Boxing Social Magazine #2 - Call of Duty: Lightweight Edition

LIGHTWEIGHT SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

STATE OF THE GAME

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LUKE CAMPBELL’S PRO JOURNEY

BETTING PREVIEW

CAMPBELL V GARCIA FORECAST

TEOFIMO LOPEZ

THE TAKEOVER CONTINUES

DEVIN HANEY

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BENEATH THE LAYERS

CALVIN FORD

THE MAKING OF A SUPERSTAR

LIAM WALSH

STANDING IN FRONT OF A TANK

JAMIE MOORE

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BREAKING DOWN THE NEW GEN

JOEY GAMACHE

LIFE IN THE BIG THREE

LUKE CAMPBELL

THE BEST IS YET TO COME

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ISSUE 0O2 DECEMBER 2020

BOXING RECORDS

CAMPBELL V GARCIA

TOP 25

LIGHTWEIGHT RANKINGS

PUBLISHER

EDITOR

DESIGNER

COVER ILLUSTRATION

ROB TEBBUTT

GEORGE RIPTON

MARK BUTCHER HARRY G WARD

WRITTEN BY GRAHAM HOUSTON, JOHN A. MACDONALD, LUKE G. WILLIAMS, TERRY DOOLEY, CRAIG SCOTT, PAUL ZANON, SHAUN BROWN 002 OCTOBER 2020

STATE OF THE GAME STATE OF THE GAME STATE OF THE GAME STATE OF THE GAME STATE OF THE GAME STATE OF THE GAME STATE OF THE GAME STATE OF THE GAME STATE OF THE GAME

CAMPBELL STILL FISHING IN ALPHABET SOUP

When Campbell turned pro in July 2013 at Hull’s Craven Park Stadium, the Sky Sports hype machine was in full, bellowing effect.

The momentum and intent was there to build a brand. But the brakes were hit in alarming fashion as Sky and Matchroom engaged in an excruciatingly long build up to a one-sided contest with Hull rival Tommy Coyle. Through slow motion promotion, Campbell spent two years and 12 fights building up to a domestic bout – charitably billed as a WBC title eliminator – and he has gone 8-3 since. Contrast that with fellow Olympic 2012 gold medallists Oleksandr Usyk and Vasiliy Lomachenko who were world champions in their tenth and third fights respectively. Even the modestly gifted Zou Shiming managed it in 10 contests.

A CONTRACT WITH MATCHROOM IS WIDELY REGARDED AS BOXING’S GOLDEN TICKET, WITH THE CAREER TRAJECTORIES OF ANTHONY JOSHUA AND KATIE TAYLOR SHINING BEACONS OF SUCCESS. BUT THAT’S NOT NECESSARILY THE CASE.

Given such safety-first matchmaking, what was to happen in Campbell’s next fight defied logic as he was thrown in with dangerous late sub Yvan Mendy whilst dealing with his late father’s battle with cancer. After feasting on mostly soft centres for two years, the Hull man was dropped and lost a decision before the recriminations began.

WRITTEN BY MARK BUTCHER

The rebuild began with a training switch to Jorge Rubio in Miami, but in that same

hen Luke Campbell signed with Matchroom in April 2013, pro glory seemed virtually guaranteed. One of Britain’s greatest ever amateurs, the freshfaced Campbell won hearts and Olympic gold at the London 2012 Games, building on a silver medal in World Amateur Championships in Baku (2011) before gaining wider popularity starring in the ITV reality show ‘Dancing on Ice’ where he reached the final. A partnership with champion-maker Eddie Hearn seemed a match made in heaven.

“We’ve finally got a real chance to have

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a crossover star in Luke Campbell,” trumpeted Hearn on sealing Campbell’s signature. “He’s impressed me not just with his ability but also his determination and popularity in Hull.”

‘Cool Hand Luke’ appeared to be that dangerous thing, a nailed on world champion, but his promotion has been oddly wayward by the normally impeccable standards of Matchroom. Campbell’s pro journey has been impeded by a series of questionable calls that have left the former amateur star still seeking that elusive world crown - with time running out at 33.

year at Queensberry Promotions Terry Flanagan was crowned WBO lightweight champion after a vacant title shot. Had Campbell opted for Queensberry over Matchroom that is likely to have been his spot. That same year at Matchroom, Campbell was left looking on as Manchester ticket-seller Anthony Crolla was artfully steered to the WBA Regular crown. Simultaneously, Campbell, who had vanquished the world’s best as an amateur, was finishing his 12-fight build up against hometown rival Coyle – he would only fight in Hull on one more occasion.

championships and straightforward vacant title bouts are distributed like Halloween candy, it’s hard to fathom why Campbell, one of British boxing’s finest amateurs, wasn’t propelled into one of these ‘gimme’ world title shots by arguably the best promotional outfit in boxing.

Of the 13 Olympic gold medallists at the London Games, eight have been promoted to world titles, two never turned over with three yet to reach the pinnacle of pro boxing. Egor Mekhontsev left the game early, undefeated, while Cuban maestro Robeisy Ramirez arrived late, but Campbell is the only constant after a But bad luck has also come into play; seven-and-a-half year, pro career without a for me, No.1 contender Campbell did enough to beat WBA champ Jorge Linares world crown. in Los Angeles after suffering an early Now Campbell must, once again, fight on knockdown, but he was fighting on an a rival show against Garcia in a last pitch away promotion after backers Matchroom at glory. Having been unfortunate against lost the purse bid. A vacant WBC title shot Linares, my concern would be that, on in 2019 became a farce when WBA and another Golden Boy promotion, Campbell WBO titleholder Vasiliy Lomachenko was gets more, short shrift on the cards. somehow shoehorned in as the opponent.

It would be a travesty in this multi-belt era Campbell lost that one on points, too, if the gifted Campbell – a seemingly sure though performed well enough to be left in the WBC’s confusing world title equation thing - doesn’t win a world crown, and one where full, franchise, interim and diamond of the worst promotional misfires of recent times. But his next two fights could still title belts are muddying the waters. right this wrong.

But in a boxing landscape where WBA

But hope remains - with Campbell facing rising star Ryan Garcia for the WBC interim crown at 135lbs on January 2. Victory on away territory should rubber stamp a tilt against ‘full’ champion Devin Haney later in 2021. That’s an extremely tough path to the top in this era of paper tiger champs, yet not impossible.

But let’s rewind. Why is previously projected superstar Campbell trapped in world title purgatory alongside other uncrowned talents like Herol Graham?

PHOTOS FROM PRESS ASSOCIATION

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GRAHAM HOUSTON’S BETTING PREVIEW CAMPBELL V GARCIA IBHOF INDUCTEE GRAHAM HOUSTON LOOKS FOR THE BETTING VALUE IN LUKE CAMPBELL’S CRUNCH MATCH AGAINST UNDEFEATED CALIFORNIAN RYAN GARCIA ON JANUARY 2.

yan Garcia is seen by some as a future superstar. But how good is the 22-year-old from Los Angeles? We will likely find out when the undefeated Garcia faces by far his toughest fight against Britain’s Luke Campbell at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on January 2. The scheduled 12-rounder is for the WBC’s interim lightweight title.

Garcia opened as a slight favourite. We’re currently seeing him priced at around 4/9 (-155). The odds have hardly changed.

Back in the day Garcia might have been described as a heartthrob. He has a huge social media following. Young women love him. Perhaps this is where scepticism comes into it.

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Those who doubt Garcia might see him as something of a pretty boy who is unproven at the highest level. But he is certainly talented, fast and explosive.

Yet we haven’t seen Garcia in a fight where he has had to dig deep. Has he got it in him to come through a crisis and find a way to win? Campbell is surely going to put Garcia to the test.

This really is an outstanding match-up.

Campbell is an Olympic gold medallist of course and he’s a tall, smart-boxing southpaw. Garcia boxed at a high level in the amateurs, winning the US national youth championship, and he’s undefeated, with a record of 20-0 (17 KOs) while Campbell has a record of 20-3 (16 KOs).

Campbell is 11 years the older man at 33.

I have a sense that we’ve seen the best of Campbell. He’s had two lightweight title attempts. He lost narrowly to Jorge Linares, while Vasiliy Lomachenko outclassed him in Campbell’s last fight.

the eighth round against Tank Davis and fought creditably in losing a 12-round decision against Tevin Farmer in world title attempts. However, those bouts were at 130 pounds. Garcia was the bigger man against Fonseca. He won’t have the size advantage against Campbell.

an excellent technician. Garcia has never met anyone as accomplished as Campbell, not even close.

