By Shaun Brown
IT was seven wins out of seven for Anthony Fowler last Saturday night on the Dillian Whyte-Joseph Parker undercard.
The 27-year-old super welterweight from Liverpool continued to show the signs of improvement, with a sixth-round knockout of Ireland’s Craig O’Brien, that has now led him closer to the type of breakout fights where we discover just how far he can possibly go.
His trainer Dave Coldwell, who Fowler joined when he turned professional with Matchroom Boxing in April 2017, is delighted that his charge is seeing the fruits of his labour. And despite his detractors Fowler is starting to turn doubters into believers.
“I’m over the moon with him,” Coldwell told Boxing Scene this week.
“He’s showing things that we’re working on in the gym. And he followed out instructions perfectly, to be honest. I thought he did the job fantastic. Broke him up, broke him up stayed patient and when I told him to switch it up, he feinted downstairs and switched it up, and in that last round walked straight out there and did it and got the job done.”
For Fowler attention now turns to a three-fight plan that Coldwell wants equally as much as his fighter does. The trio of bouts, that they hope can be signed off by promoter Eddie Hearn, begins with a domestic tussle against Preston’s Scott Fitzgerald (10-0, 7 KOs) – also promoted by Hearn, followed by a challenge against 154lbs Commonwealth champion Michael Zerafa (24-2, 13 KOs). Victory in those two fights could then lead them to a showdown against another Eddie Hearn fighter, Ted Cheeseman. The (14-0, 9 KOs) 22-year-old from London ticked many a box against veteran Carson Jones earlier this year and the momentum from that saw him overwhelm Paul Upton in June, which now sets him up for a shot at the vacant Super Welterweight title against Asinia Byfield in October.
“After I saw Fitzgerald’s last fight (W PTS 8 v Laszlo Fazekas) and Fowler’s last fight I thought ‘Right that’s the right fight’. People want him to step up, I understand that. It’s a great domestic fight,” said Coldwell.
“I rate Fitzgerald. He’s a banger, he comes to fight I think it’s a really, really good fight for him (Fowler) and that’s a fight that breaks him out. Cheeseman for me… I give credit where it’s due… Cheeseman for me is in front of Fowler. He’s got double the fights. I think this year, domestically, for me, he’s the most improved domestic fighter out there. Definitely most improved domestic prospect out there. I think (trainer) Tony Sims and what he’s done with Cheeseman, and Cheeseman himself, is fantastic. He’s gone from being a kid where I’ve thought ‘He’s alright’ to a kid that I think who’s really good and he can box in a couple of different ways.
“I think the Commonwealth champion is a great fight for Fowler and should he come through those two fights, as I think he will, that’s when I think right now you’re ready to mix it with someone like Cheeseman.”
Fowler appears to split boxing fans down the middle. His personality appears to rub people up the wrong way. Social media is one of the greatest self-promotional platforms ever given to fighters, but it has its downsides. You say what you think and there are those who, as in any walk of life, will disagree with you, begin to dislike you and wish you failure. It’s no skin off Fowler’s nose who is grateful to those who do support him which in turn helps the Scouser get through the loneliness when he’s away from his loved ones.
Coldwell knows Fowler has a big personality, that he can be outspoken but is left frustrated by the continued negativity by some.
“The kid has had seven fights and he’s improving, and that’s all you can ask of a fighter. You look at other fighters on that bill (on Saturday) and they were getting hit a lot more than what Fowler did. Yet people don’t make a big fuss about that. With Fowler he gets hit a couple of times and it’s ‘He gets hit way too easy, way too easy!’. You watch your fights in America: Terence Crawford gets hit, Errol Spence gets hit and they were getting hit when they were coming through. Look at what they’ve managed to do in their career. It’s mad. It’s just how people are.
“It’s acceptable to criticise and to slag people off. It’s not like Fowler’s out there getting pissed every weekend, puts on several stone, gets in trouble. He lives the life and he’s trying his best. He’s not the most technically gifted fighter out there. He’s not a slickster, he’s not a (Joe) Cordina, he’s not a (Josh) Kelly. He’s not somebody that’s gifted and blessed with talent. He has to graft and graft and graft at what he does in order to catch up with these kids. But it’s a completely different style.
“I’ve known what a big job I’ve had on my hands. He’s a slow burner but he’s dedicated, so determined. It’s about what you do on fight night. It’s no good doing it in the gym, showing me what you can do. It’s no good having great spars and looking good. It’s doing it on fight night and he did that (against O’Brien) and I’m over the moon.”
Twitter @sbrown2pt0
