Pickering aching for Hunter revenge by Kev Parker Oct 29th 2007

In an exclusive interview with BBN's Kev Parker, Esham 'Brown Sugar' Pickering gives his views on changing training camp, relocating and the plans for the future. Congratulations on your recent win - a third-round stoppage of Steve Gethin. It was your first outing since defeating Marc Callaghan. How do you feel it went? When I boxed Marc Callaghan, I just boxed in first gear; I did smooth, skillful boxing. I just gave him a boxing lesson and did twelve rounds easy, just keeping in first gear, never lost a round, complete shut-out. I was just sharpening my skills. If I had stepped on the gas with Marc Callaghan, I could have stopped him in any round, I felt that I was just another level above. Now I've been training with Carl Greaves for eight weeks (after moving from the Ingles). I've always had good strength in the ring but I never really use it. I normally use my silky boxing skills, jab move, jab move. This time, Carl's been bringing a bit of aggression out of me and working on my strength and endurance and when I got in there it just came natural to me. Gethin has been around the block; although he's only a journeyman he's been in there with Amir Khan and a lot of good men and he said to me afterwards it's the hardest he's ever been hit. He said the stoppage was done at the right time, I mean it looked like he had been ran over after the fight, his face was absolutely battered. I felt strong but I can't get too excited it was only a six-round fight on a small dinner show, so my next fight is on November 9th, that's an eight-rounder then I'll be defending my title. I'm number one for the European so I'm going to look forward to this next fight then move on after that. Your next fight is against Sean Hughes. Do you plan on staying busy after that? Yeah, I hadn't boxed since March and if you look back through my record, the times when I've got beat, I had a lot of personal problems - for example with Michael Hunter and if there is the one person I want back is him. He didn't have me...he didn't have Esham Pickering in there. Bernard Dunne, I was inactive for a year, if I had boxed three months before that fight it would have been a totally different fight. Activity is a major part, I'm boxing again on the 9th and I hope to box possibly December, if not then the early part of next year. I'm number one for the European and that will happen before May/June next year against Kiko Martinez. It's just a matter of time, but, hopefully I'll have two fights before Martinez. That's if Kiko gets past Wayne McCullough. I'm not sure if that's gonna be a title fight that, because Wayne hasn't boxed for over two years. The last time he boxed he was battered and stopped by Oscar Larios. I don't think he'll be a vision of himself and I feel he'll get stopped in that fight anyway, he's way past his best and to be honest it's the wrong decision to box but that's my opinion. In your last fight there was an upcoming challenger in the audience, the current English champion Rendall Munroe. Is he the next in line for a shot at your British title? Every month the British boxing Board have a meeting and they announce your mandatory challenger. Isaac Ward was announced as my mandatory challenger but he resisted the offer and the reason he did that, well with my way of thinking of it, I knew he wasn't going to get past that guy and they probably knew, maybe Isaac Ward didn't but his managment team knew, so if he didn't get through that then he can come back to me. If he had got beat by me then he wouldn't have got his Commonwealth title fight, does that make sense? So what he's done is get two title fights but I think he's retired because he got battered. So Rendall Munroe will be made mandatory challenger and I'm willing to take him whenever. I'll fight him next week, whenever they want to put the fight on. Your preperation has been going well lately, who have you been sparring, any big names or is it a case of trying to get in as many rounds in as possible? Yeah, probably about 30 rounds for that last fight, I did a few with Andrew Lowe, Jason Booth, I did some with Barrington Brown, Wayne Bloy and Matty Teague. I had a good variation there, a couple a bit smaller and most a bit bigger. Sparring's going well, training's going well and it was sad I had to leave Brendan Ingle, because I had a good relationship with Brendan and Dominic but with my personal life it took me to Nottingham with my little baby. I'm glad I've got back with my old mate Carl and it's moving along really nicely, he's very willing, very enthusiastic and he wants me to do well as much as he did himself so that's a great incentive. So there was no specific one thing that made you feel that it was time for a change after eleven years? The main reason was because of my baby, I want my my little girl and my girlfriend to have a stable, secure lifestyle. Being a family and doing my best and it's working out better, I'm at least, at the moment 50% better than I was mentally. Things are getting better, it's getting there and it showed in my last performance, although Steve Gethin is no world beater he's a tough, durable super-featherweight who I just ripped to bits and I boxed within myself as well. I just want to prove myself. So your recent relocation from Sheffield to Nottingham is going well and working out for the best? Training's good and my mindset is better, Michael Hunter never met me and that is one fight that grieves me. So gaining revenge over Hunter is a big thing? You can't let emotion get in the way of common sense and Michael Hunter has gone up a weight, I want that fight, I'll go up the weight, whatever weight he wants to fight at. It makes sense for TV but not really for titles, I probably won't be