Young Mutley - 'I am the best welter in the country' by Tom Podmore Apr 21st 2008

West Bromwich puncher Young Mutley has set himself two goals for the remaining nine months of 2008: win back the British welterweight title and then go and add a new belt, the historic Commonwealth title, to his vast and impressive collection of professional honours. The former British 10st 7lbs champion has won back-to-back contests since shockingly capitulating in eight one-sided rounds to Hornchurch's Colin Lynes for the British and European light-welterweight belts on a rain-soaked night at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall last July. The explosive and brutal nature of the defeat put a big question mark over the Stone Cross fighter's future in the sport. But a solid six-round win over a rock-hard Eastern European, iron-chinned Ukrainian Vladimir Borovski, and a recent KO over hard-hitting Kevin Placide, both natually bigger than the Englishman, has seen him regain the confidence that was at an all-time low after the knockout defeat to Lynes. Now he wants to box Paisley postman Kevin McIntyre, the British champion who beat common denominator Kevin Anderson, and Manchester's Craig Watson, the Commonwealth champion who dropped Amir Khan in the amateurs and upset Ali Nuumbembe for the belt late last year. And Anderson, who famously won an up-and-down British and Commonwealth title classic with Mutley in Birmingham two years ago, has a link with both champions. The Scotsman has twice lost in British title fights to McIntyre (both points) and surrendered his Commonwealth belt to Namibia's Nuumbembe, who in turn lost to Watson at Wigan's Robin Park Centre in December. The 31-year-old mallet-fisted West Bromwich Albion supporter is unconcerned by those statistics, however, saying: “Everyone knows that I was giving Anderson a beating when we fought. I'm 100 per cent certain that I would knock him clean out if we ever met for a second time. “Tell the truth, he was never the same fighter after our fight in 2006 and has lost three since. I ruined him. “McIntyre did well to beat Anderson, but he was stopped and dropped about four times by Gary Reid a couple of years ago. I beat Reid for the Midland Area title in 2003, putting him on the floor three times and stopping him in seven. That result looks favourable on my part.” And the popular Black County ticket-seller – he brought two coachloads of supporters with him from the West Midlands to Manchester for his last contest – has looked dangerous, fit, confident and focused in his two outings since the unexpected Lynes crushing. His first comeback opponent, Borovski, had tackled Jamie Moore, Ali Nuumbembe, Anthony Small, Matthew Hatton, Mark Lloyd, Kevin Anderson and Takaloo on previous visits to these shores, going the distance with all but Takaloo and Moore, and was known as a tough and knowing puncher who absorbed shot after shot. But Mutley pressed forward, stiffened the anvil-chinned European's legs in round two, belted him with some cracking hooks with his back to the ropes and boxed his way to a comfortable (more so than Terry O'Connor's score would suggest) points win after the 18-minute bout has reached its conclusion. “It was a tough little test, but I was pretty happy with how I fought,” recalled Mutley of the 59-56 six-threes victory at Walsall's Banks' Stadium on a wet and windy Wednesday night in November. “Borovski was strong, really strong. I kept hitting him with some good hooks, but he kept coming back for more. “I didn't know too much about him, but he surprised me with how strong and resilient he was. He was a really tough fighter, so it proved to be a confidence-boosting comeback fight for me.” More recently, on the undercard of David Barnes and Ted Bami's vacant British light-welterweight title fight at Manchester's GH Carnall Leisure Centre on March 16, the 24-3 (13) banger repelled the challenge of brave and awkward Trinidad and Tobago southpaw Kevin Placide. Originally pencilled in to meet orthodox Scottish puncher Jamie Coyle in a British welterweight title eliminator, Mutley had to deal with a change of opponent and a change of style at the last minute, orthodox to slippery southpaw. But he didn't let that bother him and knocked out the brave former national title challenger at the end of the fourth with a trademark left hook. Now the domestic titles are firmly on the Midland man's radar. “He was a southpaw and awkward,” conceded the Errol Johnson-trained former Midland Area and English light-welterweight champion of his durable and hard-hitting Caribbean-based opponent, 33, who entered with a decent-looking record of nine wins (five inside) and three losses in 13 outings. “But I loosened up after a couple of rounds and found him a lot easier to hit after that,” he continued. “I didn't really catch him cleanly until the fourth, however, as he'd managed to keep himself just out of harms way in the first few rounds. He was clever and had a good chin. “But I knew I'd catch up with him in the end. “I honestly think I am the best welterweight in the country and just need another chance to prove that,” boasted the former holder of the Lonsdale Belt. “I feel much stronger and faster at this weight and will be prepared to fight anyone to get my chance at the British or Commonwealth titles. “I want to sharpen myself up and then take on either Kell Brook or Kevin McIntyre, whoever wins their British title fight in Edinburgh next month. I would also like to get Craig Watson or Matthew Hatton in the ring. Both are OK but I know that I'm unbeatable when I'm focussed and hungry. “I'll be ready to fight for the belts if and when the chance comes calling.”

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