Awesome interview with Hatton's trainer

**Orange Sneakers** · 07-13-2007, 12:26 AM

Indeed Graham is a fish out of water type at times, like DCI Gene Hunt (I will try to leave some kind of a coherent thread running) he is most happy amongst the banter of his work.

BG: ‘I feel comfortable around boxers; they are the type of people I feel comfortable around. I feel comfortable in my own environment like we all do. We all had nothing but our passion for it (boxing). I work on the shop-floor, I have nothing to do with managers and promoters.'

‘I never wanted to be anything other than a trainer. Some people see training as the first step, then they want to be manager, then they have dreams of being a promoter. Once I decided this was what I wanted to do that was it. This is all I ever wanted to be.'

‘I did it my own way and if you want to be those other things (manager and promoter) you have to compromise a bit and I never did. I would not feel good about it. You can't lie to yourself and I (had) made my mind up that I was going to be a trainer.'

Here Graham touched on the ‘all jobs for all people' aspect of modern boxing in which fighters are promoters, promoters want to be mud-slingers, tea-boys want to be anybody and ring-card girls want to be PA's. Graham is a trainer, a ‘BEEPing good one' as he will tell you, and this is his passion.

A chance remark from a girlfriend back then gave him his strongest indication that he wanted to mould talents rather than manage them.

BG: ‘I can't watch a fight without getting involved and commentating on it. I'm obsessed with boxing to be honest with you… To be honest it is uncanny though, a lot of things I knew about boxing and coaching I just knew (before becoming a trainer).'

‘I lived with this girl once; I was sat in my chair listening to the corner work on (TV) fights. I was shouting ‘you shouldn't do this and you shouldn't do that, this is going to happen in the next round because you did that' and I always got it right so the girl said to me ‘why don't you become a coach!'.'

Love him, loathe him or leave him to himself Graham is, clearly, a man who loves boxing, boxers and even the frustrating intrigue of the sport but there is one thing he loves above all other things, coaching fighters.

Billy prefers the direct training approach; yet he does like to keep himself fresh from a coaching perspective. Although the methods are more Rocky running a hill than Ivan Drago using science and steroids.

BG: ‘I know a bit about sports science and (I) read books about nature and that to find out new bits of information that I can use. I've always had a working knowledge of sports science and that came from working with fighters for years. Fighters listened to me about fighting because it was so logical when I spoke to them.'

As Graham talked it became clear that he was making a point, some people learn from people watching, Graham felt that nature can teach us a thing or two, especially as, as in nature, the boxing world can lead to a nasty, brutish and short lifespan.

Like Gene Hunt tapping his head and telling us to trust in the Gene Genie Billy feels he can learn a more about boxing and life during a walk around his home from home in the swamps of Georgia, USA.

BG: ‘Some of my methods might seem illogical – the stuff about learning from animals – but it makes perfect sense to me. If you know about the workings of different species of animals learning about the human body and the way it works becomes easier. There are big differences obviously but there is a similarity across different species. It all fits together.'

The Tszyu strategy was, according to Graham, one aspect of this irrational approach as well as an example of how thinking outside the box is required if you are going to make it to the top, both as an athlete and a trainer.

BG: ‘Being daring and adventurous sets you apart from the rest and that can apply to training. Tszyu was a murderous puncher at any range but especially long-range, he would take you apart with his punches so we killed his range and Ricky took him apart the only way he could.'

‘Ricky took some chances on the big night and people couldn't see it was a strategy until Ricky got the win, not even the commentators. Ricky took away Tszyu's body then took away his head.'

It amounted to one thing and for Graham that one thing sets Ricky apart from his British contemporaries

BG: ‘Any athlete or trainer has to take chances and show some tactical flair.'

The next day Graham was relaxed whilst chatting to BBN before the tape began to roll. I had intended my next line of questioning to concentrate on the early days of the Hatton-Graham partnership. The first spars, the early fights and ‘this is it' moments one must surely feel when training a world-class sportsman on his way up.

During the questioning itself Graham had seemed slightly subdued, perhaps the draining nature of the game of boxing was taking its toll for this day.

Later that night my phone rang and I was surprised to see it was Graham calling. Graham asked BBN to come back to the gym in a few days: ‘I want to think about these questions and give you my best answers. I need to have a think and remember stuff that I haven't spoke about for years. Come back and ask me the same questions and I'll give you the better answers.'

I could and he did, that will be the theme of the second part of Billy's piece as we go back with him to the start of the career of Ricky Hatton.

