Watching footage of an opponent’s previous fights has become the one of the staples of any modern boxer’s training camp. However, Clinton Woods initially didn’t want to view tapes of his most recent fight with Glen Johnson, who he meets for the third time in Bolton this Saturday.
Woods will defend his IBF light heavyweight world title against ‘the Road Warrior’ in a fight he has described as the most important 36minutes of his career. With a draw and then a painful points loss against Johnson on his record, Woods initially didn’t see the point in watching footage of his February 2004 loss to the Jamaican-American.
Promoter, manager and long-time friend Dennis Hobson said: “Clinton felt that second fight didn’t matter in terms of this third fight because after the fight he was diagnosed with an iron deficiency which completely accounted for why he didn’t perform as well in the second fight as he did in the first.
“But Richard (Poxon, trainer) and I made Clinton watch the tape of the second Johnson fight for psychological reasons.”
Hobson explained: “Because he was so disappointed on the night, Clinton had built that loss up in his mind to where he thought he’d been badly beaten or something. The reality is, though, that Johnson won a competitive fight. Johnson deserved to win that second fight, no argument there, but when Clinton finally watched the tape he couldn’t believe just how close he’d come to winning even on his worst night.
“It gave Clinton such a boost, to realize that if he could be competitive with Johnson when he didn’t feel himself, that he’d be able to really produce something special now he’s twice the fighter he was on that night.”
Hobson, who also hadn’t watched the tape of the second Johnson fight since the event, was also surprised by what he saw.
He said: “I couldn’t believe how different Clinton’s body looked to the one I see in the gym now. On the tape Clinton’s body didn’t look athletic, it was soft and there wasn’t any real muscle definition there.
“Johnson will be able to see up close at the weigh-in that Clinton is physically a different fighter than the one he last traded leather with.”
Woods trainer Richard Poxon has shrugged off remarks by Joe Calzaghe that he’d have an easy time with either of Saturday’s Bolton title contestants.
Calzaghe is rooting for a Johnson win, believing that a fight with the American would be easier to make, politically, than one with his British rival.
However, Poxon said: “Calzaghe just doesn’t fancy getting beaten by a world class light heavyweight who is also from Britain. Losing on his own doorstep would hurt more than losing to Johnson, who is based in America.
“As for the contract Calzaghe has with Johnson, Johnson must be using them as wallpaper at home in Miami. As everyone knows, Calzaghe has “signed to fight” Johnson three times and three times it hasn’t happened.”
