Jamie Arthur Flourishing Under Avoth’s Guidance
By Terence Dooley
Jamie Arthur’s comeback from early retirement has seen the Welsh contender reel off six impressive wins, his latest victory, an upset decision over the highly touted Akaash Bhatia, has propelled Arthur into a mandated a showdown with British super-featherweight boss Martin Lindsay.
Arthur, 29, believes that new trainer Eddie Avoth - a former British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight champion - can take him all the way to the top.
Although active for just one fight – that win over Akaash in June - the Arthur-Avoth axis is working a treat. Jamie has told Walesonline that his current coach is a big influence on him.
“When I came back I knew if I trained right and my mind was right, it would take a good boy to beat me,” Arthur enthused. “Eddie has given me confidence to go with that and I really believe in myself again. He has got me in absolutely great shape as well. I’m now in a position where I can go out there and dominate a fight.”
He continued: “When you put all that together I believe I can go on to win either the British or Commonwealth titles. And, if I can do that, who knows about the world stage. When I retired last time I knew I hadn’t achieved everything I wanted to achieve in the professional game. I knew I was better than how I ended up at that time. I’m not saying I’m a world-beater. But I’m not a bad fighter either.”
At 64, Avoth is one of the oldest of the old school, so Arthur had to get used to a new regime. Eddie boxed under the stewardship of the legendary Eddie Thomas – who worked with Ken Buchanan, Howard Winstone, and Colin Jones. A no-nonsense type, Avoth has told Arthur that he must live like a pro, embarking on training camps prior to his big fights.
“For me there is only one way to train a professional boxer,” confirmed Avoth. “That’s what I learnt from Eddie Thomas and we all know how great he was and the champions he had.”
“I am giving Jamie the benefit of everything I learned from Eddie,” he explained. “It’s proving to be a success with Jamie and, while a lot of people have written him off in the past, he is now in line for a shot at the British title. Jamie, while coming to me late on, is listening. I’m taking him back to the old school, the true hard graft, and he knows it is working.”
Arthur’s win over Bhatia has placed him under a spotlight, with the help of Avoth he could become a champion, the fight with Lindsay will answer a ton of questions, and should happen at some point over the coming year.
Please send news and views to neckodeemus@hotmail.co.uk
