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This Friday, April 18, 2008, South London’s charismatic Gary “Hot Stuff” Woolcombe, 25-1 (10), will be putting his British Light Middleweight title on the line for the first time since winning the vacant crown against Marcus Portman last December in Wigan, England.
The 25 year old has filled London’s York Hall for this hotly anticipated clash with big punching southpaw and former titlist Ryan Rhodes, 38-4 (26), on a Frank Maloney promotion and we had the good fortune to catch up with Gary as he was putting the final touches on his training camp.
SaddoBoxing: Who are you sparring against in the gym in order to prepare for Ryan Rhodes and can you say a bit about how that sparring is going?
Gary Woolcombe: “The sparring has been going really well. I don’t have a problem with southpaws. I have been sparring Sam Webb, he is an orthodox fighter, but he’s been turning southpaw for me. I reckon he’s a better southpaw than he is orthodox fighter, anyway.
“I sparred Tony Oakey a couple of times, we got let down by Craig Watson, and Tony jumped in at the last minute. I sparred Gokhan Kazaz quite a few times and had a good spar with him. I did actually spar Craig, but only once and also John Honney, he’s a lot better in the gym then he is on the night, but I had great sparring sessions with all of them.”
SB: What were the key components in your British title winning effort against southpaw Marcus Portman last December? What did you find that really worked for you and how were you able to nullify his effectiveness?
GW: ” I took the fight at a week’s notice, so I never had any southpaw sparring for it, I just took things as they came. I just adapted to his style, that’s what makes a good fighter. All my career, I have been due to fight, say, a come forward fighter, and the day before the fight, they change the opponent to a runner, so I had to learn to adapt to deal with the change of opponent.”
SB: How do you feel about your performance in that fight against Portman?
GW: “The performance in that fight wasn’t that great, I know there’s a lot better to come from me. I didn’t prepare for that fight properly, as I took it at late notice. I believe if I had proper preparation for that fight, like I have for this, then you would have seen a lot better from me.”
SB: Is it an added difficulty having to face two southpaws in a row in British title fights?
GW: “Like I said earlier, southpaws don’t bother me one bit. You’re still fighting a man with two arms and two legs”.
SB: What do you think about fighting Ryan Rhodes?
GW: “Ryan Rhodes is a good fighter and I believe the better the fighter, the better I box. It doesn’t seem to matter who they put in front of me, how good their record is, no matter who they have beaten, I seen to always pull it out of the bag.”
SB: Do you feel he’s going to be the most dangerous opponent you’ve ever shared the ring with or is he past his best and trying to make a weight he hasn’t actually made since 1997?
GW: “I do believe this is my hardest fight to date and he was a warrior in his day. He’s a big puncher; his record speaks for itself. I don’t believe he going to be as good as in is heyday, but if he is as good as his heyday, then I prepared for that and am ready to go 12 hard rounds, if that’s what it takes.”
SB: What is it about your style that will carry you through to victory against Rhodes? What isn’t he going to be able to cope with?
GW: “I’m not great at anything, but good at everything. I’m not blowing my own trumpet, but I have a great work rate, I’m getting stronger with every fight and am quite skillful when I want to be.”
SB: How did winning the British title change your life, both in boxing and outside of it?
GW: “I wrote a letter back to a fan this morning and he asked the same question. To be quite honest, I don’t feel any different, but now that I have that British title, I will not let him [Rhodes] take it off me. I do believe that after this fight, it will start to sink in that I’m British Champion.”
SB: What does it mean to you to be making your first title defense at the venue, York Hall, where you have fought more than half your fights?
GW: “Fighting at York Hall is a great venue and like you said, I have had over half my fights there and it’s the home of boxing. I am looking forward to it because I have sold 300 tickets and could do with a lot more, but it’s a sell out and it will be nice to be fighting in front of so many people and my fans.”
SB: Is there anything else that you’d like to say in closing?
GW: “I would like to thank all my supporters for coming to support me and my sponsors, BBE. I would also like to say good luck to Gary Ward, who I am sponsoring as he’s running the marathon for Bromley Autistic Trust; good luck, Gary!”
