Exclusive Boxing Interview With Billy Graham
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Legendary British trainer Billy Graham has coached many accomplished boxers during his career such as Carl Thompson, Michael Brodie, Michael Gomez and others but the Manchester based “Preacher” is at the height of his powers at the moment with his fighter Ricky Hatton posed to challenge Luis Collazo for the WBA Welterweight crown this Saturday in Boston. We were fortunate enough to speak with Billy as he was putting the finishing touches on Ricky’s preparation and you won’t want to miss this insider’s view on the skyrocketing career of both Graham and Hatton, only on SaddoBoxing.com!
SaddoBoxing: How do you see this fight with Collazo for Ricky?
Billy Graham: “It’s the TV companies that have taken us into this fight. The only reason I was going to move up into the welterweights was to fight Carlos Baldomir, because he was the man. But we really didn’t have much of a choice and the last thing I wanted was a shifty southpaw that moves. I have no doubts that Ricky will beat him. It’s just that with Ricky being a bleeder and that, you try to minimize the risks. He always gets cut early on so there’s more chance of that happening with a southpaw, especially a southpaw as quick and as good as this kid. But then again, I think Ricky beats him and I think that Ricky stops him. I think it will be very lively at first, while Ricky adapts to the southpaw thing. He’s adapted well to it in sparring, I thought after a couple of sessions he’d adapted really well. I think it will be a lively start to the fight and I think it will be good, but I think Ricky will actually start breaking Collazo down after a few rounds”
SB: Do you see Ricky as having to try and cut off the ring?
BG: “That ain’t gonna be a problem. If Collazo gets on his feet and starts movin’, that ain’t gonna be a problem, it just gives him enough rope to hang himself. I don’t mind that at all because nobody can hold Ricky out. Not for long. So Collazo is going to have to start getting involved. If he spends a few rounds using his legs then he’ll be more worn out when he does start getting involved with Ricky then if he just goes in and goes for it early. I obviously always expect both ways because some kids will jump on you and gamble, so we’ll be prepared for that; we always are. But the most likely outcome is that he’s going to get smart, get on the jab and start moving. Collazo likes to stand in close sometimes like Winky Wright, cover up and that, but obviously, he ain’t Winky Wright.”
“I have no doubts that Ricky will beat him, take cuts out of the equation, I always have to say that because cuts are always in the equation with Ricky. Never mind about plastic surgeons and this, that and the other, he’s a bleeder and that’s it.”
SB: If Ricky does get cut early, is there the pressure to do the guy within a round, kind of like Detroit (Hatton vs. Quiros June 2000) all over again?
BG: “Well, he’s been cut in the first round quite a lot of times, Ricky’s used to dealing with cuts and has a great cutsman in Mick Williamson – I was a good cutsman myself, when I used to do the cuts, so I don’t really panic in that, so we’ll just play that by ear. We’re used to that and we prepared for that.”
SB: Are you concerned about Ricky going up to welterweight for this fight?
BG: “No, I’m not worried about that at all. That’s the last thing I’m worried about. I don’t want the boxing world to forget that Ricky is the light welterweight champion of the world, never mind the belts, I want everyone to realize that Ricky is still the light welterweight champion of the world. The only reason we’ll be fighting at welterweight is that the big money fights out there are at welter. Mayweather moved up, Gatti’s moved up, Judah…Cotto’s going to move up, he’s got to…they’ve all moved up.
“If I had the choice, I’d prefer to fight these people at light welter but the money dictates it. All of these people I’ve just named, I’d rather fight them at light welter. Cotto definitely, I’d rather fight at light welter, Gatti I’d rather fight at light welterweight. I want it made clear that I’m not jumpin’ for joy to be in the welterweight division. He’s the light welterweight champion of the world and that’s what Ricky is and this is the fight that the TV companies have picked. So, we’ll oblige them.”
“He’d have no problem whatsoever making 140 again, but if the big money fights come at welter, than that’s what we’ll have to do. But if you give me the choice, I’d rather drag them lot back down to light welter to fight Ricky.
“I don’t know why people keep suggesting that Ricky has problems with the weight? How can a fighter fight at the pace that Ricky Hatton fights if he’s weight weakened? They’re making themselves look like idiots because he’s got the highest workrate in the world, yet they say that he’s having weight problems…”
“Collazo has very fast hands but he won’t be the stronger guy. Ricky will be the stronger man and I can see Ricky stopping him. I think the fight will be very competitive early on. Collazo is fast, he’s shifty, he looks good but I don’t think that he’s got the same substance as Ricky and I think that when Ricky starts banging on him for a few rounds I see Collazo as engaging him, and I see Ricky stopping him as the kid begins to fall apart. I think it’s going to be very quick and lively early on. I think definitely the crowd will enjoy it.”