By Terence Dooley

No one has waited longer or more patiently for a world ranking to roll around than Salford’s Jamie Moore, who has doggedly worked the system over the past five-years to get within touching distance of the light-middleweight summit.  Moore, WBC #3, went into Friday night’s fight with Ryan Rhodes as a former British, Commonwealth and current European champion. 

Indeed, Moore’s fight with Rhodes, ranked #7 by the WBC, was billed as a final eliminator.  Now, though, Moore’s WBC title dreams lie in tatters after Ryan Rhodes out-fought the ultimate warrior to register a stunning seventh-round stoppage win.

Moore was riding the crest of a wave thus far in 2009; with European title wins over Michel Piccirillo, who Moore hammered in three rounds back in March to win the vacant belt, and Roman Dzuman, who barely lasted two rounds with Jamie in May.  This wave crashed against the rocky shores of Rhodes’ resistance and was turned away by the 32-year-old’s powerful punches. 

In the eyes on many observers, Moore (10st 13lb 8oz) started the fight with a full head of steam – up-close, though, you could see that there was a weakened look to Moore, he landed his shots, sure, but the impact and velocity lay with Ryan (10st 13lb 8oz) during the early exchanges.  However, Jamie was landing often and cleanly, switching to the head and body. 

It looked a clear case of the puncher, Rhodes, versus the pressure fighter, Moore; in a fight like this the pressure fighter has to show a super-human ability to suck up punishment as Ricky Hatton, a ringside observer on Friday night, did when defeating Kostya Tszyu back in 2005. 

However, Ryan, not Jamie, looked the body puncher earlier in the fight, although Jamie landed plenty of shots to the ribcage his blows were placed, Ryan’s were powered home and they were clearly having an effect of the legs of Moore, who shook his legs at points in the fight, perhaps trying to kick some life into them.

Still, Jamie is a warrior, he always has been, and he produced the kind of clean inside punching that is seldom seen in the modern area, no grabbing up close from Moore, he switched between head and body, hooks and uppercuts, and the partisan crowd loved roared their approval. 

Ryan gave his fans good cheer, also; the challenger tucked up, took the shots coming his way and then exploded with punches reminiscent of the bombs that John Murray landed on Lee Meager during their British title fight, the kind of shots that look good on TV but sound, and feel, that bit crueler when sat at ringside.

Dave Coldwell, who trains Rhodes, had told BoxingScene.com that Ryan would have to come through real in-ring adversity for the first time in his career during this contest.  Dave reminded his fighter of this fact during the breaks between rounds.  There was drama in Jamie’s corner, too, particularly at the end of round three.  As Moore made his way back to his stool the legs, again, dipped a little.  Clearly, there was a problem here, the type of problem that you don’t need when you have someone like Rhodes in front of you.

Badly bruised, taking shots and sucking it all up, Ryan came out for round seven like a man on a mission, he did not go wild, he did not rage at Moore; instead, he waited for Jamie’s guard to part, he then bobbed his head under Moore’s shots and threaded a beautiful right uppercut-cum-hook through Moore’s defense. 

The game was up, Moore’s legs went from under him, he staggered to the ropes and then fell to the canvas - fight over, or so it seemed.  Despite being hurt, drained and confused, Moore rose to his knee, nodded at his trainer Oliver Harrison, and then clambered to his feet. 

Incredibly, Jamie got his feet under him and roared back at Ryan, it was reminiscent of Moore’s thriller with Michael Jones in 2005.  Moore went down heavily, twice, in that one before to halting his man in the sixth-round of that year’s fight of the year.  Could Moore do it again?

Fascinatingly, the crowd were caught in two minds, roaring Jamie on when he pressed only to hold their collective breath when Ryan swung his shots.  Ricky Hatton hollered at Moore, telling his long time friend to jump all over Ryan.  Jamie could not hear him, or maybe Moore is too much of a fighter, he did what he always does when hurt, marching into Ryan and throwing his own stabbing, shots – unfortunately, there was no longer any steam on the punches. 