Photos By Allan Stevenson

http://www.britishboxing.net/news_24...ie-Part-I.html

**Orange Sneakers** · 07-13-2007, 12:28 AM

Life in The Phoenix � The Gym Genie Part II
by Terry Dooley
Jun 20th 2007

BBN found itself in the timeless surroundings of the Phoenix gym � the photos on the wall stretch right back to the 1970's and in terms of its sparsity it could be a gym from that era � chatting with Billy Graham about the moments that had convinced him about the potential of his star pupil Ricky Hatton.

At some point a pasty young kid had left the amateur game on a high and spoken to Billy about launching a professional career. Graham had decided to audition the new boy in the only way he knew how.

Billy mused about it for a moment before shaking his head at the audacity Ricky had shown as a youngster.

BG: �I (then) put Ricky in with a kid called Mark (Haslam); (Mark was) very gifted, (had) good balance and a wicked left hook to the body. He couldn't do anything with Ricky.'

�Then I put him in with Chris Barnett who at times was beautiful, he could look like Sugar Ray you know? Chris could open-up with bursts and could be razor-sharp. Chris was a tough pro, ten times better than his record suggests and he tells the truth. He had a few rounds with him (Ricky) and just couldn't do anything with him'

�This is one of the things that really stuck out in my mind. Obviously Ricky was a lot more flat-footed than he is now, he was square on a lot and it was all coming from his left side � he was strong for his age, very strong and that came out also. He not only matched Chris Barnett but he matched him at his own game, punch picking, in-and-out movement. That really got me thinking.'

�He did this little move, a move only really good pros can do - he got the distance right and everything. He slipped a shot � and bear in mind he was mostly left sided at this point � and came in with a perfectly timed right uppercut, a proper one. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck, I mean physically stood up.'

�When I watch a great fighter do something special I feel that. I thought �BEEPing hell, this kid is going to be wicked'. Chris actually came up to the corner and said �he is good isn't he? Is he better than me?' so I went �is he BEEP!' Keeping Chris happy, you know what I mean?'.'

Billy then decided that he wanted to do more than scratch the surface of Hatton's talent and called in a big gun for help.

BG: �Andy (Holligan) came into the gym. Andy was training for the Shea Neary fight and I went up to Ricky's dad and said �it is bit of a step-up but I'm going to put Ricky in with Andy and see how it goes'.'

�So I pulled Andy into the office - he had not seen Ricky yet � and I said �listen Andy I have got this new kid here and he is BEEPing wicked' so I set them up�I expected Ricky to be able to get a few rounds with Andy (only) if he (Ricky) got on his jab and moved around. But Ricky didn't run from him. To be honest with you Ricky stood him on his head, in every department. He was boxing around him, jabbing, hitting him with body shots�it was beautiful to watch.'

�It came to the point where I was thinking �come on Andy show me something you're fighting soon'�Andy is a real pro and kept coming back to the corner saying �he is sharp!'. I was willing Andy to catch Ricky with something�he caught Ricky with a left hook to the body that dropped (Ricky) like a sack of spuds but for those first two rounds he took Andy to school and that emphasised what he could do.'

�I said to Andy �I told you he was sharp' and Andy said �he's too BEEPing sharp for me!' so we knew he was special back then. They couldn't go full-pelt at him either (to keep him off) because he'd go right with them.'

�Ricky loved coming down to the gym and mixing it with all these lads. The main memory of those times was Ricky staying behind after the rest were gone. He likes his tea Ricky and I like a coffee so he'd sit in the office waiting for his lift (and) talking with me about boxing.'

�We'd go and sit on the steps watching traffic go by and in all honesty we talked about Vegas even then. Ricky was a young lad but he had been brought up with Duran, Hagler, Hearns and Leonard�huge fights in Vegas. That is where he wanted to be and I'd say �that is where you will be'.'

Now the dreams have come true, however one of life's ironies is that often the journey is its own reward; at the time you never get a moment to take it all in and enjoy it. Billy had enjoyed those days; he still does and can relive them in retrospect.

BG: �It is funny (because) I always think of those times, always. It is really weird because when the Tszyu fight ended I was in the corner and things flashed through my mind�as they flashed through they stopped and I pictured us sitting on those steps drinking our tea and talking about the big fights�it is strange and uncanny and that but those things went through my mind.'

�They were great days, really fun days. For both of us. Watching him getting better all the time and testing him out with other fighters, it was a great adventure back then.'

�In some ways they were the best days. These days we have the massive fights and glory and that but I do think of those days. They were my favourite days, I still have the old videos in my house�I was talking to Sky early in his career and (I) said he would go all the way. That was when he was only doing six-rounders.'

