Interviews
Josh Gooding speaks out ahead of his fourth professional fight
Josh Gooding (3-0) was a fresh-faced 19-year-old who was enjoying a drink or two in the pub with friends when boxing called him.
“All I heard was HA-HA! YA-HA-YA!” Gooding said, full of enthusiasm, as if he was throwing punches, recalling the sounds he heard after drinking a beer from the local liquor.
He continued: “It was an MMA club! I went there and said, “Can I, um… can I join for a while?” So I was in jeans and started hitting the bag!
“I came back the next day and found out that some of the lads from the pub had turned the place into a gym and there was training there before going to the pub, a sort of organized training session, and it was a good laugh.
Undefeated in three competitions and looking for victory number four when he steps into the ring at the Harvey Hadden Sports Village in Nottingham on Saturday evening.
It was a journey that saw 29-year-old experience the ups and downs of a fighting game, describing it as a game of snakes and ladders; but like many others fighting for their lives, you have to dismantle most of the ladders and watch out for the numerous snakes.
Gooding immediately fell in love with boxing and after a summer spent in his hometown, it was time to return to Nottingham Trent University.
Along with the clothes, laptop and books came boxing gloves, hand bands and a pair of boxing shoes.
Gooding will always remember his first visit to an amateur boxing club, but it would be for the wrong reasons.
“I was told you were too petite, too ponderous and couldn’t handle this sport, and those words stuck with me. That after being told I couldn’t do soccer, I didn’t take it well.
Gooding’s heartbreak shattered his self-confidence and boxing was immediately put on the back burner, but after excelling in his studies, he needed this support to take up boxing again.
“University taught me the life lessons I needed to regain my self-confidence. I realized that if you work demanding, if you get a butt transplant, you can be good at something. I returned to Nottingham and found Errol McDonald. He opened a gym called Bad Boys Boxing Gym in Clifton.
“He basically told me the same thing I had heard before, but this man was so full of positivity that I immediately knew he wouldn’t show me the door, I knew this was my fresh home.
“He told me, ‘You’re petite, you’re ponderous, but you have powerful legs and if you put in the work, I will make you a champion.’
“The moment those words reached my ears, I never looked back and believed I could become a champion.”
Following McDonald’s instructions, Gooding began working.
“When I first entered Errol’s gym, I weighed about 92 kilograms and measured 150 cm! But it came organically, through demanding training.
“Then I boxed again at 81 kilograms, still fighting giants in the delicate heavyweight division, but Errol believed in my abilities and simply said I would teach you how to win at that weight.
“I have quick feet and hands too, so I can dart back and forth quickly, spot-firing, without getting hurt by bigger players.
“But my weight just dropped naturally and in my second amateur middleweight fight I entered the East Midlands Gold Cup and won gold.
“Three fights, three wins in three days and that made me realize S***I can do it!”
Gooding took part in twelve amateur fights and left the ring as the winner ten times, winning two regional championships in two weight classes and taking part in the Haringey Box Cup.
The Luton man’s confidence grew and in 2019 he decided to return to the professional ranks and make his first professional appearance in July.
“My experience making my professional debut was phenomenal; that was all I had [had] I’ve ever dreamed of,” he said happily, replaying the moment in his mind.
“I’m not one to analyze my opponent, I leave that to my team, but after winning my debut I found out that the guy I was fighting had fought guys like Junior Witter, Chris Kongo and was the WBC junior champion; so he had decent credentials for a journeyman.
“I may not have performed as extravagantly as I would have liked in this fight, I just wanted to put on a show. I was extremely relaxed and it was a confident performance.”
What Gooding lacks in terms of experience in the ring, he makes up for in the challenges he has dealt with outside of it. At the age of 20, he was learning, maturing and teaching himself how to deal with life’s difficulties.
These life experiences shaped Gooding not only into the man, but also into the warrior he is today. Not even an untimely pandemic could stop him from veering off course.
