Vassell happy with debut season by Terry Dooley Sep 5th 2007

After exactly a year as a professional fighter Denton Vassell has had the opportunity to reflect on his progress thus far as well as testing his potential as a fledging fighter. When BBN caught up with Denton recently he was preparing for his fifth professional fight, which will take place on the undercard of John Simpson's rematch with Andy Morris for the British featherweight title (this Friday, 7th Sept). Denton has only fought four times so far as a pro yet he has put endless hours into rounding his talent and developing new skills under the guidance of trainer Bob Shannon. Sparring with the likes of Andy Morris, Mark Nilsen, Ali Nuumbembe and John Hussey has provided Denton with a chance to work on various aspects of his game. A fan of Mike Tyson, Denton has also worked on copying from the fighters he admires and there is an echo of Tyson in his physique, power and upper body movement. However, Denton also has to be at pains not to copy Tyson's style wholesale into his game. If this were the case he would bring the former Heavyweight champion's flaws, as well as assets, into his own style. Certainly the power, balance and intimidating in-ring persona are pluses for Denton yet, occasionally, he can become over-reliant on overpowering opponents at the expense of his jab. To this end Vassell has assessed his first year as a pro and is currently stacking-up tapes of stylists so he can see how to throw, and therefore, counter the jab successfully. In his last fight, against Gatis Skuja, Vassell was out-weighed by his opponent whilst also facing a tough fighter. Vassell had to be content with a points win, he was hit by a few shots also and stored the experience in his mind so he could use it to improve in the gym. Hence the desire to work on adding a debilitating jab to his repertoire in order to ensure that there is a stinging contrast to his clubbing power shots. The fighter, known as ‘Achilles', hopes that a further improvement will be evident in his fifth pro fight this Friday. In the meantime, however, it was a time for reflection on his career so far. BBN: How much have you enjoyed your first year as a professional boxer? Denton Vassell: “It's been brilliant. I'm still learning but it's exciting and I'm still enjoying it so that's the best thing about it. I'm learning about little mistakes I'm doing and improving on them when I get back into the gym.” BBN: What major differences have you noticed between the professional and the amateur game? DV: “Professional boxing is very nerve-racking and different from the amateur side of things because you are on telly, you're not wearing a head guard, even little things like not having the vest on makes you feel bare. The gloves are tight as well and the thing that you have to worry about is the cuts but I won't let nothing put me off.” BBN: Did you have problems adjusting to the four three-minute rounds distance? DV: “Nah, four rounds are easy. If you train hard for eight rounds or more you can do the four. I'm looking forward to doing twelve rounds because it takes me a while to get warmed-up.” Bob Shannon's only fear is that Vassell is not suited to the four round distances, it is a rare case of a trainer counting the days until his fighter does the longer distances. Denton explained that both he and Shannon have recognised that having two close rounds in a four rounder can lead to disaster; consequently they are working on ways to ensure that Vassell is ready to go at full-pelt from the first bell. DV: “I've tried using my jab more to open-up the fights and to help me start faster. Bob's got me skipping a lot before fights so that gets me warmed-up better. “Some boxers can come into a fight and go straight away but for me it takes a little bit (of time) for my momentum to build. “Pros get longer rounds and one day I hope to be going twelve rounds so I can come on strong in the late rounds.” BBN: Was being marked out as one to watch before your first bout helpful or a hindrance? DV: “Both. My first fight (against Ernie Smith) brought pressure and there is a lot of expectation on me because I've signed with Frank Warren. Warren is the main man in Britain and I'm proud to be part of his team. “Reading my nickname in the papers and what a big puncher I am meant that other fighters knew what to expect from me so I wanted to box a bit and show my skills as well. There was pressure on me as a puncher so I decided that I'd forget about going power mad and box in my early fights.” BBN: That is probably just as well because looking for a KO can often have the opposite effect. DV: “Yeah, I fought people in the amateurs and went out there to knock them out and – no disrespect to them – I would have knocked them out if I just let the KO come instead of unloading without thinking. I know to box smart now and (to) hit people when they cannot hit you. Do that and you will go far in boxing.” BBN: Were you pleased when you stopped a tough man like Ernie Smith (WRSF 3) in your debut fight? DV: “Yes because Ernie Smith is experienced and I'd heard he had a really hard head. I hit him and could feel my knuckle hit his head. This makes you understand how boxers can break their hands. “In the third round Smith bounced off the ropes and we clashed heads so I had to learn to be careful when opponents are coming off the ropes.” BBN: What were your impressions of the sport after that first bout? DV: “Smith knows how to survive and he is a good fighter so I thought, “imagine what the champions can do”. It drove me to get to the gym all the time and spar more with different people so I am prepared to handle anything.” BBN: What titles, if any, did you identify as a pro and has anything changed your mind on this front? DV: “I'd love to win the area title. The two main titles down the line would be the British title, because the belt is wicked, and a world title. That would be a dream come true. Thinking off that spurs you to come to the gym everyday and work hard. You have to believe in yourself and (believe) that you can do it.” BBN: How do you feel when people describe you as a punching prospect to look out for? DV: “People will tell you this and that but you have to keep your cool and take it as a nice compliment. I just buzz off it when people call me a prospect. I try and stick at things and do what I'm doing.” BBN: Do you keep track of what the fighters in and around your weight are doing? DV: “Yeah. I'd say I'm in and around the toughest weights. Even the prospects coming through are really good but that just makes me want to train harder, get up earlier (to run) and do more rounds than them. I feel that with my style I can go far in boxing.” BBN: You have often talked about wanting to test yourself against a good jabber. Is that partly drive by the fact you lost as an amateur to a jabber in fellow prospect Brian Rose? DV: “It was good (fighting Brian) because he'd had more fights and he had a good amateur style. He had a long reach and would use it to jab and jab and jab. He knew how to use his distance as well. The week before he had seen me box John Hussey (in the amateurs) and he obviously knew to keep on his jab from that fight so it was a good experience.” BBN: Is that partly why you work some much on your upper-body movement and slipping the jab? DV: “Yes. I lost that fight on a count-back and jabs but as long as what doesn't kill you makes you stronger you can improve as a fighter. I'm getting my own jab going and using it to get past a guys reach. “Brian is a really good boxer and I hope things go well for him.” Besides the power and talent Denton's biggest asset is his honest appraisal of boxing. This judgment has lead to his making one early career conclusion: everyone has a weakness that can be exploited. Unlike the other Achilles, Denton has acknowledged this fact early in his career. A lot of his time in the gym includes asking the people around him for critical feedback on his fighting style and any errors he makes. Vassell then identities the fights he can watch to learn about the exploitation of these mistakes in others before coming up with his own antidotes in the gym. One such worry is that, like most big punchers, Vassell will have to tread a razor blade in his pro career. On one side lays the power as friend and on the other side lies his power as your great enemy. Denton needs to look to the punchers he admires in order to see that too much zap in your punches can lead to one becoming enamoured with power at the expense of skill. As long as his outlook never changes Vassell can go far in boxing as well as ensuring that, unlike most punchers, he does not become one-paced and predictable, instead he can learn to vary the speed and power of his shots in order to ensure that his opponent is not braced for them. Blanket bombing can lead to barren uniformity; Vassell needs to occasionally put a velvet glove around his steel fists in order to fool his opponents into opening up a little more. The road to KO's is paved with recklessness after all. Overall, though, Denton can justifiably look ahead with optimism as his second professional year gets underway.

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