nominated for a title at featherweight but surely Sky would be interested because the first one was a good fight. I've never said I got robbed, I thought I just edged it with the knockdowns but no excuses and all I'm hearing in the background is Hunter saying this man would beat me, that man would beat me, he's fought better men, but I'm not going to let it get personal, we'll see but hopefully that's in my plans to fight Hunter. What about Bernard Dunne? Not taking anything away from him he boxed a good fight, I speak too his manager and promoter and they don't know what they're doing with him yet. When I beat Martinez if he stays at super-bantamweight then that fight could happen. Hopefully then next year we may see two rematches? The most importent step right now is my eight rounder against Sean Hughes and then I'll look further. Obviously I've got a big picture in my head but I've got to look at the smaller picture first and that's Hughes, I've got to look good on Sky Sports, get them believing in me then I can make the fight with Munroe, then go for the European. It's mapped out in a certain way, Hughes, Munroe then Martinez and possibly one of my rematches. But I have to think of Sean Hughes first. You're trained and managed by Carl Greaves now, tell us what things you feel you're doing differently that will allow you to take that next step up so you can perform. You've mentioned in a couple of fights it wasn't the real you, what things do you feel may be different next time now you've changed camp? The main thing was my mental state, nothing to do with my training, I had a lot going on in my life, no excuses, I know a lot of other people have too but that's the main thing, things are alot more stable in my life. The next element is Carl is very enthusiastic and he really wants to improve, he's learning off me and I'm learning off him and I think it's a good team. With Brendan, it was great experience and they have a great system and they brought me on in leaps and bounds. What I had to do is do what my head said and that was to move back with my baby and my girlfriend and get stability in my life. Now the training with Carl is great, it's tweaking me, Carl knows his stuff, it's one on one and I'm happy and contented and that's the main thing. What part of your career do you feel has given you the most satisfaction, what has been your happiest moment? I'm my own worst critic, I'm not quite satified to be honest with you. When I look back I've become European champion against a good opponent (Vincenzo Gigliotti) which is probably my best win up to now. Winning the European title would be my best outcome up to now but really I'm not satisfied at the moment because I've never reached my potential, I've not hit my potential, I know I've not, there is so much more to come. The smaller weight fighters normally hit their prime in their mid-twenties and I think I matured late, with personal things it set me back a little bit. In my last fight I showed my best form due to my mental state and my training and my focus is back. I'm not satisfied yet and the best is yet to come but if I had to put a highlight on it, winning the european title is it. How much longer do you see yourself fighting? Like I say I don't think I've reached my potential and all going well another five years. We'll see how it goes, obviously you can only take one fight at a time but I see myself boxing for another five or six years and by next year I hope to win major honours. I hope to keep busy, keep active and keep winning. I'm doing all I can to secure my family and reach my potential. Are there any active fighters that you follow or support? I respect all boxers from a jouneyman to a renowned fighter. The pound for pound king is Floyd Mayweather Jr, also my friend Junior Witter, he's a force as you saw in his last fight and I've got a lot of admiration and respect for Ricky Hatton. There's them three but then I've got to pull it down to my weight and say it's the most under rated weight in world boxing, super-bantamweight. Make no mistake Daniel Ponce de Leon (WBO champ), only lost once to Celestino Caballero the WBA champion, Israel Vasquez (WBC holder) who's had those wonderful wars with Rafael Marquez then there's Steve Molitor the IBF champion who for me is the underdog, he's a class act. For world honours, trust me, it's the hardest weight in depth to win a world title. At European level you have a few oustanding one's - myself, Kiko Martinez and Bernard Dunne, there are a few coming through but we're the three at the top. So European isn't a hard level to crack in my eyes, Kiko is a hard punching fighter who's young and very keen and someone I have to get through. What would your dream world title shot be - the venue, the fighter? With the opportunity I cannot complain if it's in New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Los Angelas. I've been to Madrid, Hartlepool, Dublin, there were 8,000 Irish and it was on prime time TV, it was unbelievable. In Hartlepool that was the most tense and against me, which didn't really bother me and Madrid was very overwhelming as well. I've been to the lion's den, that doesn't bother me the opportunity for a world title is great. If I had to have it ideal, of course it would be on home soil, I'd love to fight in Newark Market Place, that's always been my dream whether it's fighting for a world title or defending or boxing for a European, whatever really it's always been my dream. Ideally I'd like to be boxing for a world title towards the end of next year all being well. Do you have anything else to add? I'm just happy, I'm doing my utmost. I'm very content at the moment - people, don't write me off and if they have then watch, wait and see.

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