“When Covid hit, yes, that was the case S***but it never occurred to me to give up. I created a warrior’s life for myself, I have a warrior mentality now, boxing is my life.
“All the paths I have chosen lead to becoming a champion. I worked demanding to purchase a property that allowed me to fully focus on this sport.
“Of course I want to make as much money as possible from this sport, but it is not my priority at the moment.
“I’m just focused on working demanding in the gym and showing what I’ve learned in the ring. I’m focused on competing for titles.”
Natasha Jonas unified the welterweight division by defeating Ivana Habazin by clear points on Saturday to add the WBC title to her IBF crown at the Exhibition Center in Liverpool.
Jonas (16-2-1, 9 KO) was last seen defending her title in January in a hard-fought split decision over Mikaela Mayer, while Habazin (23-6, 7 KO) won the vacant WBC welterweight title in her home country. time out, winning by wide points over Kinga Magyar.
After a technical opening round, Jonas settled into a steady rhythm before landing a powerful right hand in the fourth round that crushed Habazin.
There was a rivalry, but the home favorite was much better in the rallies and seemed to be losing round after round.
This situation lasted until the final bell, when Jonas became the winner by scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 99-92.
Price is closing in on Jonas’ match
Lauren Price definitely stayed on as a collision course with Jonas and easily defended her WBA and IBO welterweight titles after a third-round fight against Bexcy Mateus.
Mateus (7-1, 6 KO) was on board in the first round, after the Welshman landed a powerful left hand, and the Colombian struggled to match Price’s speed.
The same shot caused the 29-year-old to repeat the punch in the second round, and the round later ended when another stinging left hand stunned Meteus and she fell to the canvas, after which the fight was stopped.
Price (8-0, 2 KO) has agreed to face Jonas next, and promoter Ben Shalom revealed it could be announced next week.
Knife edge passes McKenna
Lee Cutler scored an upset victory to claim the silver WBC International welterweight title after winning a majority decision against Stephen McKenna.
McKenna (15-1, 14 KO) was eliminated in the first round, his knee touching the canvas after being tagged, and Cutler (15-1, 7 KO) took full advantage of his opponent’s weakness in the seventh round when his right hand plunged into his knee. The Irishman who ultimately fell once again.
McKenna was relentless in his attacks and landed a huge number of punches.
The balance of 94-94 was surpassed by the scores of 95-93 and 96-92, which ensured the victory for Cutler.
Jeffers stopped Quartey
Mark Jeffers is on track for large fights in 2025 after defeating Joshua Quartey to defend his silver Commonwealth super middleweight title.
A pair of right hands put Quartey (10-1, 9 KO) on the board, and although he broke the count, a well-placed body shot after the restart by Jeffers (19-0, 6 KO) blew the guy away again.
A crazy attack after the restart forced a stoppage.
Riley secures Chamberlain’s face-off with a stoppage
Viddal Riley finished the heavyweight fight and stopped Dan Garber in the second of the scheduled six rounds.
Riley (12-0, 7 KO) hit Garber (7-4, 2 KO) with his right hand, and then his next attack forced the referee’s intervention.
Riley’s next match will be against Isaac Chamberlain on February 1.
Undercard remaining
Mason Cartwright (21-4-1, 8 KO) won all six rounds at super welterweight against Dzmitry Atrokhau (16-25, 7 KO), and Hope lightweight Frankie Stringer (9-0, 1 KO) did the same in the fight against Tatenda Mangombe (3-9-1).
In the flyweight division, Mikie Tallon (6-0) defeated Benn Norman (7-7) with a body shot in the first round of the match, and then settled for a 59-54 victory.
The only fighter to fight four rounds in the super featherweight division was Mason Devine (6-0, 1 KO), who won every session against Jayo Fernando Duran (15-34-1, 14 KO).
Dillian Whyte has revealed his predictions for the hotly anticipated rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury on December 21.
Fury, who knocked out Whyte at Wembley Stadium in 2022, will seek revenge for the only defeat of his career in just 11 days, after losing to Usyk by split decision earlier this year.