Rhodes patiently bided his time and then bang!, a straight right hand sent Moore crashing to the ropes once again.  Ryan clinically picked his shots; his deliberate right hands forced referee Howard Foster to rescue Moore at 2:35 of the round.  Ryan went wild, the crowd were stunned and Foster embraced Moore, who had gone all in on this fight only to be left devastated by the result.

Still, it was another classic, a fight of the year candidate from both men in a contest that neither had to take, that they had even stepped in the ring with one another is a testament to their spirit, the fight itself will stand as a testament to their will. 

Rhodes, who rises to 43-4 (29), lived up to his pre-fight words, he came to Jamie’s backyard and ripped away that European title belt, not to mention the WBC dream; Jamie, as he always does, lived up to his words also, he had told me that he would drag Rhodes into places that Ryan had never visited, only to find that Ryan was prepared to walk through hell in order to win this fight.

Dave Coldwell could barely hide his smile when we caught up with him in the dressing room post-fight.  The man with the plan revealed that his guy had thrown the pre-fight tactics to one side after feeling Moore’s strength.

“A lot of people said Ryan couldn’t cope with this pressure but I told him to apply his own pressure and you saw what he did,” Coldwell enthused. 

“That was Jamie Moore’s fight and Ryan beat him at it!  Ryan wasn’t rolling his head as much as he could on the inside and he was catching the odd shot but as long as he rolled his head I knew he would come through it.  He wasn’t feeling bad when coming back to the corner - we knew he had it.

“We said to him that he had to old-man Jamie.  We knew that Jamie would get on top of him but we also knew that Ryan could handle that.  The plan wasn’t to stand there at the start, we wanted to box the fight out off Jamie and then stand there with him but we stood there from round one after feeling Jamie’s strength.”

He continued: “These are two really good fighters, the best two in the country.  The winner deserves to fight for a world title; you can see that from watching what Ryan did tonight.  No one believed that Ryan had balls.  People said he’d get smashed and would have to box but he basically just stood there and performed against the genuine article in Jamie Moore.  Win or lose Ryan was going to show people that spirit.”

Indeed, Dave had claimed that Rhodes would have to come through tough times in this contest, that his man would, perhaps, have to go through his darkest ever in-ring moments to triumph.  Dave felt that his claims had been vindicated on the night.

“Listen, I had this conversation with Ryan and then I told you about that conversation the other night,” he recalled.  “I said that this would be the one time that Ryan would have to come through a fight by gritting it out – I reminded him of that conversation between rounds.  He had to dig down, show grit and show everyone that he wanted it.  People won’t doubt Ryan again.  Ryan said to me that people were underestimating him but I knew that anyway.  Look at him, five-years ago he was finished, now he’s the European champion and next in line for a world title shot.”

Coldwell had some words of comfort for Moore: “If Jamie felt tight at the weight then he can move up to middleweight, you’ve lost to a good fighter, not a bum.  This is the best of boxing, when two top fighters put it on the line someone will get beat and have to comeback, that is what it is all about.  Jamie is hurting right now and I feel so sorry for him, what he has done for British boxing over the years has been fantastic, you have to feel for the kid.  I’m still a huge Jamie fan, he puts it on the line in every fight, if he carries on then he won’t suffer for this, he’s not smashed up or badly hurt.”

As for Ryan, there was a subplot in this fight.  Frank Warren is Ryan’s co-manager, along with Coldwell.  Dean Powell, who was in Rhodes’ corner, represented the promoter on the night.  Ryan is a free agent promotionally, you can see where this is going - could Warren step in and promote Ryan from now on (providing that the managerial contract is ripped up, naturally).
 
Coldwell smiled: “Ryan is what I would call a free agent promotionally.  Frank Warren and myself co-manage him and whatever offers come our way will be listened to.  We can sit down and listen to offers after this.  Frank and I manage him, Andy Ayling and Dean Powell are here tonight and we’ve all come together to support Ryan in this big fight, as we should do.  Ryan hasn’t got a promotional contract, so people can make him an offer.”