But Garcia does seem to have the speed advantage. And while Campbell is a crisp puncher, Garcia is capable of ending a fight suddenly. It’s that edge in fast-twitch The only time we’ve seen Garcia struggle punching power that might give Garcia a bit was when Carlos Morales extended the advantage. (And boxing on home territory doesn’t hurt his chances.) him. Garcia won by majority decision but I agreed with the two judges who If there is one factor that has me edging had Garcia winning by a 98-92 score. towards a Garcia win, it’s that he has more Although Garcia wasn’t dynamic that of a margin for error. Garcia can probably night he produced slick boxing against a afford to make a mistake or two along the crafty veteran who came to win. Garcia’s way and not pay a severe price; mistakes movement frustrated Morales, who made on Campbell’s part could be costly. I’m the “stand and fight” gesture. expecting a long, tactical fight with Garcia landing the more eye-catching punches That fight showed that Garcia can use a to find favour wth the judges. boxing, moving style if necessary. And the Morales fight was two years ago.

If you believe in Garcia, betting on him In Britain we’d call it a “learning fight”. at current odds makes sense because Garcia is two years older now, more the price will likely start to climb as the mature and stronger. I think it was a smart fight gets closer. For those who like move on Garcia’s part to hook up with Campbell’s chances, it might be better Eddy Reynoso, who, along with his father, to wait a while longer and potentially trains Canelo Alvarez. Reynoso is one get a better price nearer the fight. The of boxing’s best young trainers. He will proposition odds (method of victory, total ensure that Garcia is well prepared from rounds etc.) have yet to be released a physical and strategy viewpoint. but we’re likely to see “fight to go the The Campbell fight is Garcia’s chance to distance” at around 4/11 (-275). And while Garcia is the favourite, this is win over the doubters. certainly a fight Campbell can win. It’s a ‘Cool Hand Luke’ is coming to spoil the great match-up to start the year 2021. party. Campbell is an intelligent boxer and

Much was made of Campbell’s game stand against Lomachenko, but he was never really in the fight. And Campbell’s gritty effort in defeat doesn’t look quite as good now after the way Teofimo Lopez handled Lomachenko.

Garcia hasn’t faced anything like Campbell’s level of opposition, true. But Garcia passes the eye test. In his last fight, Garcia looked spectacular when blowing away Francisco Fonseca in 80 seconds. It was a stunning result when you consider the Nicaraguan fighter had lasted into

PHOTOS FROM MATCHROOM BOXING & GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS

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PHOTO FROM TOP RANK

WRITTEN BY LUKE G WILLIAMS

THE TAKEOVER CONTINUES

TEOFIMO LOPEZ LIVED UP TO HIS WORD. THE BRILLIANT AMERICAN PROMISED TO DETHRONE VASILIY LOMACHENKO, WIDELY REGARDED AS THE SPORT’S POUND-FOR-POUND NUMBER ONE FIGHTER, AND BACKED UP HIS BOLD PREDICTION WITH HIS FISTS. NOW AT THE PINNACLE OF BOXING’S MOST VIBRANT DIVISION, LOPEZ TELLS LUKE G. WILLIAMS WHAT COMES NEXT. DECEMBER 2020 009

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WE’VE LET EVERYBODY KNOW THAT WE ARE BUILT DIFFERENT. WE’RE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF BREED”

his make-up. Indeed, his determination to conquer further pugilistic peaks is a theme he returns to again and again.

“It meant a lot,” he says, of the Lomachenko victory.

“It’s turned me from a young man into someone who has broken barriers and become the king of something, king of the lightweights. We’ve let everybody know that we are built different. We’re a different type of breed.

“Getting a hold of those belts was something very meaningful, it’s indescribable how it makes me feel. But the job is not done yet. We’ve got one part done but there are so many other things that I want to accomplish in the sport before I ever think about retiring.”

Emanating from anyone else, Lopez’s words might be dismissed as arrogant, but he is so disarmingly polite and calm when recounting his plans that they instead seem a reflection of admirable ambition.

o the wider world, Teofimo Lopez’s talents seem nascent, precocious.

Teofimo Sr’s legendary volubility inevitably attracts headlines, but Teofimo Jr argues it is time his father was accorded more respect for his considerable achievement in moulding a champion and “not just any champion – an undisputed one”.

Aged just 23, the Brooklyn-born pugilist toppled Ukrainian maestro Vasiliy Lomachenko in October to become the unified WBA, IBF, WBO, WBC ‘Franchise’ and Ring magazine lightweight champion and “My father is a tremendous person,” gatecrash the pound-for-pound rankings.

Lopez insists during a Zoom call with Boxing Social that showcases his winning It was a victory greeted with near blend of charm and determination. “Not a unanimity of surprise. lot of people get him or like him. He’s very But not from the Lopez camp, who have passionate. You have to respect that. The long assured the boxing world that man talks a lot but he knows what he’s Teofimo Jr’s nickname of ‘The Takeover’ talking about. And I think a lot of people was a statement rooted in fact, rather need to give him more credit.” than optimism.

During the build-up to the Lomachenko The son of Honduran immigrants, Lopez fight, Lopez spoke movingly, and has been groomed for boxing stardom somewhat tearfully, about how he “wishes since the age of six, when his father my father could be my father sometimes, Teofimo Sr first laced up his son’s gloves rather than just always my coach”. and begun training him.

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Today, however, basking in the glory of the Lomachenko fight, Lopez seems at peace with the nature of their relationship.

“We’ve found a medium,” he says. “We’ve found something that works in our relationship. We’ve found the balance of coach and father. It’s amazing to know I have the best of both worlds. My father’s birthday’s coming up in three days. He’ll be 52. I’m very happy and thankful that he’s been here for another year.”

One quality among many that Senior has bred in Junior is limitless ambition. Having bested Lomachenko, it would have been all too easy for Lopez to be content to dine out on such a victory for the rest of the year, if not his career.

But what becomes increasingly evident as we speak is that although Lopez is a man who possesses an air of justified selfsatisfaction, complacency is not a part of

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IT’S TURNED ME FROM A YOUNG MAN INTO SOMEONE WHO HAS BROKEN BARRIERS AND BECOME THE KING OF SOMETHING, KING OF THE LIGHTWEIGHTS”

PHOTO FROM TOP RANK

“We’ve had the great lives and careers of Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali and Kobe Bryant,” he explains. “So many legendary players and athletes. They all achieved one big thing but always then wanted to continue and do more. That’s what separates you from being an all-time great and just a great athlete. And what I’m trying to head out to do is to become an all-time great athlete.

“My motivation comes from all those guys – all those all-time greats. From boxing to basketball, to American football. That’s where my desire comes from. Seeing what they’ve done and what they did differently to make them who they are today.

“And I’m grateful that I’ve still got that hunger. No matter what we accomplish, I want more. I’m very determined about that. That comes from my core.

I’m excited that everything has changed for me, not only in terms of my career but in terms of the respect I’ve earned. Having those belts is another accomplishment that we can tick off the checklist before we move on to what’s next.”

Lopez’s endearingly frequent recourse to the inclusive pronoun ‘we’ when describing his career makes it clear that although he is the man in the ring throwing and taking the punches, the team around him – principally his father and assistant coach Joey Gamache – are crucial.

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“I call us the ‘Big Three’,” he smiles. “Joey came on board before the [Richard] Commey fight. We all as a team spoke to my manager David McWater and discussed who we would add next to our team. We didn’t want just anyone but someone who could work alongside my father who is the head coach and play a major role. It’s all about having a connection, as well as about respect.

and focused. A few weeks on from the Lomachenko fight, his trim frame displays no signs of excessive postfight celebration.

make that fight for early next year.

“There’s so many fights we can make happen. It’s all about timing and who’s willing to step up to fight Teofimo.”

But is it a frame that he will continue to One man who Lopez insists won’t be in boil down to 135lbs, or is he now ready to the opposite corner of the ring to him any forsake the lightweight division he currently time soon is the vanquished Lomachenko. rules in search of challenges at 140lbs?

“There’s really no point,” he argues. “They For now, Lopez admits he is undecided. didn’t give me a rematch clause in the contract. Had he beaten me they wouldn’t “I’m waiting on Ryan Garcia and Luke “It went very well the first time with Joey be talking about a rematch. So why do I Campbell,” he explains. “We’re waiting so we brought him along again this time have to? I beat him fair and square. I did. around. I think it works very well. And it will on that result to see how everything Everybody knows that. And now we move only get better. Everybody gets along. As looks. We’ve seen what Tank Davis had on. He couldn’t reach me. He couldn’t a unit we’re becoming one team. I’m really to bring, we’ve seen what Devin Haney figure me out. That was the whole thing. I had to bring. Now we’re just waiting on enjoying the fact I have that relationship think a lot of people are overlooking that Campbell – who’s a tremendous fighter, with someone like Joey Gamache.” because they don’t want to accept I beat a tremendous athlete. It’s going to be a Undoubtedly, Teofimo Sr and Gamache him. Deep down they don’t want to accept tough fight. We’re also waiting on Jose are helping keep Lopez grounded that Teofimo is the king of the crop.”

