By Dean Parr
On the undercard of Audley Harrison's EBU European Heavyweight Title tilt against Michael Sprott, Preston's Paul Morris, 1-1-1 (1 KO), will take on hot prospect Danny Hughes, 7-1 (2 early), in another intriguing clash of the big men. Morris can't wait for fight time to come.
“I'm looking forward to it very much, although it would excite me more to be in with people my own size,” he revealed. “I struggle like mad to get cruiserweight opponents. I've got quite a big punch, I'm relentless in my style and I don't stop. I fight for the entire round, each round, every round. A lot of people don't like that because they like to get into a routine when they box, and you can't get in a routine when you're boxing me because I'm non stop.”
Danny Hughes, who recently knocked the previously unbeaten Neil Perkins out in 45-seconds, is a high calibre opponent for someone who's only been in three pro fights, although Morris is more than willing to step up to the challenge.
“The better the opponent, the better you box,” he argued. “When you box a nobody, a lot of the time they can spoil you. At the beginning of my career, I'd rather be matched against the top guys in the top ten or top fifteen, because even if I'm losing I'm showing what I can do to the world.”
“He's good and has got very fast hands from what I've seen of him,” flowed Morris. “He seems to get tired quickly though, and I'm hoping that that's how my style is going to beat him because I can take a good shot but I don't stop punching for three minutes of a round. I personally thought I beat Dave Ferguson, and so do a lot of other people.
“He did well, and I'm not taking anything away from him, but we only did four threes, and he had nothing left in the fourth round when I was still giving it 100 percent, so I think six threes against Danny Hughes is even better for me because he's not as fit as David Ferguson. I'm going to put non stop pressure on him.”
Indeed Paul has been matched tough since his debut, and he thinks this has suited his style. “I've been thrown in the deep end and as they say, that's the best way to learn how to swim,” he noted. “I'm thirty years old. I could start off slower, fighting journeymen and I wouldn't gain the same knowledge in the ring. It's better to learn the hard way.”
“I think I'm going to swim and I think I'm going to swim a long way in boxing,” he continued. “I don't have the financial backing a lot of people born in Manchester or London that live near big promoters that put on big shows have; I'm from Preston and we very rarely have shows here.
“As we all know, they need to have ticket sellers, and I'm a good ticket seller, and there's another lad in Preston that's a good ticket seller, but you can't just have two ticket sellers on a show, so I'm having to come up the longer, harder way. I think I will go a long way, because I'm starting off fighting and hopefully beating the best at an early stage in my career.”
For the Northerner, boxing is a vital part of life. “It's in me to be a fighter, but I've got two children and a partner as well,” he told. “I'd be boxing regardless; as an amateur if not a professional, but I got made redundant a couple of years ago, and decided to make that move and train hard to become a professional.”
“Now it's all about providing for my family, and I love the sport,” he explained. “I had a long on-off amateur career. The first club I was at didn't really do anything for me. They just chucked me in with really experienced guys before I even sparred - I had seven [amateur] boxing matches before I'd even sparred.
“I've always been a big, tough lad, and I had a background in kickboxing as well, and it was just hard to find sparring for me. I was a lot bigger as an amateur as well. They thought I was tough enough to do it, so they just threw me in, which is bad really and I wish it hadn't happened that way, but not much happens in Preston, so you've got to take what you get given.”
Paul is loving life as a pro though, and told of one occasion that really turned him against the amateur scene. “I train at Oliver's [Harrison’s] Gym, which I think is superb, as well as JR Gym in Preston,” noted Morris.
“I've been at those places since I turned professional. I started training as a pro in about June of last year. I preferred it - it was right up my street. My style's a much more professional style anyway; it's more 'in your face' and full contact as opposed to the 'pitter pat' game the amateurs has turned into”
“I like to go to war, and the amateurs are basically a game of 'tig' now,” opined Paul. “If you're not in and out with straight punches and nothing else, you've no chance as an amateur. With some shows now as well, you've got to knock them out to get a draw.
“Here's a story for you. I was in the finals of the Under Ten's ABAs. I put the lad down in every single round and completely outpunched him, and I lost 9-0. I'm not taking anything from him, but that's ridiculous. We wondered if they were giving my shots to his corner. It was unbelievable.
"I think that's the thing that made me leave the amateurs. When you have children and are training all the time and you get a bad decision like that, it makes you disheartened. I don't want to sound like a journeyman because I don't think I'm going to be a journeyman, but at least in the professional ranks you get a bad decision you still get a payday.”
Judges may have robbed Paul in that fight, but even he admits to costing himself a win in his second pro fight; a draw against the experienced Carl Wild. “I beat myself there,” he said, referencing a point deduction in round three.
“It was fair; I headbutted him. He kept rubbing his head on mine, and I made a complaint about it and the referee wasn't interested, and he kept using his elbows when we were up in close as well. Naively, and probably through lack of experience I used my head, and I regret doing that. That's really not the way I box; I'm a good boxer and I really do regret it.”
Only time will tell if Paul manages to halt the progress of Danny Hughes, as Audley Harrison did in Prizefighter just six months ago. However, regardless of tonight's outcome, Paul is determined to make his mark on the boxing world. To wrap up, he had a few small thanks he wished to make. “I'd like to thank GR Gym and Oliver's Gym,” he stated.
The bill, promoted by Matchroom, can be viewed live on Sky Sports from 10pm tonight.
