Kevin Anderson Joins Bob Shannon to Prepare for his fight with Eamon Magee by Terry Dooley May 2nd 2007

When Kevin Anderson was dropped and almost stopped in the second round of his British welterweight title fight with Young Mutley last June it looked like the man from Fife in Scotland was heading towards defeat for the first time in his career. That crunching left hook from Mutley was a blow that would have knocked out many a fighter yet in that incredible fight – BBBofC fight of the year 2006 – Anderson managed to storm back to stop a fading Mutley in the tenth round. Anderson did what a professional fighter has to do at some point, he hit the canvas, defeat wafted into his nostrils and he dug himself up and dusted himself off to win the fight in the tenth. Fast forward to February 2007 and Anderson was boxing wonderfully early-doors in his Commonwealth title-fight with mandatory challenger Ali Nuumbembe only for the fight to turn in the mid-rounds as the Namibian – who had been threatened with deportation by his manager Frank Maloney if he lost – dug-out the punches needed to cause Anderson problems. Another left hook – this time to the body – in round eight creased Anderson up and was one of the most debilitating body shots this writer has seen. Anderson boxed the final rounds with a cut eye and in a semi-daze only to see his title lost to him on points; as scores of 112-116, 115-116 and 115-114 came in Anderson lost his title and also his unbeaten record in another fight of the year candidate. Once again Anderson was down – this time metaphorically as his dreams turned to dust on the scorecards - once again he dusted himself off and this time he aims to storm back with the assistance of the man who helped orchestrate his sole loss. Anderson has hooked up with Ali Nuumbembe's trainer Bob Shannon as Kevin prepares for a date with the tough Eamon Magee in defence of the British title still in the possession of the man from Fife. For Anderson it is an admission that he is prepared to swallow his hurt over the contentious loss and learn from the man who sent Nuumbembe up to Scotland with the punch output needed to outpoint Kevin. Professional pragmatics also seems to have paid a key role in Anderson's temporary move to Manchester in search of quality sparring and gym-work. Without any disrespect to anyone it must be pointed out that Anderson was guided in the Nuumbembe fight by his former amateur trainer Rab Crockatt. Now, Crockatt may well be outstanding with his amateur charges but to go from coaching amateurs to guiding an established pro through a twelve-round fight with a hungry challenger is a tough ask for anyone to take on. Anderson had returned to what he knows with Crockatt because he had felt he was easier to hit against Mutley, therefore you have to admire Kevin's acknowledgement that he needed help. Now, though, in coming to see Shannon, Kevin can get help from a pro trainer who has watched him closely over the past year (Ali waited for his shot for a long time), closely enough, in fact, to plot a strategy against him based on movement and left hook counters to the body and head. BBN was there for Kevin's first session with Shannon. Anderson had spent six hours in his car on route to Manchester, was met by Bob and then found himself sparring a few hours later against former British Champion, and crucially a southpaw, David Barnes. Unless some remarkable gym-work has been achieved with Eamon Magee it is unlikely that he will present Kevin with the kind of movement and shot selection the fired-up Barnes (who was sharp and eager ahead of a fight in Sheffield this Thursday) produced in these rounds. David had the bit between his teeth and showed Anderson every shot in his repertoire whilst for his part Anderson covered then worked the body area whenever possible. Anderson also worked on staying on top of his southpaw sparring partner throughout the rounds. Afterwards Anderson and Barnes talked about the work to be done over the next week before Bob took Kevin aside and told him to get a good nights rest ahead of a run the next day. Before he left BBN spoke to Kevin about the reasoning behind his switch. Kevin Anderson: “I just fancied a change and we couldn't go it on our own up there so I spoke to Bob and we just gelled and I decided to go with him.” BBN: Did the fight with Ali play a part in this decision? KA: “It was the fitness Ali had yeah and it is just that Fife is a small town so we needed a change from there. Manchester is a good place to train and I can have any mistakes I make cut-out in the sparring.” BBN: Your first night here has seen you spar David Barnes, how did you find it? KA: “Obviously it is tough sparring a southpaw but I feel I'll get better and I feel positive that we will get the timing right if we work on it in the gym. That is why we've come here. “I think David Barnes is one of the best southpaws at welter and light-welter so I can get my timing right and if I can get it right sparring him I'm sure I can hurt Magee.” BBN: What are you expecting from a fight with Magee? KA: “I'm expecting a tough fight. He is one of Britain's top names so if I can beat him I put what happened with Ali Nuumbembe behind me and it is a very important fight for me to take. “I always expect a tough fight in any fight and I expect that with Magee but if I come to the gym and get fit we can keep my British title.” BBN: Is coming here a sign that you are man enough to say that you needed help to find your spark following that first loss? KA: “Definitely. We put our hands-up and said we can't do it up there by ourselves, we need the help and I felt that if I got that help I could go out there and beat Magee well.” BBN: You had that remarkable fight with Mutley last year; how did you recover from the second-round left hook? KA: “He floored me but I wasn't as hurt as it might seem and I got up and thought I put him down in that round but they never counted his one so my heart kept me going through the fight.” BBN: It seems that in the fight with Nuumbembe a left hook to the body in round eight had a massive effect on you; in fact I was surprised at how badly it affected you. KA: “I think a lot of folk would have gone down and not got up with that shot. I got hurt but managed to pull myself through that round.” “I thought I won (the fight) but the judges scored it differently and people see different things (in a fight). Ali Nuumbembe never beat me it was just another persons opinion that he beat me but I thought I was the better boxer. It is just good that I've still got my British title to take into the fight with Magee.” With that was time for Kevin to get to his hotel and get a deserved rest. Before leaving the gym BBN spoke to Bob Shannon about this turn of events. BBN: How are you feeling to have a fighter like Kevin at the gym? Bob Shannon: “I'm really excited and really happy. I went to Scotland last weekend and I spent two days working with Kevin. His manger (Tommy Gilmour) and his father said Kevin would never leave Scotland and it would be a case of me going up at the weekends. I said meet me half-way and come down here for a week and you'll get some really good sparring and pad-work. Kevin said he'd think about it and phoned me to say he was coming down.” BBN: What prompted your first session with Kevin up there in Scotland? BS: “I had to speak to Tommy (Gilmour) over something else recently and told him that the fight with Kevin and Ali was such a good fight and I didn't feel that Kevin looked at his absolute best – I'm not knocking Ali, Ali had a great fight. I felt Kevin was a bit flat, especially with Ali being so sharp. “They said they'd had a few problems in training so I told them I was there for them if they ever needed me for advice. Anyway they phoned and said they'd like to have a meeting and we moved on from there.” BBN: It says a lot about Kevin that he came all the way down here to work with the man who helped beat him? KA: “It shows that he is a man and it shows the impression Ali makes because Ali fought David Barnes and David came here, not right after the fight but he ended-up with me. Now Kevin Anderson is looking at the gym and seeing the lads are fit and well-schooled and he wants some of that for himself.” BBN: You have a lot of quality to work with in Kevin already as he is an accomplished fighter, what will be the plan over the next week or so? BS: “Kevin needs a bit of sharpening up. With the way I do the pads on the body-bag it will be intense and just what he needs to sharpen him up and make him work more. Kevin looks a little bit off the mark and we can do some good work together.” Even if Kevin does only stay here in Manchester for a week his presence is mutually beneficial. Anderson is a tough fighter, Shannon is a tough taskmaster as a trainer; this could be the start of a bruising relationship. Photos by Allan Stevenson

Go back Comment on this article | Send to a friend | Print

There are no comments. Click here to be the first who comment on this article.