By Terence Dooley
Kenny Anderson takes to Sheffield's Ponds Forge Arena ring tomorrow night after securing a guest spot on Matchroom's Kell Brook-headlined bill. The Scottish fighter meets Paul Morby over six-threes in his third fight in as many months since spending over six-months on the sidelines after giving George Groves hell for the Londoner's Commonwealth super-middleweight title last November, Groves ran out a sixth-round winner in that one.
Anderson stopped Joe Rea and Lee Duncan in his last two, the quick fire outings also gave him a chance to spend more time with Kevin Maree, his trainer, as the two seek to turn the 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medallist into the domestic division's number one fighter. Maree was particularly impressed with August's fourth-round TKO over Duncan, telling me that Anderson thrived in front of his Edinburgh crowd on Alex Arthur's début show as a boxing promoter.
“It was great for Kenny to show his hometown people how much he's improved – he did a number on Duncan. Kenny really wanted the show to be a success for Alex and busted a gut to help make it a brilliant night's boxing, he hopes Alex can do it again,” enthused Maree when speaking to me on the phone after today's weigh in.
“I always said that the more Kenny got out there the more you'd see from him, that has been the case in his last two fights. We've been able to pack extra muscle on him with a really hard strength and conditioning programme because he was making the weight so easily before. He's massive now, you'll see that in the ring tomorrow night, and we know what he's got to play with when it comes to making weight.”
“Kenny will be showcased on Sky TV,” confirmed Maree. “Matchroom have got us a slot on a big show to give Kenny some exposure. We're just happy that he's active – plus we can work on things in training without the pressure of a title fight – and we're happy for him to fight anyone for a title after December.”
Their chief targets are Groves and James DeGale, who takes on Piotr Wilczewski for the EBU belt next Saturday, yet Kevin feels that the 168lb division has a dark horse in its ranks. Former British boss Paul Smith tackles Groves on November 5th in a fight that Maree believes could surprise many fans and pundits.
“I think it is a lot more interesting than people think,” his opinion of Groves-Smith. “I rate Paul, he's a really good fighter who for some reason didn't quite turn up on the night against DeGale. That wasn't the usual Smith – I think he could pull this one off. If he does then it (Smith-Anderson) is definitely a fight we want.”
Morby holds a 6-8-1 record, he is also well versed in the dark arts of negating his opponent, giving Tony Jeffries fits en route to a decision defeat last month. Anderson knows the dangers of underestimating guys like Morby; the 28-year-old popped onto the line to assure his followers that he was in tip-top condition and ready for the tricky southpaw.
“I'm feeling strong and fit. It felt for a while that things weren't happening but I've a few more fights under me, I have Morby tomorrow and am looking forward to it. I'm enjoying my boxing. I want to fight for titles, moving into positions that I know I can excel in,” growled the 14-1 (10) boxer.
Anderson was quick to pay tribute to Matchroom for making elbow room for him as well as praising Eddie Hearn's recent promotional moves.
“Eddie is a boxing promoter but he's also got that enthusiasm, he has an eye for a good fight and looks after his boys, which you can't really say about some other promoters and managers. The Hattons didn't deliver for me but Eddie has given me a place on this bill and a chance to get another fight in,” mused Anderson.
“It is good exposure, aye, but I'm not bothered where I fight, on Sky in a big arena or non-televised in a small hall. Little things make the difference, it was a hostile crowd in Manchester (against Groves) and that brought out the best in me because it was a test of character.
“It is just good to be fighting because getting out has been a major problem for me. I've had tremendous bad luck and not had great promotion behind me. Steve Wood is managing me now, he's a great manager and I've also got Kevin and the guys behind me. These people believe in me, they know that I can be a world champion, and that is what you want.”
Anderson's relationship with Maree has moved from strength to strength, their bond was not stretched to breaking point by the defeat to Groves nor was it dented during Kenny's early-2010 fallow period. Anderson cites the Maree effect as a key part of his good cheer.
“If you're in a good place mentally you train hard and things are good physically. I love my boxing and training right now. I can't wait to fight again because I spent so long waiting for fights and picking up ring rust, slow starts and other things that don't help you get things down to a tee. We've worked hard on a lot of stuff for two-and-a-half years, it is nice to put it into practice. Kevin learned about me as a fighter, I've now got regular fights and things are moving in the right direction.
“Kevin has got a good understanding of physiology, he's also got a old school mentality, I like that and it mixes with the modern scientific stuff. Some trainers are still in the dark ages when it comes to weights, obviously you don't want to be muscle bound but if you look at other sports you see that the top level guys do strength and conditioning programmes.
“My strength and muscle endurance is much better. Some guys might have a punch for a few rounds but lose it after that no matter how they hard they train because their arms tire. I've been getting into proper shape. I will carry that punch later because I'm doing the right things, eating right and living right – I've never been as fit.”
He added: “I was deluding myself in my training a few years ago, it was adequate for what I needed but my eyes opened when I joined Kevin.”
A keen believer in running his own race, Anderson does not want to be defined by his battle with Groves, stressing that he will pick up his own titles as the years roll on to prove there is more to his career than that see-saw battle with the British titlist. Anderson's chief target in the coming months? Whosoever happens to be holding the belts when Kenny comes a calling.
“A lot of people are happy to steal vacant titles. I don't want to steal them, I want to take them from champions and will do that if these guys get in with me. I'm not specifically aiming for anybody at the minute but the guys with the titles are all there for the taking – I plan to wipe them all out.”
Sky Sports 1 and HD1 televise from 8.30pm on Saturday night.
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