By John Evans
Cast your mind back to the LG Arena in Birmingham on September 18th 2010 when the venue played host to Frank Warren’s Magnificent Seven card. British heavyweight champion Dereck Chisora has just prevailed in an entertaining bout with Commonwealth champion Sam Sexton. Whilst ‘Del Boy’ seems likely to move onto bigger things, Sexton performed well and has a good base to rebuild from.
Over a year on and things haven’t quite worked out like that for the Norwich based 27-year-old. Sexton has simply disappeared from view. In a classic case of “Out of sight, out of mind” he was out of the ring for 13 months and has found himself overlooked whilst the British heavyweight division has seen its profile grow.
After finally returning to the ring last month, the former Prizefighter champion is back and raring to go. “It felt good getting back into the ring again because it's been such a long lay off,” Saxton told Boxingscene.
“I've been ready to fight all year and have been training for fights that just never happened for one reason or another, that's why I've stayed in shape. I'm still trying to figure out my ideal weight but I seem to be sticking around 16st 10lbs to 17st at the minute. My training is going well and I feel very comfortable at this weight. I’m now able to concentrate on training again after all the issues that have occurred over the last two years and I am enjoying training again. I went through a time of just forcing it out”.
“Forcing it out” may be an understatement. Lots of fighters cite out of the ring problems as the root cause of defeats. Some of these excuses are bone fide reasons whilst others can be attributed, understandably, to a fighter desperately searching for the cause of a poor performance. In Sexton’s case, it’s pretty safe to say the former is true. Let’s let him take up the story.
“I don't like to make excuses and that's why I didn't say anything after the fight but the lead up to the Chisora fight was probably the worst time of my life. My mum was taken very ill in hospital and we were told we could lose her at anytime. I was so worried that something might happen while I wasn't there that I decided to sleep in my car and I told my mum I wouldn't go home until she did. I tried to run around the hospital in between visiting times but it was hard to keep it up. My diet was terrible because other family members would bring me food up when they came, but it was usually junk like chocolate and crisps and stuff.
“Then mum had an operation which had a 10% survival rate and she pulled through. So I suppose she's a miracle. She came out of hospital about six weeks before the Chisora fight so I was back in the gym but every time the phone rang I was on edge waiting for the dreaded phone call. Every time my phone went I would stop what I was doing in the gym even if I was sparring to answer it. All the time I was there I just couldn't wait to leave. I thought about pulling out of the fight but was told I would be stripped of my title if I did as I hadn't boxed for so long”.
The clash between Sexton and Chisora was a good quality domestic affair. In this era of super heavyweights, the pair showed the hand speed and work rate lacking in many of today’s big men. Whilst Chisora came out on top via ninth round stoppage, Sexton showed enough in defeat to suggest a promising future.
However, for all the promise shown that on night 14 months go, things haven’t gone well for either fighter. Chisora found himself left in the lurch twice by Wladimir Klitschko before turning up unmotivated and out of shape for his fight with Tyson Fury. Sexton on the other hand has been since only once since, a six round points victory over one Remigijus Ziausys last month. It’s fair to say that any momentum he had built up has been lost.
“My career definitely ground to a halt although I was still waiting for a fight, there was a serious lack of dates. It's definitely about fighting and getting back in the public eye again. I'm still rated number three in the British rankings but when you’re not fighting, you’re not talked about. BoxNation will help in a big way I think as there should be a lot more shows”.
The domestic heavyweight scene has moved on over the past twelve months. David Haye has ridden off into the sunset (until next year) and Tyson Fury has taken his mantle as Britain’s most well known heavyweight. Audley Harrison traded in his boxing boots for a pair of Cuban heels, Chisora faces Robert Helenius for the European title on December 2nd and after a frustrating year, David Price seems ready to step up to title level.
Sexton has been forced to keep a watching brief while his opponents have jockeyed for position. The time away has only reinforced his belief that it is he who will eventually sit atop the rankings.
“There are some good fighters in the division at the moment and some good fights to be had on the domestic scene. I do however believe that once I've had a couple of comeback fights, no heavyweight in this country can beat me” Sexton states confidently.
“Nobody has really stood out for me as being a top fighter to be honest but that doesn't mean they aren’t good, it's just we haven't seen them fight any decent opponents yet. Once I'm back with a couple of wins under my belt I will be challenging for titles by the end of 2012 and maybe sooner if I'm active enough.
Currently, all roads seem to lead to Fury. The British and Commonwealth champion has proved a huge hit since signing with Channel 5 with over 3 million viewers apparently tuning into his most recent bout with Nevan Pajkic. The attraction is perfectly understandable. As well as providing the biggest purse and holding the most prestigious titles, the traveller champion also looks eminently beatable.
“Fury is a target because he's the British champion and he has a lot of hype behind him as he is in the public eye a lot” Sexton agrees. “I would like to fight Fury just for the British belt but I can see him getting beat before I get there so whoever is champion at the time I will fight. If I had the matchmaking powers I would like to have a couple of 8 rounders to get moving again and fight Fury around June or July time next year, then fight for the European by the end of the year”.
Facing 6ft 9in tall giants like Fury and Price will no doubt prove a test for the 6ft 2in tall Norwich man but he’s pretty sure that he possesses the perfect style to pull it off. “I've always been a fairly good mover and a fast heavy so I think the trick is good movement,” he says. “The hands can't hit what the eyes can't see!”
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