Ramirez and Josh Taylor to see if they

Lopez gives his take on Davis’ destructive KO of Leo Santa Cruz and Haney’s points victory against Yuriorkis Gamboa…

LOPEZ ON GERVONTA DAVIS AND DEVIN HANEY 012 DECEMBER 2020

“I wasn’t surprised with Davis’ win at all.

He was supposed to go out there and do something like that. You expect that from him. But you have to also have to look at who he’s up against and the opposition he’s fought. That plays a big role and is key to what his career is starting to look like. I want to see what he can do in my division.

“He and Leo Santa Cruz fought at 130lbs and I don’t consider that my division. They may have fought for both [a super-feather and lightweight] belt but they weighed in at 130lbs. His promoter Floyd Mayweather has even said he needs a tune-up fight before he faces Teofimo.

“As for Haney, I didn’t like his performance. It was a performance and a fight with many shortcomings. He definitely has to bring a lot more to the table than just going out there and trying to outclass an almost retired, beaten up and washed out Gamboa.”

Teofimo Lopez gives Boxing Social his account of his 12-round victory against Vasiliy Lomachenko, which catapulted him to the top of the lightweight tree…

“If we would rate the fight from 1 to 10 in terms of how close to the plan it was I’d say it was a 7-and-a-half or an 8. There are some things we could have done much better but in the circumstances we were in we did as much as we could. I was coming off an injury. Loma had an injury, well whatever they want to say about that, but we got the job done.

“I think I did phenomenal. A lot of what we worked on was playing through the roles of what Loma would do. Playing that in my head and knocking those down as the rounds went.

Seeing what he was trying to do and pick up to it.

“He’s a great fighter, don’t get me wrong, we can’t take nothing away from him. It was a great fight, a great match-up. We focused on the sides, on reacting every time he went to the side. We worked on that a lot, That was the main thing, the key. I knew that was going to play a key role and it did.

LOPEZ ON LOMA PHOTOS FROM TOP RANK & MATCHROOM BOXING

“Touching him to the body was crucial, making sure we stayed on him as much as possible. I was expecting him to come to fight more. We did what we had to do. Strategic wise we kept the jab going on him, we stayed sharp. Had our eyes open for anything Lomachenko had coming for us.

“As the rounds went along, he tried to take me to deep waters, and I knew then I had to shift gears. Instead of going for the knockout and coming out aggressive like a bull we changed the momentum.

“Me and my father and my assistant coach Joey Gamache we talked about it in the corner and we got the job done. I’m very happy, especially in the last round, when I dug deep and pushed him. It’s not over until the fat lady sings and the last bell rings. Anything could happen in the last round of a fight, Anything could happen in the last ten seconds of the last round. We’ve seen that lots of times in the sport of boxing. I thought about that.

“In the 12th, I was still trying to knock him out and I knew he was coming, I think that was the best thing about it. I was ready for it and I think we did a tremendous job. He had gone 12 rounds numerous times and for me that was just my second time going 12 rounds. Doing what I did against a top, high calibre fighter like Lomachenko, a guy who was rated by many as the pound-for-pound king, I think that says a lot about Teofimo right there.”

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DEVIN HANEY IS ONE OF THE MOST GIFTED BOXERS IN THE FIGHT GAME, BUT HAVING ASCENDED TO A WORLD TITLE IN DOUBLE-QUICK TIME WITH A DOSE OF BOXING POLITICS, CRITICS FORGET THE AMERICAN HOT SHOT IS ONLY 22 AND NOT THE FINISHED ARTICLE. HANEY TELLS CRAIG SCOTT THAT HE WAS ALWAYS DESTINED FOR A GRANDER STAGE AND THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.

WRITTEN BY CRAIG SCOTT

BENEATH THE LAYERS 014 DECEMBER 2020

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evin Haney faces an unusual predicament: between the ropes and in the comfort of the boxing ring, he can’t lose. But outside of it, he can’t seem to win. Carved in the image of his jewellery-clad predecessors, the WBC lightweight world champion may stretch his hands out with ridiculous bundles of discretionary cash, but beneath the surface, there are still many layers to peel back.

or what your next move that day was. But I knew. I knew one day that I’d be here.

“At a young age, I was having trouble in school. Coming from the Bay Area in Oakland, it was rough. So, when I came to Vegas, I still had that same mentality – I was still fighting and having problems.

That’s when my dad took me to the gym, and he said, ‘If you wanna fight at school or in the streets, then I’m gonna take you Don’t be fooled; this success didn’t come to the gym and you’ll get beat up’. Every easy, despite incessant sniping from his time I’d get in a fight, he’d say he was would-be detractors. The hundreds of gonna keep bringing me to the gym and, amateur victories – travelling the length pretty much, I just stuck with it. of the country and further still – followed “I wasn’t intimidated the first time I went street fights and playground scraps from to train. I went in there with a chip on my Oakland, California to Las Vegas. Those shoulder, you know? I was thinking: ‘I’m snakeskin trunks and glittering robes not scared of the gym, who cares?’ I wasn’t worn to the ring are safe in the enormous afraid of anything. You’d have thought I’d venues that Haney now headlines, but been there a thousand times on my first they’d have been in danger of ruin in the day, it’s like it was meant for me.” bars of Tijuana, Mexico, where he made Pausing briefly, the unbeaten 22-yearhis debut as a nervous 17-year-old. old allows a burst of honest laughter, “... I Everything isn’t quite what it seems, but might have been bluffing! But hey, that’s Haney (25-0, 15 KOs) tells Boxing Social all part of the game,” he admits. Haney that his life now is exactly how he’d is likeable, that’s for sure. Speaking envisaged it: “I always had a plan. I knew eloquently and continuing to emphasise I was gonna be big in boxing; I knew that how grateful he is for his current I was gonna make it. Since I was a young circumstances, it’s easy to forget this is kid, I had my plan and I just knew it. It might just the beginning for him and his team. sound crazy, because you were young and you barely knew what you wanted to eat,

“

I’M BLESSED TO BE IN THE POSITION I’M IN. IT’S GREAT, BUT I WORKED VERY HARD FOR IT. IT JUST SHOWS THAT HARD WORK HAS PAID OFF”

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NOTHING CAN GET ME OFF TRACK. SINCE A YOUNG AGE, I ALWAYS KNEW WHAT I WANTED TO DO. I’M NOWHERE NEAR THAT; I’M ONE STEP FURTHER FORWARD, I’M MAKING PROGRESS, BUT I WANT MY NAME TO LIVE ON, I WANT MY NAME TO BE MENTIONED WITH THE GREATS WHEN IT’S ALL SAID AND DONE”

After being elevated to full WBC world champion status via administrative confirmation in October 2019, Haney has faced plenty of criticism, despite beating everybody placed opposite him and openly campaigning for a fight with the division’s former unified world champion, Vasiliy Lomachenko. The suggestion that the American star (who became boxing’s current, youngest world champion at just 20) was gifted his title is sharply dismissed; only Haney and his father Bill have walked that mile in their shoes, and they did it alone for a significant period of time, the hard way.

“I’m blessed to be in the position I’m in,” he explains. “It’s great, but I worked very hard for it. It just shows that hard work has paid off – to date. I worked hard to get here, but I’m gonna work even harder to stay here. Nothing is easy. It all comes with the territory; football is a hard business; basketball is a hard business. Anything you do, working at Walmart or Subway, there’s politics involved and it’s never easy, so I understand that. But it comes with the territory.

“I started my career down in Mexico; nobody was paying attention to me at that time, all eyes weren’t on me. A lot of people don’t know that I fought twice in one week. My first and second

professional fights were in the same week.

But after that first fight, with the whole crowd against me, I knew I was ready for this. I was fighting in bars down there. It’s a lot different to the venues I fight in now, but it prepared me mentally. I’m thankful for it; it was all part of the process.”

As with the crowning of all new champions, the hunter soon becomes the hunted. However, for Haney, the narrative is slightly different: “When you win a world title, you just get that target on your back. In my case though, it’s not really the fighters. It’s the fans and the people who don’t really know about boxing [that criticise me], but like I said, it comes with the territory. I prepared mentally for these things, so it can’t stop me. At the end of the day, you hear these guys talk, but you never hear them call me out, do you?

They never say they wanna fight me.”

The Las Vegas resident continues, talking about his future at lightweight before eventually moving up to capture titles at 140lbs. But his focus is quite clearly on the division’s biggest names, as Haney & Co

PHOTOS FROM MATCHROOM BOXING

find themselves in a unique, golden era of American champions and challengers.

