Kenny Anderson Discusses The Latest With His Career
By Terence Dooley
Kenny Anderson meets Wayne Reed over six-threes on a VIP Promotions bill in Colne this Friday as he bids to move to 4-0 in his second full year under the stewardship of Kevin Maree. Anderson netted Commonwealth gold at light-heavyweight in the 2006 Games and spent the early part of his paid career travelling to Freddie Roach’s Wildcard Gym before joining Maree in 2009.
‘The Widowmaker’ came into the sport early in life. Following his family members into the gym was a natural decision for the young boxer and one he believes helped turn him into the fighter he is today.
“Boxing has always been in my life,” said Anderson during a recent interview. “My dad was a boxer, my granddad was a boxer, what else was I going to do? I’ve been in the boxing gym my whole life – it was just always there. I can’t understand these guys who start later in life, you know? Even if you come into boxing at 15 it is difficult for you. It is something that always interested me.”
Anderson’s father taught him the ropes before handing the reins over to the Scottish amateur coaches. The Scottish super-middleweight contender believes that the decision benefitted him, telling me that the father-son sporting relationship is a tough one to maintain.
“My dad took a step back,” he revealed. “He helped me with my training when I was younger. I’ve seen it before where guys have their dad training them and they fall out. It is a difficult relationship to have, it does work sometimes but the majority of times it causes problems.”
The Commonwealth Games win generated a buzz; Scotland crowned a new boxing hero when Kenny became king. The fighter had set his sights on the event and was determined to register a major tournament win before turning over.
He said: “It was a goal I had to reach before I turned pro. It was always in my head to win that medal. I achieved what I did as an amateur, it is in the bag now and I want to push on as a pro.
“I was underestimated going in, I always am, but it was a big thing to make those Games and I was the only Scottish athlete to win a medal so a lot was made of it. I’d advise going into those kinds of tournaments to any youngster who wants to push themselves on. It was a personal experience, it taught me to deal with pressure, which is a test in itself, and builds up confidence.
“I was never the favourite, never picked out as ‘the one’ – I was always underestimated. Then you finally get that medal and look to the pros. You also keep the same people around you to keep your feet on the ground.”
Anderson’s trips to the Wildcard opened his eyes to the qualities required of a top-level coach; he applied this experience when making the decision to travel down to Maree’s Clitheroe base when preparing for fights. The 15-1 (11) fighter is convinced that his trainer’s mix of old-school sensibilities and modern methods will take him to the top.
“I took it (the chance to go to the Wildcard) with both hands as Craig McEwan was over there,” he explained. “I was a wee bit nervous before I went. It was an eye-opener because you expect it to be this big set-up and to get a lot of rough and tumble, and you do, but I looked around and saw guys who were no better than me.
“There’s a lot of hype to be honest. I don’t rate being over in America. It is good for certain people but didn’t really suit me. I did get on well with Freddie. I learned different things so it was good for experience in some ways. It is difficult for some guys over there because if Freddie doesn’t like you then that is that.”
“Aye, he took me into the corner for one fight,” his response when asked if he had hit it off with Roach. “I met Oscar De La Hoya and all that. That was pretty good but it would have been easy to get caught up in the hype. It is sometimes good to travel away far from home before realising you’ve got the best already on your doorstep.”
He added: “Freddie’s a really good trainer. It comes down to the fact that he’s a really good tactician at the highest level. At the very top he can improve guys tactically.”
Anderson splits his time between Scotland and Cheshire these days, his weekdays are spent at Maree’s facility at the Stirk House Hotel, weekends see him return to his family in Edinburgh. A tough decision for the former Celtic titlist to make yet one that he maintains is necessary if he is to progress.
“It is brutal having to be away from your wife and kid for long periods when the kids are young because they feel it as well,” stated Anderson. “It is a big part of their lives missed but that is the sacrifice you make. They knew that daddy is away working and have grown up with that, as horrible as it sounds they are used to it.
“I turned over with Peter Harrison but he couldn’t work with pros because of his job with Scotland’s amateur boxers so I then kind of inherited Billy Nelson. We parted company on the week of a fight [a third round stoppage of Hastings Raisani]. Things weren’t right so I made the decision. If you’re not comfortable with someone then you can’t have them in your corner.
“It was something that should have been addressed sooner. I realised it before the fight, had seen the mistakes Alex [Arthur] had made jumping from trainer to trainer and wanted someone to work with all the way to world championship level.
“I knew straight away Kevin had all the qualities I was looking for – I’ve been constantly challenged by him. I improve every week and he knows the psychological side as well as the physical. Kevin teaches us to live healthy, about the damage you do if you blow up between fights.”
Still, the quiet Lancastrian can also dish out a rollicking or two if required, with Anderson quick to admit that fighters need to be kept on their toes during training camps in order to avoid bad habits setting in.
“Don’t get me wrong, he’s also tough,” his description of Maree’s regime. “When it comes to training it is his gym. You have to be there on time, your water bottle has to be clean, your hands have to be properly wrapped, you have to have a protein shake ready for afterwards and a dry t-shirt for when you’ve done otherwise there’s no point turning up – I suppose I need that because if you give me an inch then I’ll break the boundaries.”
Reed holds a modest 8-3 (3) record, the Sheffield southpaw is no early Christmas present, though, and has been buoyed by a brace of wins since losing to Robin Reid in July. Wayne will no doubt hope to derail Anderson’s plans of fighting the likes of George Groves, who defeated Anderson in November of last year, and James DeGale in 2012.
Indeed, a win for the 24-year-old would breathe fresh life into his career; it is up to Anderson to crush Reed’s hopes of derailing Matchroom’s latest promotional signing. Anderson, however, feels that he is gathering momentum, telling me that his good cheer will carry him through to a successful 2012.
“I am happy with my recent wins, with my trainer and with my life. People think you need to be angry to be a fighter, you don’t,” his assessment of the second half of this year. “If you’re happy within yourself then you’ll fight at your optimum level. I’ve shown this in recent fights.”
If he performs to his optimum level on Friday night and carries this into his next few fights it will be hard to stop the Anderson express.
Please send news and views to neckodeemus@hotmail.co.uk or Twitter @terryboxing.