As for Moore, who falls to 32-4 (23 KO’s), we caught up with the former champion in his dressing room; Jamie paused for a moment, soaking his badly bruised right fist in an ice-filled sink, he sighed, gathered his thoughts and then fielded questions.  Firstly, what had gone wrong for him on the night?

“I’ve been in trouble in the past and come back strong but Ryan gritted his teeth and came back into the fight tonight,” answered Moore.  “I won’t take any credit away from him.  We both took and gave massive shots but there had to be a loser, unfortunately for me.  I lost tonight but there are no sour grapes on my part.  I want to congratulate Ryan.”

Rhodes, in standing in front of Moore, had given Jamie the kind of fight he craves, only to prove too much for Moore as the rounds ticked on.  Ringside whispers focused on the weight issue; however, the boxer himself tried to deflect the weighted weight questions, telling us that he had tried to impose his own style on Ryan only for Rhodes to beat him at his own game.

“For someone who fights in Ryan’s style to adapt to my fight, and at his age, and then beat me at it, well you have to give him all the respect in the world,” marveled Moore.  “For someone who is first and foremost a back foot boxer and counter puncher to stand inside and fight me like that is something you can’t argue with.  I thought that I was winning the fight but Ryan took his lumps and came right back at me, I can’t really complain.  He is one hell of a fighter.”

Moore, though, had felt his strength ebb away early in the encounter.  The rigors of making weight, while not an excuse for the loss, were a big factor in the manner of his defeat.  “I wanted to take the fight to him and take it out off him to wear him down and break him down.  I was doing that to him but I ran out of gas,” revealed Moore.

“Listen, I don’t want to make excuses but the petrol tank was empty.  In the past I’ve been able to grit my teeth and come through, but not tonight, and not because I’ve had tough fights, the weight making hurt me.  You can mention the weight but not as an excuse, please don’t use it as an excuse, Ryan beat me fair and square and it was my own fucking fault.”

“Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.  I’m a world-class fighter who’s lost to another world-class fighter but I now think that I might have got hurt fighting for a world title at light-middle.  This is the big man looking after me and telling me not to be stupid.  Ryan’s definitely good enough to challenge for a world title and I hope he does.

“It was nip-and-tuck all the way, I didn’t feel good early on but Ryan seemed to hurt me with every single shot, especially to the body, and I’ve never felt like that in my life.  My style is based on endurance and fitness; it just wasn’t there tonight.  It is a classic example of someone staying too long at the wrong weight.”

Moore was also cognizant of the fact that he would be heavily criticized in the wake of this defeat, those who wrote him off pre-fight would barely be able to contain their delight after this reverse.  “People will look at this and ask if I’m as good as people say,” said Moore. 

“Basically, I’ve spent the whole camp making the weight and placed emphasis on that instead of the fight.  But we’re going onto this weight thing again though.  I’ve been at light-middleweight since I turned pro and I was so close to a world title – I didn’t want to move up and give up my ranking and everything I’ve worked for - I’ve had enough setbacks already.  It has all come back and bit me on the arse.

“I’m not looking at this as a negative.  It was a good fight to watch.  I chose this fight because Ryan and me is a good fight for the British public.  I enjoy being in big fights for the boxing public, this was a hell of a one tonight, it was entertaining, unfortunately I’ve lost but the British boxing public has gained.  Ryan fought a great fight.  When he hurt me I came at him and that comeback would have turned the tide against lesser men, but not Ryan, who gritted his teeth and showed what he is made off.  All respect to him.”

Jamie gave BoxingScene a bit of extra time, as the assembled press left the dressing room he continued to soak his hands; I mentioned that, in my view, he had looked exhausted going to his stool after round three, Moore nodded.

“My legs were tingling when I was sat on the stool,” he revealed.  “Everyone has been telling me to step up a weight.  I couldn’t afford another setback but I’ve got one through losing this fight.  I’ll be better for it.  All respect to Ryan.  He fought me at my own game.  He had made comments about my weight in the build-up so he gambled on that and it played out.”