With Teofimo Lopez recently toppling Vasiliy Lomachenko, Gervonta Davis obliterating Leo Santa Cruz and Ryan Garcia facing London 2012 Olympic gold medallist Luke Campbell in the New Year – business is booming for the new breed.

world champion, Haney is also assured when talking about the trappings of fame.

It’s no secret when flicking through his social media accounts that dollar bills and designer watches are never far away. But even at 22, he knows how that movie could end if he isn’t careful. Laughing again and comfortable, he tells Boxing Social that flashy nightlife is just a part of Haney believes he is the best, but he is the job. But his purpose in boxing is bigger desperate to find out. “I think they’ve gotta than that – Haney is sure of it. be forced to fight me. There’s so many politics in the sport of boxing; I don’t know “Nothing can get me off track. Since a if it’s the fighters or the promoters, but I young age, I always knew what I wanted just gotta keep the pressure on and I think to do. I’m nowhere near that; I’m one step eventually those big fights will happen,” further forward, I’m making progress, but I he said. “I want titles. I’m chasing belts. want my name to live on,” he said. “I want Eventually, I’m gonna move up, of course, my name to be mentioned with the greats but right now the 135lbs division is where when it’s all said and done, so it’s not hard the money is. So, I’m gonna stay here for for me to stay focused. I wanna inspire the longer, and I’m gonna try and force some people before me and after me. I came of these big fights.” into the sport and I did it my way; I had a plan and I executed it. I want all the belts; That desire to make legacy-defining fights I want people to remember me and I’ll is rare, but it seems honest. show them that I am the best.”

Within minutes of discussing the hard work and dedication it’s taken him to become

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THE MAKING OF

INSPIRATIONAL TRAINER CALVIN FORD FIRST MET GERVONTA DAVIS AS A FLEDGLING SEVEN-YEAR-OLD FIGHTER BEFORE MOULDING ‘TANK’ INTO ONE OF THE MOST FEARED PUNCHERS IN BOXING. FOLLOWING DAVIS’ SPECTACULAR KO OF LEO SANTA CRUZ IN OCTOBER, ‘COACH CAL’ TELLS PAUL ZANON WHY TANK IS MATURING INTO A BONA FIDE BOXING SUPERSTAR. WRITTEN BY PAUL ZANON

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“Gervonta understands, when I get to the gym it’s time to work. weight. He has the same right that you have. Nobody ain’t going to It’s a reflection of the coach what the fighters do in the gym and let you just walk in and hit anyone without getting hit back.” how they perform on fight night.”

Referring to the Santa Cruz stoppage. “He made a statement saying Gervonta would get tired from the fifth round and that’s Those who train at the Upton Boxing Center, Baltimore, not only when he was going to turn it up. When he did, we wanted to find respect Calvin Ford for his fistic wisdom, but for the life lessons out if Santa Cruz was willing to take those shots back. he brings to the table, having previously travelled on the wrong side of the tracks. “It’s real easy for the students to get caught “When he got hit with that first body shot and they said it was a up in life’s situations, so I try and use my experience of what I low blow, it wasn’t. It was the body shot which set everything up. went through as a young man to try and help them with certain That uppercut was always there ready to go, but we just couldn’t situations they may not be familiar with, especially as not all of catch him until the sixth round. The only way we could catch them have someone to guide them.” Ford told Boxing Social. him was when Santa Cruz was standing there thinking, ‘I can hit Gervonta Davis is a case in point, having been under the wings Tank!’ That’s when he unleashed the uppercut.” of Ford since the age of seven.

Was the Santa Cruz the toughest assignment to date for Davis?

Fresh off his destructive victory against four-weight world “No. People don’t seem to realise that he won his first world title champion Leo Santa Cruz, Ford discussed tactics. “We had against Jose Pedraza, who was an undefeated world champion, different strategies going into this fight. We didn’t think he was when Tank was a nobody. Pedraza was the world champion going to stand there in front of Tank, but we also knew he would from Puerto Rico, but came to defend his title overseas. He was be hit at some point, so we worked on how to react to that. confident, but Tank stopped him. Who does that, in that fashion “People were saying, ‘Tank was getting hit’. It’s very rare that a and so quickly as an unknown fighter?” fighter doesn’t get hit in a fight! I sit here and laugh when people Floyd Mayweather Jr. was very vocal at ringside, spurring on say that about Tank. I try to explain to my students that any fighter his promotional charge. Ford discussed the merits of having has the right to hit you, the right to train and he has to fight to make

“

020 DECEMBER 2020

GERVONTA UNDERSTANDS, WHEN I GET TO THE GYM IT’S TIME TO WORK. IT’S A REFLECTION OF THE COACH WHAT THE FIGHTERS DO IN THE GYM AND HOW THEY PERFORM ON FIGHT NIGHT”

boxing royalty on board. “I let Floyd do what he wants to do, because he’s been where I haven’t been at as a fighter and I’ve been where he hasn’t been at, as I raised Tank from scratch. It works hand in hand. Gervonta is a young superstar and the best person he’s got in his corner to advise him about that is Floyd, the same with Mike Tyson, as he’s been through it. He talks to these guys and reaches out to them about certain situations they’ve been through in their lives that he’s maybe experiencing himself. That’s a very good thing.”

Inevitably, moments after the Santa Cruz victory, a host of top fighters called out Tank. Ford explained. “They want to fight him because they see he’s winning and he’s a big draw. If he fights any of the younger guys calling him out, he’s not going to get a nice payday, but as a young fighter, I’d be doing the same. Ryan [Garcia] has good reason to get in with Gervonta because his fan base is real big. Mikey [Garcia] started calling him out, but I don’t think at 140lbs. That would however be a good fight.”

Ford calmly added. “Picking opponents for Tank is not what I do.

I let Al [Haymon] and Floyd take care of that. We need to stay in our lanes. It’s all about putting a good fight together and making good dollar sense out of it.”

Despite enjoying the spoils of war, Ford explained how Davis never strays far from his beloved Baltimore. “This Thanksgiving he was giving out turkeys, clothes and face masks at the Boxing Center and it was real cold out here! So many people came out just to meet him. They see a young man, who came from the area, had his challenges and made a success of himself. He’s a tangible example of that in the city.”

Ford is excited with what 2021 holds in store for his two-weight world champion. “There’s a lot more of Gervonta to come, but it’s based on who we’re fighting for you to see that. It’s the calibre of the opponents that brings the best out of him. He’s a maturing superstar.”

PHOTOS FROM VOX MEDIA

DECEMBER 2020 021

WRITTEN BY SHAUN BROWN

S TA N D I N G IN FRONT OF A TA N K GERVONTA DAVIS IS ONE OF THE MOST FEARED PUNCHERS IN BOXING. FORMER BRITISH AND COMMONWEALTH CHAMPION LIAM WALSH IS THE ONLY UK BOXER TO HAVE FOUGHT THE BALTIMORE BANGER AND TELLS SHAUN BROWN WHAT IT’S LIKE TO FACE ‘TANK’ IN THE RING. 022 DECEMBER 2020

PHOTO FROM PRESS ASSOCIATION

DECEMBER 2020 023

“

HE’S GOT HUGE POWER, HE’S REALLY FAST AND REACTIVE”

That was before the fight reached its climax in round three when the power of Davis took over. Walsh never got to his pivotal fifth round. Walsh wanted to have a go rather than, in his words, “stink the place out”. The discipline went out the window. His minor successes late into round two gave him a shot of confidence as he went back to his trainer Graham Everett and his brothers Ryan and Michael.

The champion was still in control, however, and an overhand left struck Walsh with around 90 seconds to go in the third. The end was nigh as Walsh wobbled.

“With his speed and accuracy, he hits you in the right place,” said Walsh. “He hit me on the back of the jaw, near the back of the ear and it took all my equilibrium away.

“He’s very smart with his feet and uses front foot pressure so he’s got quite a wide stance. His front foot is constantly stepping on you. For me, what he’s doing there is he’s waiting for you to get impatient or feel under pressure or put something on him and then he comes back with a big counter shot. I think his boxing ability is really underrated.”

he song ‘Beat It’ began playing inside the Copper Box venue. Liam Walsh waited patiently in the ring for his world champion opponent who, when the curtain dropped, looked like a Michael Jackson tribute act.

Davis kept whipping in the left hands. Walsh was holding on. Inevitably the proud Brit from Cromer was put down. He couldn’t live with the power or the speed. And, with under a minute to go, Walsh finally took a few too many for referee Michael Alexander’s liking.

“The plan after five rounds for me was to go as hard as I could physically go for seven rounds and get close to him and smother his power and stay on top of him.”

“I’m still disappointed now,” Walsh reminisced. “I don’t feel like I gave the best account of myself. In hindsight, chances are I was never going to beat him.

That’s just me being brutally honest.”

