By Terence Dooley
Ashton’s Jon Kays felt that his boxing world had come to an end on November 11th 2008, when the highly-touted former amateur star lost on points to Craig Johnson in Blackpool. Defeat hit ‘2 Smokes’ hard, Jon trained changers, leaving Nigel Hardman to join Bobby Rimmer’s Boxing Academy, and has since won six on the bounce, breaking into the domestic top ten in the process. Kays, 12-1 (3 early), decisioned Bulgaria’s Yordan Vasilev in May, managing to keep his composure after his projected International Masters super-featherweight title shot fell through after co-challenger Mo Khalid’s withdrawal.
“I was supposed to do a ten-rounder and had trained for that,” said Kays when recalling the fraught build-up. “I was doing ten rounds in the gym with ease. I did twelve rounds on the body belt on the last hard day so I felt great doing the eight rounds. I kept a high workrate from start to finish.
“I was happy with the performance but gutted that it wasn’t for a title. I’ve been scheduled to fight for the Masters twice and it has fell through both times. I want to do it the proper way so want that title and will then look to an English title and then the British title.”
“Yeah, definitely,” said Kays when asked if the 130lb division is Britain’s most stacked weight-class, “it is a hotbed of a division at the minute. We’ve got [British champion] Gary Sykes, Andy Morris, Anthony Crolla and Stephen Foster Junior, who I think is beyond domestic and at European level if I’m being honest. Then you’ve got the lads coming through. Me and Anthony Crolla would be a great fight for the English title but I hear he might be challenging Gary Sykes next.
“All I can do is keep winning at this level and hope those fights come through for me. I’ve sparred them all and held my own, if not got the better of them, so I think I’m at that level now. I jumped into the top ten in my last fight and I want to prove myself. I’d like to get on more TV shows, these off-TV shows are great for getting the rounds but I’m at the stage where I want to get myself known a bit.”
Indeed, Sykes has seen local lads such as Karl Place garner rave reviews on Sky TV undercards and wants to post his own notices; his last TV appearance came on the Jamie Moore-Michele Piccirillo undercard in March of last year, his first fight since the Johnson defeat, with Kays winning a hard-fought decision over Barrington Brown, who decked Kays in round five.
“All the other domestic lads are in front of cameras so people know who they are, I’m just on the outside a little bit and want people to know who I am. I want that exposure so people can think of me as on that level. Bobby and me know I am on that level,” declared Kays.
“The Brown fight was my only appearance on a Sky show, it was an entertaining fight, one of the best that night, so I thought that would maybe get me a few more chances on Sky shows. I’ve been patient but really need those shows now. I want a bit of exposure.”
Kays, though, is not complaining, promoter Steve Wood has kept his man busy since that sole reverse; Jon is rumoured to be taking on Paul Economides at the Manchester Velodrome in his next fight, that elusive Masters title should be on the line.
“Steve’s kept me busy in a time when there aren’t that many shows,” stressed Kays. “Frank [Maloney’s] got world title fights coming up so I’d like to get on one of those. I’ve been busy since September and have been training hard.”
Economides boxed his way to seven wins before coming unstuck in a single stanza when losing to Stephen Russell last November. ‘Spartan’ has since defeated Shaun Docherty on points over four rounds but will be out of his depth, and fighting above his normal weight, should the fight with Kays come off. A win for Kays could see him pushed into the domestic mix, a move that cannot come soon enough for the Tamesider.
“Of course”, he said when asked if he hankers after the big domestic fights, “it is about timing and if I have the right fight I’d not be worried about the money as long as I can get the same time to prepare that these other kids get. I’ve built up a good record and got myself a good ranking. I want to get offered a fight with a top kid but why take it at late-notice and give them the advantage. You need to be at one hundred percent, if not more, to take those fights. Bobby gets me in great condition. If I get notice for any of those big fights then I’ll be victorious – I know that for a fact.”
He added: “I wasn’t even breathing heavy after the Vasilev fight. Bobby said my recovery rate was spot-on. I’m a fit lad, I train hard so ten or twelve rounds won’t be a problem for me. People think Gary Sykes has got a massive workrate but you should have seen mine in the last fight, I could match Gary or go past him over twelve rounds. I’m here, I’m waiting – give me the call and I’ll fight anyone.”
A fight with Anthony ‘Million Dollar’ Crolla would catch on in the local area. There is also a score to settle; Kays defeated Anthony Crolla 12-11 in their 2005 ABA featherweight qualifier – a Kays-Crolla rematch won’t be a hard sell in these parts.
“I beat Anthony as an amateur,” recalled Kays. “If you make that fight for over twelve rounds then we would both go for it. We are both local lads, both nice kids, and we’d both bring good support. A few of my mates watch him and the other way round, it would be a good fight.”
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