Gary Lockett In-Depth on Liam Williams, Harris, Hopes For 2017

By Matt Bevan

It’s safe to say that Gary Lockett wants to put 2016 behind him as quickly as possible. The former world title challenger was involved in some of the most difficult moments for boxing last year, including Nick Blackwell and Mike Towell.

But he is looking ahead to 2017 with renewed optimism and is confident that his stable will progress onto bigger and better things, led by British super-welterweight champion Liam Williams, who could well be closing in on world honours.

Lockett has provided Boxing Scene with an update on his stable and his hopes for them this year, as well as his thoughts on the introduction of BT into the sport and what it will do for boxing on the whole.

“2016 was the worst year for me by far. There was a lot of soul searching but we’ve got to put it all behind us,” he told ‘Scene exclusively.

“We’re all hoping Nick Blackwell recovers after the latest incident and it’s unfortunate that the bright moments were overshadowed by what happened to Nick and of course poor Mike Towell.”

The aforementioned Towell passed away at the age of 25, just 24 hours after being knocked out by Dale Evans in a British welterweight title eliminator in Glasgow in September, while Blackwell –– who was forced to retire from the ring in March after suffering a bleed to his skull in the aftermath of a defeat –– is still in hospital after falling ill following a sparring session in November.

“But we move on,” Lockett continues, “and I’m looking to seeing how my boys are going to progress this year. Liam Williams is number three with the WBO, but I don’t know what is next yet for him, although I’m sure there is plenty in the pipeline, we’re just waiting for the news.

“He hasn’t boxed to his full potential in the last two fights. For example, in the Gary Corcoran fight, it was a bad tempered affair and he wanted to kill him with every shot. But as he goes through the levels you will see him get better and better.”

Williams (16-0-1, 11 KOs) stopped Corcoran in the penultimate round of 12 in their clash at the Cardiff Ice Arena in July and has since added to his title haul with a stoppage over Gabor Gorbics last November to pick up the WBO’s European crown at 154 pounds.

“He has been labelled a puncher,” former fighter Lockett says of his ever-impressivee charge, “but he has a very strong all-round game and is an extremely good boxer.

“He’s only shown the tip of the iceberg so far and he’ll continue to grow. We’re hoping that he’ll be back out in March.

“I’ve got some other lads including Jay Harris, who has gone totally under the radar so far, in fact he hasn’t even had a TV slot yet.”

Harris, from Swansea, has a ring record of 9-0. He has stopped his last six opponents and Lockett hopes there will be big things to come for him this year.

He said the 26-year-old “is a good kid who I’m confident we can get a title fight this year.”

Finally, Lockett gives ‘Scene the lowdown on the rest of his stable as he looks to make this year a hell of a lot better than the previous 12 months.

“Alex Hughes is an insane talent who has had to do it all the hard way. He failed his brain scan initially due to an irregularity but he has been given the all-clear by two different neurologists.

“He’s sparred all over with the likes of George Groves, which gives him lots of experience and will only help him. I’m expecting a big year from him.

“I’ve recently joined forces with Chris Jenkins who has been twice unlucky for the British title. He was ripped off in his last fight against Philip Sutcliffe Jr, who along with his Dad are the only people who think he won it. Chris never lost and the referee must have been watching the ring card girls instead.

“Keep an eye out for Zack Davies, who lost to Josh Taylor in the quarter-finals of the last Commonwealth Games. He lost to Zoltan Szabo, who also beat Stephen Ormond, but he had a virus which hindered him. I’m still convinced he did enough. Despite [that, though,] we’ll [be looking to] keep him busy.

“With BT getting on board and joining forces with BoxNation it’s massive for my boys and all the others that are involved. The sport will continue to grow and more subscribers will join and boxing will only get stronger as a result.

“My hopes for this year is to see that my lads are active and not parked up doing nothing. That’s the worst thing for a fighter, sat there twiddling your thumbs and earning no money. So I have to keep them busy and active.

“I’ll be looking for Liam to secure a European title shot and hopefully progress towards a world title opportunity. I’d also like to see Jay and Alex win their first titles, Chris to get a bit of luck and Zack to show his talent.

“2017 should be a good year for us.”