Ryan’s shots had seemed so much heavier than Moore’s, even during the early rounds, when Rhodes was losing the fight - if not the war; Jamie admitted that the impact of Rhodes’ shots had taken him by surprise.

“It was a strange feeling,” he said.  “I’ve been hit harder than that but every time he landed to the body he hurt me.  I’ve never been hurt with a body shot in my life.  Saying that, I was hurt to the body when I fought Scott Dixon but I had nothing in my tank that night.  I know why I lost the Scott Dixon fight and I know why I lost this fight, my diet is great now compared to then but I’m at the wrong weight.  I’ve been trying to climb Mount Everest when I should be running up a hill.

“I was gone, yeah [when caught in round seven].  To be fair, he could have folded with some of the shots he took in that round but he knuckled down and showed the kind of grit and determination that I’ve shown in the past.  I’m just glad that it was a great boxing fight.  I wanted this fight as a gift to the British boxing fans.  I hope they enjoyed it, and I hope they’ll support me up at middleweight.”

Finally, Moore had once bemoaned the fact that those potentially great light-middleweight fights between the likes of Anthony Farnell, Wayne Alexander and Richard Williams had never happened; Moore has almost single-handedly rectified this situation in recent years.

“Exactly, I’ve had some great light-middleweight fights but I will step up and see if I can get anything up there.  I don’t know if Frank booked his flight to [the WBC convention in] Korea but I hope he goes and pushes for a middleweight ranking.”

To the victor the spoils, Ryan is now European boss, he has a title shot on his horizon; he summed up his feelings when we caught up with him in the dressing room.  “I feel absolutely over the moon,” beamed Rhodes. 

“Not only have I beaten a European champion, I’ve beaten a top kid.  There was no slanging at the press conferences, there was no bad feeling - we just went out and fought.  To be fair, during the first round, I thought his pressure was too much for me to be moving the whole time.  I had to block what he chucked, have a move about and throw my own shots.  After round three I felt that his strength was going and I was riding his punches.  I was blocking them and coming back with my counters.

“Round five, I thought he was blowing and I told Dave I was feeling fine.  He knew I was Ok but he told me to play it safe and not make any silly mistakes.  I don’t know if it was in the fifth or sixth round but I hit him with a shot that made him buckle a little and I thought to myself, ‘I’m going to get you’.  I was working well to the body and head but he’s one of the best body punchers in Britain.  He landed them without thinking about them and hit me with some good ones.”

Rhodes believed in his own power prior to this fight, the switch-hitter exuded a quiet confidence during the build-up and had claimed that he would finish Moore if he landed cleanly on him. 

“I know that I hit hard,” declared Rhodes, “but when he got back up from the knockdown I was thinking ‘Flipping hell’, then he came back at me!  I’ve seen his fights and when he gets hurt he comes back so I knew he was leaving himself open and I caught him with a counter. 

“I was taking my time, riding his shots and catching a lot of his shots.  I was rolling underneath his punches but he kept catching me with the inside of the glove, I think that is what gave me these [points to his bruised eye], but fair enough, there were good shots from Jamie but I felt, overall, that I caught him with cleaner shots.  He may have been doing the work but I was landing the clean, hard shots.”

Ryan turned pro in 1995; by 2002 he had suffered three defeats: against Otis Grant, Jason Matthews and Lee Blundell, and he was written off.  Then came back problems, layoffs and a reverse at the fists of Gary Lockett in 2006.  Rhodes regrouped, winning the British, WBC International and now the European title in the process.  Write him off at your peril.  Rhodes had a final message for his critics.

He said: “It is absolutely fantastic.  How many people wrote me off?  I won the British title eleven years after the first time I’d won it, I won a WBC International belt and ranking, and now I’ve got a European title.  Tell people to keep writing me off, as they’re just fuelling the desire of Ryan Rhodes.  People talk about the Jason Matthews fight, they say I haven’t got a chin, but I proved that I’ve got a chin, as well as determination and willpower.”