After the sparring came the preparation for the early fights, after the preparation came the fights themselves, the acid tests all fighters must go through. Whatever the quality of the opposition if you are a busted flush they will expose you sooner or later; one day a sliver of determination will puncture your balloon of hype.

One of Ricky's earliest tests came at the hands of Tommy Pea**** as both of these unbeaten fighters � Tommy had fought a draw with Anthony Campbell - put it on the line for the Central Area Title.

It was a fight that became a massacre. Tommy must have felt besieged from all angles as Hatton hit him with lefts hooks, stepped across to land right hooks and finally brought right uppercuts through the centre of the Liverpudlians guard. On two of the left hooks Hatton's glove seemed to sink into Tommy's chest. For Billy it was one of the moments that he would never forget.

BG: �Ricky took Tommy Pea**** to the ropes � we had been working on these moves, side to side and to the body � and he got Pea**** on the ropes and did not put a foot wrong. He was weaving to the side, (punching) down, (punching) up, back to that side, through the middle. That was hair standing on end stuff again. It took my breath away.'

�The sound of the shots coming in were loud and Ricky was talking to Tommy as he was destroying him. Grunting at him because a bit of needle had crept in before the fight (because) Tommy kept telling everyone he was going to knock Ricky out and that. Ricky didn't bite he just kept quiet and punished him in the fight. When Tommy went down Tommy was looking right at me and I thought �well you're in trouble now mate'.'

Another fight that had struck Billy was Hatton's demolition of Pascal Montulet in Germany. Hatton kept hammering Pascal to the canvas only for the ref to keep sending the overmatched fighter out for more punishment. Hatton's relentless ruthlessness was impressive that night, so was his footwork.

BG: �When I took Ricky to Germany to fight the Belgian kid (Montulet) that little move when he shifted to the side and finished him the shift of balance was unbelievable. He just moved and bam! It was BEEPing poetic�it was ballet. He kind of floated across the guy. I'll rewind that and play it over and over.'

�You didn't see that from young kids in Britain. That quality. You saw it in a young Mike Tyson. (They were) daring and dramatic shots that Ricky was pulling off.'

�Look what he did to Mark Winters. That was the fight (when) we got the right side going � we had been working on it from the start � and I went to see his dad � I always know when Ricky is going to try something that he's worked on in the gym and it is usually (in) big fights because he loves the drama � and said �he'll be good tonight' because his dad was a little bit worried�I told him to watch for the right hand. He took Winters apart. I don't think Winters could believe it.'

Apart from the physical ability Graham maintained that beneath his jovial air Hatton is a stone-cold killer in the boxing ring; an assassin with the mental strength of a Japanese soldier.

**Orange Sneakers** · 07-13-2007, 12:28 AM

ctnd....
BG: ‘There used to be little things he said. Stuff you wouldn't expect a young lad to come out with.'

‘We were sat in Atlantic City having a cup of tea in the hotel bar. Naz was top of the bill and I knew Naz very well by then – I respect him in the ring and we've been friends outside the ring for a long time – so we (were) sat there and Naz comes bounding in.'

‘Naz is dead brash, he lets the whole room know he's there and Ricky was sat there drinking his tea throughout. Then - after Naz went - Ricky turned to me and, for no reason at all, said, ‘I'm as confident as him you know', and I said, ‘oh yeah', so he said, ‘yeah I am. I'm not bolshy or like that but I am just like him'.'

‘I thought that was a strange thing for him to come out with then he says, ‘I'd like to fight him anyway', so I said ‘why?', and Ricky just said ‘because he's the best', and that has stuck in my mind ever since.'

Perhaps, in the absence, cuts aside, of in-ring scares and questions answered Rick was trying to assure his trainer that he was ready for any occasion. A reversal of roles of sorts as the confident charge put his tense trainer at ease.

BG: ‘One time we were walking around London after the weigh-in for a fight…Ricky was getting into title level and was getting ready to fight Jon Thaxton. So I'm getting Ricky ready by talking to him about the danger of the fight and that and Ricky says, ‘I'm not afraid of getting a good hiding you know', so I said ‘what!'. I could never understand why he came out with that but I think he was just reassuring me that he was more than a young kid.'

‘He wasn't scared of anyone and he was just letting me know that. I was more scared than him because it was a big step and a big fight. He knew what it was about and how rough it could be.'

‘In fact he once said ‘if I only win the British title then I've failed' so I said if ‘you only win the British title I've failed'. So we used to talk about Tszyu (as a future opponent) but we thought he'd be well gone by then.'

Now they have arrived all the way at the top. Tszyu was toppled. A follow-up foe of the required stature was not found yet Hatton is now going to be tested by Castillo. For Graham this fight is the one that will show people, again he feels, that his fighter is special.

