We've seen the best of Burns but Smith has star potential
Tuesday 7 October 2014 09:32, UK
If Josh Warrington gets a chance to box for a world title he deserves it. Nobody can question it because he’s done it at British, Commonwealth and European level. There can be nobody knocking his position.
Everything is falling into place – his boxing and his maturity, physically and emotionally.
Nobody has done what Warrington has done in a year. The treble! He is improving per fight. This kid has come under the radar and he has done it the traditional way. Many fighters get a crack at world titles but he has done it the old-school way which makes it official that he belongs in his position within the world of boxing.
The penny has dropped, he’s in a great position to grow with the opportunities. He doesn’t have to wait his turn because he’s maturing mentally, physically and emotionally as he improves.
Look at his record, he doesn’t look like a puncher. Now he’s stepping up levels and he’s stopping his opponent. You don’t have to be a massive Mike Tyson-style concussive one-punch knock-out merchant. If you can box with speed that will knock people out and that is what Warrington is showing.
If you thought he’s not much of a banger, his speed and attrition of shots will stop people. That’s just as good as one-punch knock-outs. I remember Nigel Benn getting pummelled against the ropes and then whack! Knocks out Anthony Logan with one punch. That’s great, that’s what you want, but Warrington is a better boxer than puncher. Everything is falling into place – his boxing and his maturity, physically and emotionally.
Whatever comes next for Warrington, we are not in a position to question him. They’re talking about Lee Selby and that’s a great domestic fight and if he gets a crack at the world title you’d understand that.
I like Ricky Burns, he’s a blue-collar grafter. His win over Alexandre Lepelley is not the end of him but I’m saddened to say we’ve seen the best of him. What he has will still give British and European-level boxers trouble. He likes to fight, box and train but he needs to move back down to lightweight. He’s in a bad position where he feels weak at lightweight and not strong enough at light-welterweight. It’s been a great Cinderella story achieving two world championships after getting stopped by Carl Johanneson back in the day. Good on him.
I was also happy for Brian Rose because he was completely out-boxed by an outstanding fighter in Demetrius Andrade who we didn’t realise was that good. He was a good fighter in the wrong place at the wrong time. A loss in Leeds would have messed his confidence up and completely messed up any hope of him competing at world level. Now there’s still a glimmer of hope.
For Callum Smith, every night is an easy day at the office no matter who you put him in with. For his ability he now needs an opponent who, on paper, can beat him because he has officially graduated to that level. He’s being spoken about around the world as a future prospect. I expect him to come through his WBC eliminator next month. His ability far exceeds his experience. If you think he’s good now, wait until his experience and confidence matches his ability. He’ll meet George Groves somewhere down the line, maybe sooner than people think, so let’s talk about it and whet the appetite!
It gave me a nostalgic feeling. I remember Herol Graham fighting in the Sheffield City Hall for the European title against Ayub Kalule and the atmosphere was incredible. I don’t know what it is about a Yorkshire crowd, I don’t know what it is about local boys doing something special, but the atmosphere was exactly the same. The build-up, the anticipation, the crowd.
I was in Leeds all day and they weren’t just football fans, they were Warrington fans. The area was deafening. It was a party atmosphere. I’ve travelled all over the world and I’m telling you that the best fans are the Brits. I remember Ricky Hatton boxing and going into arenas and I thought ‘wow’ the crowd were fanatic. It was the same feeling for Warrington – such a buzz. One of those times where you think ‘I was there’. What a night.
There was no crowd trouble but two excited kids needed security to run in and say ‘lads, behave yourselves!’ They weren’t fighting each other, they were jumping on the chairs and going mad! There were dads with their sons, cheering and shouting. I was so proud. This is what our sport is about.
