but if he was interested in having a career and becoming a champion, he’d have to do things my way. 

He’d got by in the amateurs solely on his toughness but to compete with the pros I knew we’d have to add extra. He’d not last too long with that style against grown men with the little gloves on.

For a period, I stopped his heavy sparring and just stuck him in with sharp young amateurs on the specific instruction that he couldn’t hit back. He began to learn to move, slip and role, evade; develop defence. Today, after a hard 12 round championship fight there’s barely a mark on him. He’s particularly clever defensively when he’s fighting inside.

Though Garry is very popular, he tends to mix with his own community, the travellers, and as he wasn’t out drinking or in the clubs, he struggled to sell tickets. Still, he profited from a really solid apprenticeship, often fighting away from home early on, and it’s really benefiting him today.

He fought guys like Martin Watson (wpts10), Ben Murphy (lpts6), Craig Docherty (wpts10) and Henry Castle (wpts10). Then he beat Sam Rukundo - an unbeaten Ugandan Olympian who no one else would touch - over 12 rounds in Stoke. In the corner, I was wincing myself from the body shots Garry was taking but he got through.

The other big problem early in his career was his weight. He’s only just 5ft 6in tall yet won his first title, the Welsh Area, up at light-welter. He then insisted on having his next contest up at welter. I reluctantly consented, expecting him to struggle and learn his lesson but he pole axed the kid in the first round!

I think the penny finally dropped, regarding his weight, when he challenged John Murray for the British and (vacant) European lightweight titles in 2010. We were offered the job at just three weeks notice. Gary told me his weight was one thing, I agreed the job, but when I actually weighed him he was over 11 stone!

I was very keen to withdraw but Gary pleaded he might not get another chance. Garry’s one of those naturally fit kids who can bang out 12 rounds of sparring straight off but we spent the whole camp, dieting and dropping weight. We did hardly any sparring.

Garry was stopped, still upright, in round 11 but it was a blessing because it proved to him what I’d been preaching, that he wasn’t a lightweight. He hardly bulked up after the scales whereas Murray must have been close to 11 stone in the ring. Afterwards we got a lot of compliments for Garry’s toughness and bravery but I knew Garry had shown just a fraction of his ability. We all let ourselves down a bit that night.

When the opportunity was presented to enter Prizefighter at 9st 6lbs six months later I was 100% confident that Gary would win, despite a really strong field.  But after his first bout (a unanimous three round decision over ex England amateur captain Stevie Bell), I was very disappointed with the way Gary had just followed Bell around the ring.

In the changing rooms after, I ripped into him; told him he’d let me down badly, boxed like a novice amateur. I stressed if he repeated that in the semi against (then reigning British super-feather champ) Gary Sykes he’d get embarrassed, then I walked away to let Garry dwell on it, have a sulk.

It worked because he absolutely exploded when the time came to warm up on the pads and I’ve never seen him walk to the ring with such purpose. He was punching his own face! Sykes lasted just 45 seconds!

Then, in the final, he hurt Derry Mathews very badly (wrsc2).Look what Derry’s gone on to achieve subsequently.

Since beating Sykes in a return with the (British) title on the line, Gary’s blossomed into a really good 12 round champion, successfully defending against Paul Truscott and Stephen Foster Jnr. Not many have to beat a better quartet than Sykes ‘Trussy’, Foster and ‘Swifty’ (Stephen Smith) to capture a Lonsdale Belt outright.

Too many reach British title level then take their foot off the gas and go flat. But now Garry’s tasted success he’s famished for more. He wants to defend in style, win the Belt outright, advance to the European and world. (Reigning British featherweight king) Lee Selby’s the same. They push each other.

My gym is absolutely buzzing at the moment. In addition to Gary and Selby, I’ve a string of other unbeaten pro prospects plus three amateurs – Joe Cordina, Sean McGoldrick and (Olympic silver medallist) Fred Evans – on the GB Podium squad. 

In addition to the quality apprenticeship I spoke about, Gary gets top grade sparring week in, week out against these young hungry kids on the way up.  Spar hard, fight easy. Him against Selby is very intense, pulsating to watch. But I make sure no one gets hurt and we ease off a fortnight before the fight so that they enter the ring fresh.

The prospect of winning the Lonsdale Belt outright this Saturday is a massive, massive incentive to Gary. In fact, if he was offered a world title fight, I honestly think he’d insist on making this final defence first. Since he was a kid, looking at the posters of champions with the Belt at my gym, he’s been infatuated by it.

I’ve followed (Saturday’s challenger) Stephen Smith since he was a 15 year old in the schoolboys and I rate him very highly. He won a Commonwealth Games gold medal and a bronze at the European Seniors which shows his class. He’s a natural. He hails from a family of fighters and he’s a very clever tactician.