Graham also makes no bones about what is required. People watch Castillo-Mayweather and you think you have to box Castillo but who can box like Floyd? No one. Castillo-Casamayor gives you the fairest initial indication of how to beat Castillo.

In their final round a weary Casamayor rips into Castillo and takes the play away from him only he left it too late. Castillo is a slow-cooker fighter, if he builds-up steam he could prove irresistible so you have to snatch it away from him as soon as possible.

Diego Corrales took the one-round solution offered by Casamayor, allied it with his own insatiable love of fighting and came-up with the way to beat Castillo. It involves pressure and pain, your pain, as you take away his momentum by smashing it aside early in the fight whilst taking your lumps.

BG: ‘Yeah we have to take the play away from Castillo before he gets into his groove. He tends to get strong as the fight goes on but I don't think that will be the case with Ricky to be honest with you. Castillo likes to hold the ring centre and push you back and drain you. He can hurt you in a lot of ways - uppercuts, hooks and body shots.'

‘Also you never know how things will play (out) and you have to be prepared. Is Castillo going to come out and take ring centre or is he going to back off a little bit in this one and let Ricky lead? We have to be prepared (for the fact) that he might come out and gamble early or he might try and take us over the stretch. We have to be prepared for anything.'

This preparation will have to include building the stamina required to hang with Castillo early and kill his momentum at its starting point.

BG: ‘I have no doubt Ricky can out-box Castillo it is just a case of how much energy will you need to out-box him all night? I have to think about what Castillo can try and do to make Ricky feel uncomfortable.'

‘I (have to) imagine I am Castillo's trainer and think about what I'd do to win. (The) best and worst tactics.'

So what would you do if you were Castillo's trainer?

BG: ‘That would be too much information (laughs). I've already given you enough already! I'm not going to give you an article saying ‘this is what Billy Graham would do to beat Ricky Hatton'.'

If Ricky makes the mistake of boxing Castillo early he may win rounds whilst losing battles as Castillo gathers strength. If Castillo becomes a monster late in the fight will Ricky be able to hang with him given the Urango and Collazo fights? Has he lost his work rate?

BG: ‘He never lost it before Urango. No fighter matched his work rate prior to that fight. We are ready if Castillo comes on strong. I am prepared for twelve hard rounds. I have prepared for the worst scenarios…(I am) not basing things on how flat Castillo looked in his last fight. I am ready for the best Castillo there is.'

Castillo looked poor last time out, that much was clear from the disputed win over Ngoudjo so did Billy worry that they may beat Castillo only to be told they have beaten an old-man?

BG: ‘Castillo doesn't get up for BEEPing warm-up fights. He has been in some of the best fights we've ever seen so he can't get up for warm-up fights, even though he should be up for warm-up fights. He was being very causal and that is not the Castillo I'm expecting to turn up.'

Hatton also found that a taste of his own medicine was bitter versus Urango as the Columbian hurt Hatton with body shots in the fight. Does that bode ill for Hatton?

BG: ‘Castillo is a much better body puncher than Urango sure. Anyone can get hurt to the body and if they tell you they can't they are talking bollocks.'

‘I look it at the other way. Castillo is facing the best body puncher in the world in Ricky Hatton and not just his left hook either. People forget that Ricky has one of the best right hooks to the body in the world.'

‘It is going to bring out the best of Ricky Hatton and Castillo I am expecting twelve hard rounds but it won't surprise me if Ricky takes him out.'

As the conversation ended Billy asked about the content of this piece. I explained the style of the piece and its ‘Life on Mars' ad hoc spirit. Billy paused for a moment.

BG: ‘You're talking about that programme I was in? Well make sure you tell them I was BEEPing good in it!'

**MAXWELL_** · 07-13-2007, 01:57 AM

thats great man thanks!!

**Chipp3r** · 07-13-2007, 03:27 AM

Billy Graham is a legend. That was great to read.

**EMPOROAR** · 07-13-2007, 03:29 AM

Anyone know where I can find a picture of Hatton's jackstrop?

**Orange Sneakers** · 07-13-2007, 04:41 PM

Thanks guys. Thanks.

**SpeedKillz** · 07-13-2007, 04:44 PM

Originally posted by EMPOROAR

Anyone know where I can find a picture of Hatton's jackstrop?

LMAO

**majestiC** · 07-13-2007, 04:50 PM

hahah i love graham, he brought a home in the states in the sticks just to catch snakes, Hatton should of listened to him more with collazo.

Awesome interview with Hatton's trainer