As round one finished, Davis returned to his corner and said, ‘He’s scared’ about his challenger. There was something about Gervonta Davis made his ring walk to the sound of the pop his eyes. Staring without blinking and of a colour that would not icon’s 1987 hit. It was reasonable showmanship but as soon as the music finished, Davis, the IBF super-featherweight champion look out of place in a horror film. at the time, was stripped to his fighting attire. Liam Walsh, in “His eyes were open like there was a matchstick in between his first world title challenge, was about to take on a Floyd them,” said Walsh.

Mayweather Jr. protégé and a 22-year-old Baltimore kid also “They were so open if I would have farted, I swear he would known as ‘Tank’. have twitched! That is how much he was on it. Usually someone “Leading up to the fight I was stupid enough to believe that has to make a movement and then they twitch. I could have there wasn’t a chance he could beat me,” Walsh told Boxing burped, and he would have reacted. His alertness was of elite Social looking back on the night from over three years ago. level. And his speed was also. The biggest compliment I can “I watched his fights beforehand. I watched him fight [Jose] Pedraza give him is that he is super quick. His alertness and speed were on a level I’ve never seen.” and journeymen. I was watching him blast people and I thought there’s not a chance he’s doing me. I genuinely thought walking But what of his notorious power that had stopped or knocked to the ring I can have the worst night ever here and still win. I felt out no-one of note until Pedraza was viciously chopped down unbeatable and more than anything I felt like it was our destiny.” four months before the Walsh fight.

Not much happened in the early stages of the fight. The first “I remember him jabbing me to the body early on with a straight round was the feeler period, a battle of the jabs with Davis often right,” Walsh recalled. “Obviously, he’s a southpaw and it hit me looking to throw his explosive left hand, which played its part in in the pit of the stomach. I thought that was alright. I didn’t want taking care of 16 of his 17 previous opponents. to be taking them all fight. But it didn’t hurt.”

“He’s got huge power, he’s really fast and reactive,” said Walsh who wanted to avoid getting into a fight too soon.

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“

HE HIT ME ON THE BACK OF THE JAW, NEAR THE BACK OF THE EAR AND IT TOOK ALL MY EQUILIBRIUM AWAY”

PHOTOS FROM PRESS ASSOCIATION

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BREAKING DOWN THE WITH THE LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION BOASTING FOUR RICHLY TALENTED YOUNG STARS IN TEOFIMO LOPEZ, GERVONTA DAVIS, DEVIN HANEY AND RYAN GARCIA, LEADING TRAINER JAMIE MOORE ASSESSES THE STYLES AND QUALITIES OF THE NEW GENERATION TAKING OVER THE HISTORIC 135LBS WEIGHT CLASS. IN CONVERSATION WITH TERRY DOOLEY. WRITTEN BY TERRY DOOLEY

ince it came to life in 1886 when Jack McAuliffe beat Bill Frazier for the American lightweight title until the moment it became legitimised as a division under the Marquess of Queensberry Rules when George ‘Kid’ Lavigne became the first widely-recognised world champion by beating Dick Burge via a 17th-round KO in 1896, the lightweight division has boasted some of boxing’s best fighters and some of its finest fights.

The likes of Joe Gans, Benny Leonard, Henry Armstrong, Roberto Duran, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather, Julio Cesar Chavez and many, many more have graced the division over the years before either retiring or moving up to pastures new.

and can campaign as high as middle or super-middleweight.

Lightweight, though, is where many compact 5’ 5’’ to 5’ 8’’ fighters hit either their first or only peak.

We now have a new roster of names in the division, ones that can potentially ignite a ‘Fantastic Four’ era if they get to meet before either defeat or increases in weight force them to move on. Teofimo Lopez, Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney are currently leading the pack — Lopez recently moved ahead of the rest of them via a breakout decision win over Vasiliy Lomachenko in October.

The Ring magazine title was on the line for that one and the WBC served up their Franchise title. Someone had obviously misspelt French Fries as that belt is just more Indeed, it is almost like the heavyweight division of the so-called fast food, “Here today, made vacant tomorrow”, fare from ‘lower’ weight classes. Once you go north of 135lbs you start a ridiculous governing body. to enter the realm of fighters who regularly hit the six-foot mark

NE W G ENERAT I O N 026 DECEMBER 2020

PHOTOS FROM VOX MEDIA, MATCHROOM BOXING & GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS

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“

“

WE COULD BE LOOKING AT FOUR OR FIVE YEARS OF FANTASTIC FIGHTS BETWEEN ALL THESE NAMES AND SOME OF THEM MIGHT END UP ALL THE WAY AT LIGHTWELTERWEIGHT”

I’D GO FOR LOPEZ HE’S MORE MY STYLE: HE’S AGGRESSIVE, HE CAN HIT, HE KEEPS HIS SHAPE IN THE POCKET AND IS CUTE WITH HIS RINGCRAFT”

“Lopez was a lot cuter than people gave him credit for. People didn’t think he had the technical ability, but a lot of little things happen in a fight and especially in those pockets when you are up close. Lopez would hold his ground, nudge Loma and then throw. As soon as you are off-balance, and the opponent lets a shot go, then it doubles the impact of it. It was never just about the size. It was about ringcraft and ability. It is not beyond reason that those tactics wouldn’t have worked if they were “Matching any of them up would be huge,” stated Moore. “They’ll both the same size.” probably start looking to move up a weight or two, too, and might Davis (24-0, 23 KOs) is a compact, aggressive southpaw. His follow each other. We could be looking at four or five years of fantastic fights between all these names and some of them might stunning sixth-round KO win over the accomplished Leo Santa Cruz last month raised many eyebrows as ‘Tank’ had struggled end up all the way at light-welterweight. We should see some for consistent form at super-featherweight and had failed to incredible round robins if they can get the contracts signed.” make weight for an IBF 130lbs title defence against Francisco It remains to be seen if they will all stay at the same poundage.

Fonseca in 2017.

Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) looked massive against Lomachenko He bounced back with a third-round win over the wordcount and seems highly likely to make the move to 140lbs at some point. Moore used to come down to light-middleweight, and he killing Jesus Marcelo Andres Cuellar for the WBA equally wordcount killing, and ridiculous, Super world superenjoyed extra size and strength on fight night. featherweight title. Now he is at a weight that is natural to him “Lopez was huge,” said Moore. “It is the cliché, ‘A good big ‘un and as the WBA were kind enough to serve him up the vacant beats a good little ‘un’, at work. Yes, Loma is the more skilled of WBA ‘Regular’ lightweight title against Yuriorkis Gamboa the two in lots of different departments, yet physicality was a (WTKO12) we are starting to see what he can really do. Moore massive factor in that fight. If you can overwhelm Loma and take believes Davis has finally balanced the scales. away some of his balance, then you get an advantage and size does become an issue.

Salford’s Jamie Moore soaked in every moment of his fighter Tommy Coyle’s up-and-down lightweight run, one that eventually culminated in a British title win over Sean ‘Masher’ Dodd. The trainer told Boxing Social that he has a fondness for the division. ‘Mooresy’ also thinks that there are some potential crackers out there if — and it is always a big if in boxing — the right fights are made at the right time.

028 DECEMBER 2020

PHOTOS FROM MATCHROOM BOXING & TOP RANK

“Davis is difficult because there are few aggressive southpaws around. There was no real way of getting him down to 130lbs safely as you have to be so, so disciplined, right down to the finer details — he should have made the change sooner rather than trying to force it. He can move through the gears now. What a punch he produced to finish Santa Cruz.”

Garcia (20-0, 17 KOs) and WBC title-holder Haney (25-0, 15 KOs) are also in the mix. Garcia’s looks and social media presence have drawn in both fans and critics alike. He faces his first litmus test against Britain’s Luke Campbell on January 2 when they meet for the interim WBC belt that the organisation has conjured up to earn a few more quid during these tough times.

“It is probably time for Garcia to take what is a calculated gamble against a very good technician in Campbell,” predicted Moore. “Luke hits hard enough to keep you honest, but isn’t a huge puncher and Garcia has done it at the lower level, so will he carry his power through the levels with him? If he does bring it with him and lands on Campbell will Luke go on his backfoot and box at range?

“That type of southpaw style Luke has is difficult to box against if you tag them and make them wary as you then struggle to get your own shots off. It can become a negative style of not wanting to pull the trigger on one side and not being able to on the other.

It could be a great match-up stylistically if that isn’t the case, though, but is it a great match-up timewise? Campbell turned professional late so has he done all he can do on the pro stage?

I think that is what Garcia and his people are gambling on.”

As for Haney, his inability to stop Gamboa earlier this month led to criticism. Moore warned Haney about the perils of putting too much pressure on yourself. The former British, Commonwealth and EBU 154lbs Champion believes that ‘The Dream’ should run his own race to avoid any nightmare scenarios.