Though I found a way for Selby to beat him, this is totally different. Gary and Lee have very different styles. I predicted Selby would stop him in eight but never thought he’d knock him out as brutally as he did. You have to give ‘Swifty’ a lot of credit for coming back from that. That was the type of knockout that ruins careers.

But Smith hasn’t had the pro apprenticeship that Buckland has had. Other than Selby, his only opponent of note was John Simpson and both of those fights were extremely close.

A lot depends on what Smith brings on Saturday. I know we’re coming to fight hard for 12 rounds. Gary Buckland has never been in a boring fight in his life. You can’t stand off and be clever with Buckland. You can’t hide and move for 12 rounds. He’s just too strong.

Steve Smith’s a very good British level fighter, possibly even European level but Buckland is an exceptional talent. If he comes through this, I seriously expect him to be fighting for European and world titles within 12 months. The better the opposition, the better he’ll perform.

No doubt Steve will try and stay with him as long as he can but I expect Gary to win clearly on points something like eight rounds to four but, if Smith gets over confident, he’ll get nailed again. Either way, there’s gonna be a lot of tears in the Smith household on Sunday morning!”

Chris Truman, has stepped up a weight.

The 28 year-old has operated at light welterweight for the majority of his professional career and was set to take on Stephen Jennings for a British Masters belt at that weight on It’s-A-Bout-Boxing’s ‘Friday 13th’ Show in Birmingham next month.

However, after much deliberation, ‘The Trumanator’ (9-4-1) has decided to step up to welterweight and will now fight Wales’ Lee Quinn (2-2-1) for a British Masters Welterweight Title on It’s-A-Bout-Boxing’s bill on Friday, 13th September at the Institute, Digbeth.

“It’s a relief more than anything,” Truman told www.uko-boxing.com . “I don’t feel at my best at light welterweight anymore and it’s been on my mind since the fight with Jennings was announced. The more I’ve thought about it, the more it’s played on my mind.

“I was feeling weaker and weaker at light welter, simply because I was weight-drained. Welterweight is more natural for me. I’ve been working with a nutritionist, Cain Leathem, who has been great. He’s sorted my diet out and I’m feeling so much better.

“It’s a shame the Jennings fight hasn’t come off but Quinn will be a decent test for me and there’s a Masters Title up for grabs as well. The main thing is that I’m fighting in my hometown, at my preferred weight and still topping It’s-A-Bout-Boxing’s bill.”

Tickets are just £25 General, £50 Ringside and £75 VIP Ringside. They are by calling the Box Office on 0845 467 3930 or 07888 870 650.

‘Friday 13th’ features a whole-host of boxing talent from upcoming talents from Prospects Gym Warren ‘Big Rig’ Sinden, Michael ‘Mad Man’ Mooney and Ainsley Seivwright to unbeaten super middleweight, Andrew ‘D’Animal’ Robinson.

Former British Welterweight Champion, Young Mutley, is also back in action having had a change of heart following his retirement last year.

Coventry’s unbeaten heavyweight, Mike O’Hagan, super flyweight prospect Samson ‘Slick’ Sykes and youngster Mikey Boyles complete the card on what is sure to be a fiendishly good night of boxing.

‘Friday 13th’. It’s the one you’ve all been screaming for.

Tickets are just £25 General, £50 Ringside and £75 VIP Ringside. They are by calling the Box Office on 0845 467 3930 or 07888 870 650.

To find out more about It’s-A-Bout-Boxing, visit www.itsaboutboxing.com .

Barker reveals all in Ringside special tomorrow

Sky Sports gain exclusive access to middleweight star ahead of World title clash

Darren Barker is the subject of a revealing Ringside special at 6pm on Sky Sports 3 HD tomorrow night (August 15) ahead of his IBF World middleweight title clash with Daniel Geale in Atlantic City.

The Londoner challenges the Aussie champion for the title at the Revel Hotel-Casino live on Sky Sports 1 HD at 2am Sunday morning and the 31 year old is laid bare in the one hour documentary.

Barker gives a touching and honest recollection of the tragic loss of his brother Gary and the effect on him and his family, his first World title challenge against Sergio Martinez and in-depth on why he believes he’s ready to beat Geale.

“It will be a special story, it means everything to me,” says Barker on the show. “I badly, badly, want to win this fight and dedicate it to my brother. So many people have helped me to get this far, but I'm only going to dedicate it to Gary – that's it.

“It's at times like this that you need to savour the occasion and enjoy it. I'm living the sport in and out of the ring and I've never wanted something as badly as I want to win this fight. I'm fortunate to be doing something I love doing. There were times I was doing it and I didn't want to be and it's hard, you’re getting punched in the face and you don't want to be there - but I wouldn't want it any other way.”