By Dean Parr
On the undercard of Bernard Hopkins vs. Roy Jones Jr. II on April 3rd, Freddie Roach-trained Scot, Craig McEwan, 17-0 (9 early), will take on Kris Andrews, 15-8-2 (4 KOs). Many think this will be a non-fight for the undefeated McEwan, although John Tandy, head coach at Talon Boxing, and consequently Kris Andrews' trainer, begs to differ, although he can see why many are discounting his man's chances.
“Yeah I think it is fair [that people are writing Andrews off],” said John. “Kris doesn't have the best record, and I think if it was a fight I wasn't involved in I would be going for a McEwan win. Kris is a 154lb fighter, and he is moving up to 160lbs, which is McEwan's weight.
“However, this is a big opportunity for Kris - it is his chance to shine. I wouldn't have taken the fight if we didn't have a chance; I hate losing. When my fighters lose, it feels like I lose as well. McEwan is the hot favourite, but this is boxing, we have a game plan and let's see what happens. There have been bigger upsets!”
Indeed, John and his fighter feel blessed to just have the opportunity to fight on the undercard of such a big fight. “It's nice to be involved in a piece of history,” beamed John. “Many people are saying the fight shouldn't happen after Jones lost out to Danny Green, but Hopkins is no longer at his best either - he looked significantly slower in his last outing against Ornelas. These guys have been on top of the game so long they deserve this fight, even if it is just a farewell to the ring.”
“They fought each other 17 years ago”, he continued, “and many think they should have fought again quicker, but they both went on their separate paths and both were very successful. I think it should be a decent fight, it may not be a classic but both will be out to finish on a winning note. I think Kris feels the same - he jumped at the chance of the fight and he is very excited to be involved in a fight on that card.”
Tandy appreciates that a thorough strategy is necessary to take this opportunity with both hands. He divulged, “We are keeping our cards very close to our chests. As I said, we have a gameplan and I think if Kris can follow it through then we will be causing a shock. I have followed McEwan for a long time - I knew of him as an amateur and I actually did an interview with him back in 2007 for my website www.ultimateboxingresults.com, when he was 4-0.
“We are both from the UK, so when he came out to the US and was signed with Golden Boy, it was a big deal, I have had my guys spar with him down at the Wildcard gym, and all the eyes will be on Craig. It is our job to make people sit up in their seats and take notice of Kris instead.”
At this point, as a reader, you may still be looking at Andrews' record in disbelief, and wondering how on Earth he has a chance against a highly touted prospect such as McEwan. There is more than the eye can see regarding the Canadian's losses though.
“His record isn't great”, admitted Tandy, “but he has only lost two out of his last 14 fights and both of those were close points decisions over 10 rounds. Kris was a successful amateur, and had 110 fights, winning 90. Dedication to the sport has always been his downfall, though. He was walking into amateur fights after a night on the town and winning, and he thought he could do the same as a pro and obviously got a shock - he was 4-6-1 from his first 11 professional fights.
"He managed to turn things around, although he was mainly training himself and taking fights at short notice. He is new to Talon Boxing, and came here on a trial last month and impressed me with his determination, drive and his ability, so we invited him back.
“Again, this fight has come on a little shorter notice than we would have liked but we have a good three weeks and a warm down, so I am confident we have enough time. I have been in this position before with Karim Mayfield when having a short time to really turn things around, and he won well. Kris is coming in OK shape, so we have a base to build on. There is no pressure on him; everyone is expecting him to lose the fight, so we are going to work hard and as I have said, this is our stage to cause a shock.”
Tandy is known for his top-drawer predictions for fights, and he was more than willing to offer his ‘two pence’ on this upcoming encounter. “We have kept the prediction rate at 90% for the last 3 years at www.ultimateboxingresults.com,” boasted John.
“However, we now have a new VIP section that you can pay to join for future predictions which covers all the big fights 4 months in advance, so I am not sure if my backers would be very happy if I start giving out freebies! Let's just say the safe money would be on a McEwan points win. Kris would have to step up to the plate and make a huge improvement on his previous form to win; the question is can he? If I didn't think he would be able to do that I wouldn't be involved. I can guarantee it will be a good fight and it may not go how people expect it to.”