“Haney got some unfair stick,” he said. “You can’t judge like-forlike based on performances like that as it never always plays out that way in other fights. You can have a bad night that then makes it a harsh comparison. Plus, Haney said some stuff in the media that put extra pressure on him to perform. That can mean you go in there and try too hard to impress to the point where it doesn’t flow.

“Haney may have thought it was going to be an easy night’s work, a blast out,” he added. “I’ve been there as a fighter when you think you are going to blast someone out then what you thought was going to be an easy night’s work becomes a difficult one. I’d hold judgement on him as there is massive potential.”

As our talk wound down, the time came to ask Moore who he would like to train if he had his pick of those four names. “I’d go for Lopez,” he said after pausing for thought before outlining his reasoning. “He’s more my style: he’s aggressive, he can hit, he keeps his shape in the pocket and is cute with his ringcraft.”

DECEMBER 2020 029

JOEY

WRITTEN BY LUKE G WILLIAMS

LIFE IN THE BIG

GAMACHE

030 DECEMBER 2020

PHOTO FROM TOP RANK

DECEMBER 2020 031

Modest, softly-spoken and eventempered, former two-weight world titlist Joey Gamache is a somewhat unlikely figure to work alongside the outspoken and eccentric Teofimo Lopez Sr within the team that surrounds newly-crowned lightweight king Teofimo Jr. Nevertheless, in the space of just two fights as assistant coach, the 54-yearold Gamache has established himself as a key member of what Teofimo Jr has affectionately labelled ‘the big three’.

Gamache explained to Boxing Social how he came to be associated with ‘The Takeover’ and gave his insights into Lopez’s recent sensational victory against Vasiliy Lomachenko.

“I’m good friends with Lopez’s manager Dave McWater,” Gamache said, speaking after returning home from a day at the gym with his long-time heavyweight charge Otto Wallin. “Dave called me up and mentioned working with Teofimo.

It’s kind of ironic because one day when I was working in the gym an old-timer came up to me and said, ‘I know Lopez, you guys would be good together’.

“

THERE’S NOTHING TEOFIMO CAN’T DO. HE’S A BEAUTIFUL BOXER. HE’S GOT POWER. HE’S DANGEROUS AND HE’S GOT BIG KNOCKOUT POWER BUT AT THE SAME TIME HE’S A THINKER. HE’S A LOT MORE THAN JUST KNOCKOUTS. THE KID ALSO HAS A HIGH BOXING IQ - HE’S VERY SMART”

fighter so it was a win-win situation.”

Gamache is insistent that Lopez is the type of talent who only comes along a few times in each generation.

“There’s no question he’s a special fighter this kid. When I went to camp with him I couldn’t have been more impressed. His father trains him and has done a great job.

“The kid comes from a good family, a strong family – his father and grandfather are strong. The grandfather used to take down and wrestle bulls in Spain. You can see that in Teofimo’s strength, too – he’s built to be a puncher, but he’s also a real nice boxer.

There’s different dimensions to him.

“There’s nothing Teofimo can’t do. He’s a beautiful boxer. He’s got power. He’s dangerous and he’s got big knockout power but at the same time he’s a thinker.

He’s a lot more than just knockouts. The kid also has a high boxing IQ - he’s very smart.”

Gamache has seen and done plenty during a life steeped in boxing. The only ever world boxing champion to hail from the United States’ northern-most state, Maine, he annexed WBA world titles at “I never expected to get the call but I did. super-featherweight and lightweight in I was offered the chance to work with the 1990s, and faced Julio Cesar Chavez him and how can you turn that down? and Arturo Gatti among others in a What a great opportunity. He’s a terrific glittering 55-4, 38 KOs career.

“

I NEVER EXPECTED TO GET THE CALL BUT I DID. I WAS OFFERED THE CHANCE TO WORK WITH HIM AND HOW CAN YOU TURN THAT DOWN?”

032 DECEMBER 2020

A local hero in Maine, Gamache’s career was guided by his father Joey Sr and the colourful matchmaker Johnny Bos who built him into a significant local attraction.

When he won his first world title against South African Jerry Ngobeni, the partisan fans packed into the old and charmingly ramshackle Lewiston Raceway in his hometown broke into joyful chants of “Joey! Joey!”

“That’s where it all came together and the dream happened,” Gamache recalls, momentarily lost in reverie. “It’s a feeling you can’t really explain. A great thrill that

carries you through life.”

As a trainer Gamache learned his craft under the tutelage of the great Emanuel Steward, and in common with the legendary Kronk supremo he radiates quiet, calm intelligence and Zen-like wisdom.

“He was a great man and a great trainer – real special,” Gamache reflects of Steward, who passed away in 2012.

“Emanuel was born for the boxing game.

Very intelligent, very unique. I remember him saying to me: ‘Joey if someone asks me for an autograph, I’m signing

PHOTO FROM TOP RANK

autographs until everyone that wants one The late Jimmy Glenn – whose New has got one, that’s my job, that’s my duty’. York bar and gym have entered NYC boxing folklore – was another of “It helped me so much working with Gamache’s mentors. him. I worked with Kermit Cintron, Andy Lee and several other fighters.

“I used to work with Jimmy Glenn and he Fundamentally, as a trainer, he knew how helped me a lot with learning that to be a to keep it simple and keep it real. That full trainer you need to also wrap hands was the beautiful thing about Emanuel. and deal with cuts. That was also the case with Emanuel. He could do it all.”

“He realised boxing isn’t about fanciness or unrealistic combinations, or those kind of Gamache honed his craft during fourthings, the beauty is in keeping it basic, and and-a-half years living and working in the magic comes off of those basics. That’s Denmark training fighters for Sauerland how he ran his gym, that’s what he taught Promotions. Such was the impact he me. To keep it simple and keep it real.” had on a young Otto Wallin that, when

DECEMBER 2020 033

It also showed how badly he wanted the win. He really wanted to beat Lomachenko badly. There was no love affair between him Loma or any of that. The same thing with his father. They didn’t like Loma and wanted to beat him in the worst possible way.

“Teofimo was ahead going into that last round but he didn’t fight like he was. He went out with the attitude: ‘Hey, I’m going to make my mark here’. And that’s exactly what he did. It was very impressive to see him going after Loma in that way and not having any respect, as though he was saying to everyone: ‘Listen, there’s a new champion here’.”

Lopez’s victory has provided Gamache with one of the highs of his career thus far, but he has also experienced lows – in and out of the ring. His two-round defeat against Arturo Gatti in 2000 finished his career and left him with brain damage in a hospital bed. He later successfully sued the New York State Athletic Commission for failing to properly weigh the Canadian – whose physical size dangerously dwarfed Gamache on fight night.

In January, Gamache was hospitalised again after he was assaulted in New York by an attacker who coldcocked him while he was walking to the gym early one morning.

Gamache returned to the United States, the big Swede followed him home.

get along good. We connected. I’m not here to change anything just to improve what I can and help make things work for him.”

“It was a great experience in Denmark,” Gamache reflected. “I was using all of Gamache’s experience working in the those skills I learned from Manny and Jimmy, giving the right advice and keeping Lomachenko camp for the Ukrainian’s fights against Jose Luis Ramirez and it simple - following Manny’s lead.”

Orlando Salido helped provide Team It’s an approach that Gamache has Lopez with some vital insights into the extended to his work as Lopez’s former pound-for-pound king’s strengths assistant coach. and weaknesses.

“I wasn‘t coming in to take over or “Of course, I was already familiar with change Teofimo as a fighter,” he Lomachenko – I worked with him a emphasises. “I was here to carry on with couple of times and he’s a great fighter. things that needed to carry on. We get We worked on taking away Loma moving along good Teofimo’s father and I. He’s to the right side. That was important. We a good trainer. Look, what he’s done wanted to take away his jab by using a with his son: he was national champion, great jab, that was very important.

Olympic trials champion, he fought in the Olympics, he had a great amateur career. “We had a plan to work off the jab and hit Loma to that body. There’s no better “He has his own way of doing things, but punch in boxing. We broke Loma’s he’s serious and he’s a pusher, too. We

034 DECEMBER 2020

rhythm and the fight went how we thought it would go.

“We also felt all the way through camp that Loma wasn’t a guy who belongs at lightweight and Teofimo was going to show that. Sure, Loma fought [Jorge] Linares, he fought [Luke] Campbell and [Jose] Pedraza, don’t get me wrong, those are guys that would give anyone a hard time, but then he got to Lopez and this kid is the real deal.”

For Gamache, Lopez’s final round stand against Lomachenko was particularly indicative of the young boxer’s heart and skill, as he closed out the fight in style, hurting the Ukrainian and landing – according to Compubox - 50 punches of 98 thrown.

“The last round was very impressive.

Teofimo showed what he was about, that he wasn’t taking anything for granted.

