Exclusive Interview: “Amazing’ Alex Arthur.

Alex Arthur is a man who firmly contradicts many of the traits associated with your stereotypical Scotsman: always bubbly, talkative, well-spoken and very charismatic. Oh yeah, and he’s an extremely gifted boxer, something that firmly sets him apart from the vast, vast majority of his

countrymen. Having received rave reviews for his performance against Eric Odumase, Arthur will be stepping back into the ring this Friday, much to the delight of his many admirers. Of course, Arthur has much bigger plans for the future. Although, he’s unlikely to look too far ahead, having unexpectedly tasted defeat for the first time just over one year ago. To this day, that loss to Michael Gomez still haunts him, despite his own admission that it was, “the kick up the backside I needed.” Alex was kind enough to talk to saddoboxing.com ahead of his fight against Nazareno Gaston Ruiz, this Friday December the third at the Meadowbank Stadium in his native Edinburgh.

Read on for this essential interview with one of Scotland’s finest fighters.

SaddoBoxing: How’s your training been going?

Alex Arthur: Aye, training’s been going fine, no complaints at all. It was more about maintenance, rather than trying to get fit again, from coming off a fight or, rather, a title fight so quick and then coming onto this one. So it was hard to actually prevent myself from going over the top and peaking too early. We just had to try and maintain the fitness, rather than anything else, you know.

SB: Reports said that you had a bit of trouble finding footage of your upcoming opponent, Nazareno Gaston Ruiz.

AA: Oh aye, aye, we did actually, we had some trouble in the beginning. We actually had a wee chat about the fight, you know. We thought, “Is it worth taking a fight at the end of the year against a guy who we know very little about?” And I think it was some guy from down south in London that managed to get a tape over, you know. And we were obviously thankful for that. We managed to see him and he’s a technical boxer, he likes to draw you into the punch and counter-punch you, you know.

SB: So are there any problems that you feel he could pose you?

AA: Well, I mean, every guy that you fight’s got a chance, you know. And you just need to take the fight as it comes. You need to see what’s in front of you, you need to shape the guy up, you need to see what punches he goes for, and how he likes to work, if he likes to try and control the pace, or if he fights at a fast pace. So I mean, really, there’s all different kinds of problems that he could pose me. It’s just more about if I can go about my game plan the right way, you know.

SB: You got some rave reviews over your performance in the Odumase fight. You looked really good in that fight. After the fight, you could see how much you put your performance down to Jim McDonnell, as you seemed to frequently acknowledge him while you spoke with Frank Warren. What specifically did he work on with you?

AA: Well, a lot of people think of Jim McDonnell as being a fitness fanatic type coach, you know. Whereas, what I experienced with him was the fact that he was brilliant technically. You know, some of the technical moves that he knew absolutely shocked me. I was a wee bit taken aback by that. And I actually compared him to being just as good technically as Freddie Roach, you know, who I believe is the best trainer in the world for just core boxing. And Jimmy made a lot of additions to my style, similar to what Freddie wanted to make, you know. I’m just a wee bit more fortunate that Jimmy’s here in Britain. And,you know, Freddie’s a way over the other side of the world, so that was a wee bit harder. But me and Jimmy just get on like a house on fire and we’re really excited about the future together and what we can achieve, you know, the fact that he trained to become a world champion at my weight and never quite made it, so he would like to do it through me.

SB: What is the actual status of your partnership with Roach?

AA: Well, me and Freddie are basically good mates, you know. I mean, that’s all it boils down to now. He phones me, I phone him and we talk on the phone regular. I go over to California every now, and then I train and Freddie sets me up sparring. That’s about as far as it goes. And he said that he’ll always be there for me. If me and Jimmy go to the States, he’ll set up sparring partners for us and training camps and all that type of thing. So it’s a brilliant, brilliant connection to have.

SB: So you’re definitely going to go over there from time to time.

AA: Aye, definitely, definitely. The Sparring is second to none. And if you want hard sparring that’s where you go (laughs).

SB: Did you get a chance to spar with Pacquiao?

AA: Manny had actually just arrived when I was just leaving, so we didn’t get the chance to spar. I did spar with Israel Vasquez, the world super bantamweight champion. I sparred with Diego Corrales, the world lightweight champion. I also sparred with Nate Campbell, the number one contender for the IBF super featherweight title. And I had a few battles with him because of us being at the same weight. And apart from that, I sparred with guys like Yoni Vargas, Roberto Guerrero, Bernard Dunn, you know, some really highly ranked world class fighters.

SB: What percentage of your potential do you think you’re at just now?

AA: Well, I mean, it’s hard for me to say. Jim McDonnell says I’ve been fighting at 30%. You know, people have only seen 30% of me. And he seems to think that I got myself up to 60% of that in the gym, sparring in the gym down south in London and stuff. And then in the Odumase fight, you know, he thought I improved on my 30% by around 20%. So it’s improvement.