Despite losing the night, “The Gypsy King” was a major success and many are struggling to pick a winner in his second battle against the imperious Ukrainian.
Some experts believe Fury needs to be more aggressive and take the lead if he is to win.
I’m talking to Social boxingWhyte revealed he shared that view, asking the Morecambe man to return to the game plan that saw him destroy Deontay Wilder in the return leg.
“It’s a great fight, man, I’m still trying to think – how will this fight go?
“Okay, Fury can make changes, but Usyk can make changes too. It’s a tough fight, a very, very tough fight for both fighters.
“If I were Fury’s coach, I would tell him he has to play aggressively.
“Fight him like you fought Wilder the second time.
“Bring back the aggression, bring back the tyrant!
“This is heavyweight boxing – you never know.”
It is unclear whether Fury will heed the advice of Whyte and others in the boxing world who have advised him to take the fight to Usyk, but looks noticeably heavier than before the first fight.
What are the changes? ❌@Tyson_Fury says he will exploit exactly the same game plan as the first time when he faces Oleksandr Usyk at the end of the month.
Thinks? 🧐 pic.twitter.com/VtpEwLJkWx
— Professional boxing fans (@ProBoxingFans) December 6, 2024
Win or lose, the 36-year-old could face a long-awaited home fight against Anthony Joshua, even though “A.J.” interrupted defeat against Daniel Dubois in September.
While it may not have been as great a spectacle as it once was, a clash between Joshua and Fury would still be by far the biggest all-British fight in recent memory.
As for Whyte, he returns to the ring next Sunday night and will face Ghanaian heavyweight Ebenezer Tetteh live on DAZN in Gibraltar.
The All-American fight between lightweight world champions Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson is one of the most anticipated fights in all of boxing.
Both Davis and Stevenson are undefeated multi-weight champions and are staples on any respected pound-for-pound list.
With this in mind, you could be forgiven for assuming that the pair locking corners in their prime years is a given, but that doesn’t seem likely to happen in the near future.
“Tank” spoke to the media at the press conference inaugurating his performance March 1 fight with Lamont Roach, and when the prospect of fighting Stevenson arose, he didn’t seem particularly interested.
The Baltimore hitter even went so far as to question what his compatriot did to deserve him.
“What for? Who has Shakur [beat]? What did Shakur do?
“What has he achieved in sports? He didn’t do anything! Juvenile people look better than him!”
“Keyshawn [Davis] you look so much better than that nigga! Shout it out nigga, he ain’t done nothing!
I asked Gervonta about a possible fight with Shakur… #Box #TankRoach pic.twitter.com/T1eNFJ9iIO
— Dwa O Dwa Z.. (@Noo_Barzz) December 3, 2024
“Why the hell are you saying his name?”
Like Davis, Stevenson will also return to action in the first quarter of next year, fighting against up-and-comer Floyd Schofield on the February 22 Riyad season card.
The Newark southpaw has been sidelined since his July decision victory over Artem Harutyunyan after he had to withdraw from a proposed October fight with Joe Cordina due to injury.
Saudi boxing boss Turki Alalshikh has expressed his willingness to have a fight between the two virtuosos, provided both are successful in their upcoming fights.
‼️ His Excellency Turki Alalshikh stated that he wants the Gervonta Davis vs Shakur Stevenson fight: “My plan for Shakur is this fight [vs Floyd Schofield]then William Zepeda, and then let’s see if Tank wants to come on our show.” [@DAZNBoxing] pic.twitter.com/Mmi6hO7Fjo
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBenson) December 3, 2024
While he undoubtedly has the talent to rival Davis, Stevenson is not as commercial a star as his rival, and some critics believe he needs to start giving more entertaining performances if he wants to get substantial names.
Mike Tyson put former world champion defending Jake Paul in his place – EXCLUSIVE
BRAWL ERUPTS AS MAYWEATHER & GOTTI TEAMS STORM RING & ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE TO END FIGHT ABRUPTLY
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