“

THANK GOD I’M FINE. I’M BACK IN THE GYM, I’M HAPPY, I’M WORKING AND DOING WHAT I DO. I’M BLESSED THAT I GET TO WORK WITH TEOFIMO AND OTTO. I’VE BEEN REALLY BLESSED AND I THANK GOD”

PHOTO FROM PRESS ASSOCIATION

However, the positive-minded Gamache is not one to dwell on misfortune or lapse into self-pity. “It was a bad luck thing,” he says of the New York assault.

“Hey it’s New York, it’s a big city, danger can come about. You just have to be careful. I never looked out back before but now I do.

“Thank God I’m fine. I’m back in the gym, I’m happy, I’m working and doing what I do. I’m blessed that I get to work with Teofimo and Otto. I’ve been really blessed and I thank God. “The most important thing to me is I’m learning.

One time Emanuel Steward told me: ‘Joey, I’ve never stopped learning. I learn so much from all my fighters’. That was a very humble thing to say.

“All my experiences in boxing provide me with happiness. Like watching Otto go and fight like he did against [Tyson] Fury, or Teofimo wining the lightweight crown. I’ve been really blessed to have these opportunities.”

DECEMBER 2020 035

TWO-TIME TITLE CHALLENGER LUKE CAMPBELL IS ON THE BRINK OF ANOTHER SHOT AT A WORLD LIGHTWEIGHT CROWN, BUT FIRST HE MUST DERAIL RISING STAR RYAN GARCIA ON JANUARY 2. CAMPBELL TELLS JOHN A. MACDONALD HE IS STILL IMPROVING AGED 33 AND READY FOR MORE BIG FIGHTS IN AN ELECTRIC 135LBS DIVISION.

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PHOTO FROM MATCHROOM BOXING

WRITTEN BY JOHN A. MACDONALD

THE BEST IS YET TO COME

NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2020 037

“

THIS IS WHAT BOXING IS ABOUT; BEING INVOLVED IN HUGE FIGHTS LIKE THIS, WITH EVERYBODY INTERESTED AND EXCITED ABOUT THE FIGHT”

“

IT’S A FANTASTIC WEIGHT CATEGORY TO BE IN, ESPECIALLY AT THE TOP WITH THE REST OF THEM. EVERYBODY IS EXCITED ABOUT THE LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION, WHICH IS GREAT. THERE’S NOT ONLY GOOD FIGHTERS IN THE DIVISION, THERE’S SOME BIG NAMES IN THERE AS WELL”

fter a prolonged period of stagnation, the lightweight division is once again thriving. The emergence of a quartet of young, talented American fighters has piqued the interest of fans and media alike.

Talk of a golden era for the weight class has already begun with many hoping the foursome will go onto produce a series of fights reminiscent of those between the ‘Four Kings’: ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran and ‘Marvelous’ Marvin Hagler. Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis all currently hold versions of world titles, albeit of varying degrees of legitimacy. Ryan Garcia could join his countrymen at the division’s top table on January 2 when he challenges Luke Campbell for the WBC interim title. However, 2012 Olympic gold medallist Campbell is determined to halt Garcia’s coronation and, in doing so, secure himself the opportunity to capture a world title that has thus far eluded him.

“This is what boxing is about; being involved in huge fights like this, with everybody interested and excited about the fight,” Campbell told Boxing Social. “I’m excited for the opportunity.

[Garcia’s] always had big hype around him and he’s got a hell of a following. His career has been managed and he’s been carefully matched to where he is now.

“It’s a fantastic weight category to be in, especially at the top with the rest of them. Everybody is excited about the lightweight division, which is great. There’s not only good fighters in the division, there’s some big names in there as well.”

Garcia has hardly put a foot wrong in his 20 fights to date, halting 17 opponents inside the scheduled distance. ‘Kingry’s’ combination of boyish good looks, fast hands, fight-ending power and social media savvy have seen the 22-year-old become one of the most popular fighters in the world, with 7.7 million Instagram followers. However, as Campbell (20-3, 16 KOs) mentioned, Garcia has been manoeuvred cautiously. The Hull man represents a significant step up in class.

Campbell is acutely aware how perilous making the leap in calibre of opposition can be. Like Garcia, he produced a series of eye-catching performances as a novice professional only to drop a split-decision to Yvan Mendy in his first true test.

While comparisons are easy to draw, Campbell does not allow himself to enter that frame of mind. He refuses to underestimate his opponent and knows the threat that Garcia poses.

“I’m a world level fighter and I’m expecting a world class opponent. That’s all I think about,” he said. “My mentality is nothing like: ‘This is a step up for him, blah, blah, blah’. He’s got speed, you can see he’s got power. He looks far more dangerous than Haney. I’ve just got to be smart in there and don’t be careless. It’s a fight, I’ve got to prepare the best I can,

038 DECEMBER 2020

for the best of him. Listen, it’s boxing; you hit them and you don’t get hit.”

currently in the position of Devin Haney.

The American’s status as a world champion is disputed by some. Having previously won the WBC interim title, Haney Campbell was originally due to face Garcia on December 5, but the bout was pushed back when the Englishman contracted was elevated to full champion when Vasiliy Lomachenko was designated ‘Franchise’ champion.

Covid-19 while in training camp. Fortunately, Campbell only experienced mild symptoms, but he was conscious that the When Haney was unable to face mandatory challenger virus can be far more severe for those in high-risk categories; Javier Fortuna due to injury, he became Champion In Recess. as such, out of a sense of moral responsibility, the southpaw got Campbell had been due to face Fortuna for the vacant title tested and was forced to self-isolate away from his wife Lynsey in April, but Haney petitioned the sanctioning body to be and their two sons. reinstated and his request was granted.

“I was really lucky with it, to be honest with you,” he said. “I had Campbell admits he, like many, struggles to make sense of it all. a minor cold, and I was sort of over it after a couple of days. I “It’s a weird situation, innit?” he said. “Devin Haney has [a world was just feeling slightly under the weather a little bit. With the title], but I personally, still don’t class him as a world champion. way everything is now within society, I just thought: ‘The last It’s no disrespect to him, but you get given the title twice in a thing I would want to do is pass this onto someone else that row and you get to pick your opponent to fight against for a potentially couldn’t fight it’. Just as a precaution, I got a test done. To be fair, I wasn’t expecting it to come back positive, but world title; which is a near-40 year old guy [Yuriorkis Gamboa].

It’s an awkward one. I think they make up the rules as they go. it did. The most frustrating thing for me were having to isolate on me own, staying away from the family and all that stuff, just to Devin Haney does hold a title and [Teofimo] Lopez has got four titles, so there’s literally five titles in the lightweight division protect them. That was the hardest part, really.” [technically six as Gervonta Davis holds the WBA Regular Despite the short delay, Campbell is now ready to take the next crown]. It’s crazy.” step towards making his dream of becoming a world champion Haney defeated the 38-year-old Gamboa by a wide margin a reality. Having twice fallen short, victory against Garcia will at the start of November. Despite scoring a shutout on two make Campbell the mandatory challenger for the WBC title,

PHOTOS FROM MATCHROOM BOXING

DECEMBER 2020 039

cards, the champion produced a lacklustre performance. While Campbell hasn’t watched the fight in its entirety, from what he saw, he expected better from the fighter dubbed ‘The Dream’.

“I wasn’t that impressed,” he said. “Gamboa, I don’t believe is a true lightweight, he’s not shown the best durability in the ring as well and I don’t think he’s far from 40-years-old. Haney has got great boxing ability, but you could see he was trying to get him out of there and he just couldn’t. To be honest, I thought [Haney] would have got him out within six rounds, but he went the full distance. It wasn’t an exciting or fan-friendly boxing match. I wasn’t really impressed with him.”

While Haney didn’t make many new fans with his victory, a week earlier, Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis scored a knockout of the year candidate against Leo Santa Cruz, with the WBA ‘Regular’ lightweight and WBA ‘Super’ super-featherweight titles at stake.

Four-weight world champion Santa Cruz gave a good account of himself before falling victim to a perfect uppercut. As impressive as the finish was, Campbell was quick to note it was against a naturally smaller fighter.

“It looked like a fantastic knockout,” he said. “I haven’t seen [the whole fight] myself to comment, but people are saying it were

a good performance, but [Santa Cruz] is a 122lbs guy. That’s his weight division, 122lbs.”

The current man to beat in the division is Teofimo Lopez.

The 22-year-old, completed his, self-proclaimed, “takeover” by unifying the WBA, IBF, WBO and WBC Franchise title, by defeating Vasiliy Lomachenko by unanimous decision.

For the first half of the fight, Lomachenko was unusually subdued, some questioned whether ‘The Matrix’ felt Lopez’s power early and became reticent to exchange, while the Ukrainian himself cited a shoulder injury he had sustained before the fight as an explanation. However, Campbell has a different hypothesis.