SB: Watching the fight with Odumase on Sky Sports, the commentators actually sounded concerned when you took a couple of shots because your defense had tightened up that much.

AA: Yeah, I know, it was quite strange. But I hope they don’t forget that I’ve got a really good chin.

SB: (Interrupting) Yeah, I’ve been saying that to people, because I saw the punches you took against Gomez.

AA: Yeah, a lot of people said to me it was phenomenal how many shots I took from a big puncher, you know, without going down. And the only reason I thought that I did go down was not just the accumulation of punches that I took, but because of the actual physical condition that I was in in the run up to the fight, you know, having had to lose seven pounds on the day of the weigh-in, and also having the viral infection in my glands. I think that must have dropped my punch-resistance down a wee bit. But I mean, fighting guys like Patrick Malinga and guys who can really punch hard and, you know, they’ve cracked me a few times and I’ve never budged. Quite quietly, I’ve always been renowned for having a good chin. I’ve had some wars in the gym with Scott Harrison and things like that. Diego Corrales actually hit me with a peach of a right hand, and after the sparring was finished he said that he’s dropped sparring partners with a better reputation than mine with shots of the same kind.

SB: You wouldn’t believe the arguments I’ve had with people over your chin.

AA: Yeah, so it’s quite good to hear, but I didn’t want to rely on my chin anymore (laughs).

SB: Did you watch the Morales-Barrera rubber match?

AA: I did, I did. I watched it. It was fantastic, really, really good to watch. I actually went to the second one.

SB: How do you think you compare to those fighters?

AA: Well, at this point of my career they are miles ahead of me, you know. I understand that, but Jimmy was actually at the fight and he sent me a text message saying that he believes one day that will be my level, you know, if I keep working and practicing the things that we’ve been doing and continually working with the people I’ve been working with: strength coaches, nutritionists and all that type of thing. He thinks that I can achieve that level one day.

SB: You mentioned Scott Harrison a minute ago. Are you any clearer on what happened between you two? I mean, he didn’t turn up to that press conference, apparently because you were there. You seemed a bit confused by the whole thing.

AA: Not really. I mean, (pauses) nah not really. Scott’s a good guy, you know, and I think it’s just been played up a wee bit. Like, Scott would do things like that if it didn’t fit in with his daily training regime. You know, he would say, “Oh, I’m not going because Alex Arthur’s going to be there”. I know Scott too well.

SB: There’s a fair chance you’ll face Boris Sinitsin, the European champion, if you get past Ruiz. Did you see his fight against Docherty?

AA: Well, I mean, the purse bids for the British title, they go on… I think it’s the eighth of December and Frank Warren says he’s going to go in there rather heavy. He’s going to try to bid quite heavy. If that’s the fight, if it has to happen, I’m really up for it. You know, I’ll fight anybody. I just want to progress, just keep getting better, you know, and stretch out to reach for what I can have, rather what I’m holding on to.

SB: That’s a fight that would catapult you right into the top ten. Is that the point that you would like to fight Gomez, or are you looking for revenge a bit sooner?

AA: Oh aye, the sooner the better really. I mean, it’s like, I’m worried he’s gonna lose, you know. I mean, rumor has it that he’s not training like he was again, you know, he’s not looking after himself. I’m concerned because I want the guy to be at his best when we fight again. I really want to beat him up (begins to laugh). So I’m hoping he comes to the fight in great shape.

SB: I heard that Gomez is looking forward to getting back in the ring with you.

AA: How long ago was this?

SB: That was only a couple of days ago.

AA: Was it?

SB: Aye.

AA: Did you hear if Gomez has been training?

SB: No, he hasn’t. I don’t think he’s got any fights planned at the moment. I heard a story about you leaving a note on his door before the fight, saying that you were going to “kick his wee arse.”

AA: Ahhhh, I remember that (laughing). Do you know what it was? It was big Billy Nelson, who’s one of Scott Harrison’s trainers. When big Billy was training me, we were fighting Carl Reeves down in Newcastle and Gomez wrote something on my changing room door, and big Billy Nelson wrote “I’m gonna kick yer wee arse”.

SB: (laughing).

AA: This was years ago.

SB: Ok, what do you see yourself achieving before you retire?

AA: Well, you know, my goals are through the roof. I mean, what I think I’m capable of achieving, millions wouldn’t believe me. I’d like to win world titles at different weight divisions and I’d like to obviously gain revenge over Gomez, and just continually be successful. Aye, that’s aboutit, what more can I say really?

SB: Is there anything you’d like to say to your fans before we finish up?

AA: Aye! It’s good to talk to your site and all that and I hope the readers keep reading about boxing, and hopefully next year I’ll be a world champion for Edinburgh and Scotland.

SB: Hopefully. Well, thanks very much for your time Alex.

AA: No worries, mate.

SB: Good luck on Friday.

AA: Take it easy, mate.

James MacDonald can be reached at ac009b5460@blueyonder.co.uk