How do you spot a fighter that will have a chance of making it, and how do you then coach/train them to fulfil their potential?
It can vary to be honest. Chads determination shone through at first. His love to train and not be beat by anything e.g. circuits, runs and tough training sessions. In his 1st national final he had won 8 fights in a row with stoppages. He was on the wrong end of a strange decision but he kept his head through every round even knowing the scores were not going his way. I think this result helped make him the man and professional he is today .
He was disappointed about that result obviously and when we got back into the gym, I told him that from that point on he was going to box better and not just win fights because of his determination. He initially didn’t embrace the change as he was successful using his tried and tested style. However after he’d had a weekend to think about it, he came back into the gym, took on board what we were saying and we are where we are today because of his willingness to do that. We like to give the fighter’s information so they know why they are doing what they are doing and the fighters at this gym know what I expect of them.
Some boxers walk in full of natural talent but lacking fitness and strength. Spotting the difference between fault and flair is a great skill to have as a trainer, for example if a boxer likes his hands low but gets hit it's a fault - if he doesn't get hit then its flair and needs to be worked on.
Everyone likes to do what they are good at, but as a boxer that doesn't make a perfect fighter. My boxers need to be able to focus on the things they are poor at to try and produce the perfect package. If a boxer can't do this his career will be tough - because of this all my boxers are trained to their individual needs.
The Mean Streets of Rotherham
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