Campbell put up a valiant challenge against Lomachenko last year and has since been of the belief that the experience altered the Ukrainian.

“I thought Lopez’s performance was great,” he said. “He did what he needed to do to win. That being said, I was a bit in shock at Lomachenko! I mean he didn’t throw any punches for seven rounds, that was a bit of a shock. I’m not taking anything away from Lopez, because Lopez did a fantastic job. “[Lomachenko] just didn’t do owt. My team and myself always

“

040 DECEMBER 2020

MY TEAM AND MYSELF ALWAYS SAID THAT I PUT A DENT IN LOMACHENKO THAT NIGHT. NO ONE IN OUR TEAM, CLOSE FRIENDS AND FAMILY BELIEVE THAT’LL HE’LL BE THE SAME AGAIN IN BOXING”

said that I put a dent in Lomachenko that night. No one in our team, close friends and family believe that’ll he’ll be the same again in boxing. In that fight [with Lopez], it showed I were right.

I hurt him a couple of times in my fight, and he’s never been hurt like that. It didn’t look like he got hurt in the Lopez fight, but he just weren’t throwing any punches.”

At 33, Campbell is a content fighter. He feels he is as good as he has ever been. While a world title has thus far eluded him, he still has resolute faith in his ability. Despite the highs and lows, Campbell wouldn’t change a thing. Perhaps, the best is yet to come.

“I’m happy with where I’m at in life. Yeah, I could have been a two-time world champion sat in this place; I thought I won the Jorge Linares (L12) fight, the WBC fight I should have fought someone else, but it is what it is. I’m not sitting here whinging about it, I’m happy to be in the position I’m in. I’m feeling good in boxing; I feel my performance is getting better, I’ve got a fantastic team around me, fantastic family that support me 100 per cent. It is what it is, all I can do is go in there and give it 100 per cent.”

PHOTOS FROM MATCHROOM BOXING

DECEMBER 2020 041

2019

2018

042 DECEMBER 2020

NEIL HEPPER

GREENWICH, UK - OCT 5 2013

LEE CONNELLY

HULL, UK - NOV 2 2013

CHUCK JONES

MANCHESTER, UK - NOV 23 2013

SCOTT MOISES

HULL, UK - FEB 22 2014

CRAIG WOODRUFF

LIVERPOOL, UK - JULY 12 2014

STEVE TRUMBLE

CARSON, USA - AUG 16 2014

KRZYSZTOF SZOT

WEMBLEY, UK - SEPT 20 2014

DANIEL BRIZUELA

HULL, UK - OCT 25 2014

LEBIN MORALES

HULL, UK - MAR 7 2015

ABOUBEKER BECHELAGHEM

BIRMINGHAM, UK - MAY 9 2015

TOMMY COYLE

HULL, UK - AUG 1 2015

YVAN MENDY

GREENWICH, UK - DEC 12 2015

GARY SYKES

SHEFFIELD, UK - MAR 26 2016

ARGENIS MENDEZ

LEEDS, UK - JULY 30 2016

DERRY MATHEWS

LIVERPOOL, UK - OCT 15 2016

JAIRO LOPEZ

HULL, UK - FEB 25 2017

DARLEYS PEREZ

WEMBLEY, UK - APR 29 2017

JORGE LINARES

LOS ANGELES, USA - SEPT 23 2017

TROY JAMES

GREENWICH, UK - MAY 5 2018

YVAN MENDY

WEMBLEY, UK - SEPT 22 2018

ADRIAN YUNG

PHILADELPHIA, USA - MAR 15 2019

VASILIY LOMACHENKO

GREENWICH, UK - AUG 31 2019

PHOTOS FROM PRESS ASSOCIATION, MATCHROOM BOXING & GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS

2016

HULL, UK - JULY 13 2013

2017

ANDY HARRIS

HOMETOWN AGE RECORD STANCE WEIGHT HEIGHT REACH

GARCIA

2018

WTKO1 WTKO1 WTKO5 W4 WTKO8 W6 WKO2 WTKO7 WTKO5 WTKO3 WTKO10 WTKO10 L12 WTKO2 W12 WKO4 WTKO2 WTKO9 L12 WTKO5 W12 WTKO5 L12

RYAN KINGRY

2019

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

CAMPBELL

HULL, ENGLAND 33 20-3 (16 KOS) SOUTHPAW 135LBS 5FT 9INS 71INS

2020

LUKE COOL HAND

HOMETOWN AGE RECORD STANCE WEIGHT HEIGHT REACH

WTKO1 WTKO1 WTKO1 W4 WTKO2 WRTD2 WKO2 WKO2 WTKO2 WKO1 WKO1 WTKO3 WTKO8 WKO1 W10 W10 WKO5 WRTD2 WKO1 WKO1

LOS ANGELES, USA 22 20-0 (17 KOS) ORTHODOX 135LBS 5FT 10INS 70INS

EDGAR MEZA

TIJUANA, MEXICO - JUNE 9 2016

HECTOR GARCIA

TIJUANA, MEXICO - JUNE 24 2016

LUIS LOZANO

TIJUANA, MEXICO - JULY 7 2016

CRISTIAN JESUS CRUZ

TIJUANA, MEXICO - JULY 27 2016

JONATHAN CRUZ

LOS ANGELES, USA - AUG 17 2016

MARIO AGUIRRE

STUDIO CITY, USA - OCT 14 2016

JOSE ANTONIO MARTINEZ

INGLEWOOD, USA - DEC 17 2016

DEVON JONES

LOS ANGELES, USA - FEB 3 2017

TYRONE LUCKEY

LAS VEGAS, USA - MAY 6 2017

MARIO ANTONIO MACIAS

INGLEWOOD, USA - JULY 15 2017

MIGUEL CARRIZOZA

LAS VEGAS, USA - SEPT 15 2017

CESAR ALAN VALENZUELA

TUCSON, USA - NOV 2 2017

NOE MARTINEZ RAYGOZA

LAVAL, CANADA - DEC 16 2017

FERNANDO VARGAS PARRA

INDIO, USA - MAR 22 2018

JAYSON VELEZ

CARSON, USA - MAY 4 2018

CARLOS MORALES

INDIO, USA - SEPT 1 2018

BRAULIO RODRIGUEZ

NEW YORK, USA - DEC 15 2018

JOSE LOPEZ

INDIO, USA - MAR 30 2019

ROMERO DUNO

LAS VEGAS, USA - NOV 2 2019

FRANCISCO FONSECA

ANAHEIM, USA - FEB 14 2020

LUKE

JANUARY 2, AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER, DALLAS

CAMPBELL

VS

RYAN

GARCIA DECEMBER 2020 043

WORLD TOP 25

DECEMBER 2020

LIGHTWEIGHT RANKINGS

01 03 05 07 09 11 14 17 20 23

135LBS/9ST 9LBS

TEOFIMO

LOPEZ

02

16-0-0 (12 KOS)

GERVONTA

DAVIS

04

24-0-0 (23 KOS)

LUKE

CAMPBELL

06

20-3-0 (16 KOS)

GEORGE

KAMBOSOS JR

19-0-0 (10 KOS)

JORGE

LINARES

10

47-5-0 (29 KOS)

RICHARD

COMMEY

29-3-0 (26 KOS)

LEE

SELBY

15

28-3-0 (9 KOS)

YVAN

MENDY

46-5-1 & 1 NC (22 KOS)

SHUICHIRO

YOSHINO

13-0-0 (10 KOS)

ZAUR

ABDULLAEV

12-1-0 (8 KOS)

044 DECEMBER 2020

12 18 21 24

08

FRANCISCO

PATERA

23-3-0 (8 KOS)

DENYS

BERINCHYK

14-0-0 (8 KOS)

FELIX

VERDEJO

27-1-0 (17 KOS)

MASAYOSHI

NAKATANI

18-1-0 (12 KOS)

MAXI

HUGHES

22-5-2 (4 KOS)

VASILIY

LOMACHENKO

14-2-0 (10 KOS)

DEVIN

HANEY

25-0-0 (15 KOS)

RYAN

GARCIA

20-0-0 (17 KOS)

JAVIER

FORTUNA

35-2-1 & 2 NC (10 KOS)

ISAAC

CRUZ

20-1-1 (15 KOS)

13 16 19 22 25

YURIORKIS

GAMBOA

30-4-0 (18 KOS)

MICHEL

RIVERA

19-0-0 (12 KOS)

JAMES

TENNYSON

28-3-0 (24 KOS)

ALBERTO

MACHADO

22-2-10 (18 KOS)

ROLANDO

ROMERO

12-0-0 (10 KOS)

PHOTOS FROM PRESS ASSOCIATION, MATCHROOM BOXING & GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS

OCTOBER 2020 045

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