Patience is a virtue and it’s exactly what Ryan Rhodes 45-4-1(31) needs to be awhile awaiting his shot at a title. Rhodes 34, of Sheffield, England sprung onto the scene when he won the British Light Middleweight title in only his eleventh fight months short of being a pro for two years, he then became the quickest to ever win the Lonsdale belt outright. It looked like the self styled “Spice Boy” would become a star, but in Boxing that star can quickly be shot down. He stepped up to challenge the vastly more experienced Otis Grant for the vacant WBO Middleweight title and lost a decision. After 3 wins he fought dangerous puncher Jason Matthews against at 160 for the WBO Interim title. Again it wasn’t to be and Rhodes was stopped in the second. It looked as though that would be the end for Rhodes, that is unless you know him. He remained in the game and though he toiled away in small arena’s around the country losing a couple more, also both at Middleweight. His career looked to lack direction until he finally got what he wanted most a shot at his old British Light Middleweight title over a decade after he first held it. It wasn’t a chance he was about to let slip through his fingers and he stopped champion Gary Woolcombe in nine rounds. Since then he’s moved on to the European & International scene. Injury forced him to relinquish the European title late last year he’s now waiting for purse bids before he can try to win back the title he never lost in the ring against Lucas Konecny. Also in the works is a possible IBF title shot against Cornelius Bundrage. He’s currently on a ten fight winning streak that goes back to 2006, that see’s him placed highly among all the World sanctioning bodies WBC 3, WBA 9, IBF 3 & The Ring 4.
Hello Ryan, welcome to 15rounds.com
Anson Wainwright – You had to pull out of the fight with Lucas Konecny on the “Magnificent Seven” bill through injury, and fought in December in a stay busy fight. How did you feel in that fight, were you ok after the injury?
Ryan Rhodes – It went well, he was an unbeaten fighter. I felt I needed to get out before Christmas, it would of left me with just one fight last year if I’d not fought. I managed to get that one fight in. I was glad of the performance, 2 rounds. Training went well, my back felt fine. So onwards and upwards.
Anson Wainwright – Who are you looking at fighting next? Are you targeting anyone in particular?
Ryan Rhodes – I’m number one for the European title (Held by Lucas Konecny). I’m just waiting for purse bids to start. So we can start negotiations. So that maybe my next fight. I also had an interesting conversation with my trainer Dave Coldwell, who has been in contact with Cornelius “K9” Bundrage the IBF champ. Asking if he’d come to England and fight me. I’m number 3 in the IBF ratings. He turned around and said if there money’s right yeah.
Anson Wainwright – Although to an extent you can’t control this when would you hope to be back in action next?
Ryan Rhodes – Like I say it’s a waiting game. With the European I’m waiting on purse bids. That could be my next fight. With purse bids it has to happen within 90 days. I’d like to fight in late March if possible. I’m in the gym with my trainer Dave Coldwell and just waiting for that date to step it up.
Anson Wainwright – What do you think of Konecny & Bundrage?
Ryan Rhodes – Konecny is a good strong fighter, comes forward, everything seems to be big punches. He doesn’t throw many straight punches, everything’s hooks & uppercuts. I watched the Matthew Hall fight. The one thing that let Matthew Hall down was his defence. Konecny had better defence than Matthew Hall, that’s the only reason why he beat him. Now me fighting Konecny there’s no way I’d fight the same fight as Matthew Hall. I’d be Boxing on the outside, picking him off and using my Boxing ability and maybe in the later stages we’d take the it to Konecny.
I saw Bundrage when he came to England and beat one of our lads (Kevin McNeil KO7) in the contender series. He’s a short fighter, I think he’s about 5’6. He’s similar (To Konecny) throws bombs, uppercuts roughs you up inside and bully you. The same thing, I think my Boxing ability would outclass him by far. I wouldn’t even let him get close with my jab, stinging him with right hands and countering with big shots.
Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us about your team, as you said Dave Caldwell is your trainer. Who is your manager & promoter? Also what gym do you train at?
Ryan Rhodes – At the minute Frank Warren is my manager, I haven’t got a promoter. Dave Coldwell is my manager. I train in Rotherham with Dave Coldwell. I do a lot of fitness training with my conditioner Mark Wille, we use the Leisure Centre in Sheffield.
Anson Wainwright – You were a part of the same gym as Naseem Hamed, Johnny Nelson & Junior Witter to name a few those must of been interesting times?
Ryan Rhodes – Yeah we had some good times. It was really good back in the day, I’m talking 10 years ago. It was a fantastic gym to be in. Brendan (Ingle) was churning out champion left right and centre. As well as the guys you mentioned there was Pele Reid, John Thaxton just to mention a few more. The gym was buzzing with champions. When a gym has that many champions it rubs off on everybody else. Everybody else wants a piece of the glory and that’s what we were doing. Everybody was winning and winning well.
Anson Wainwright – You spent a lot of time with Naseem Hamed and know the real him, can you give us a bit of insight about him?
Ryan Rhodes – If Naz hadn’t been different, he wouldn’t of earnt the money he did or had the popularity he had. I think the cockiness, the showmanship, the razzamatazz what Naz brought was what earnt him money. It’s why he used to sell 16,17,18 thousand arena’s out in America & Britain. You look at a similar thing with Eubank he was the same. 50% of the people used to want Eubank to get beat 50% used to love him and think he was fantastic. Naz came into that bracket a little. A lot of it was just for TV.
Anson Wainwright – After bursting onto the scene and winning the British Light Middleweight title after 10 fights you went up to Middleweight and lost two fights that seemed to send your career into tailspin, who do you see that now?
Ryan Rhodes – The opportunity came at Middleweight. I won the British & IBF & WBO Intercontinental titles (At Light Middleweight) and Frank (Warren) offered the Middleweight title against Otis Grant. At that time I thought I was unbeatable and going up to Middleweight would give me that little bit more of weight allowance. I didn’t expect to get beat, I didn’t think anyone would beat me at that time. I was young, full of confidence and opportunities came at Middleweight and we took them. Looking back now maybe I should of thought about it a little bit more. Just analysed more and thought how big the Middleweights really were compared to myself. It’s alright looking back in hindsight but I’m still fighting, I’m in a great position. I feel I’m in a better position than when I was 20/21 years old fighting for world titles. I’ve got my best ranking ever WBC 3, IBF 3 & WBA 9.
Anson Wainwright – After several years in the Boxing Wilderness you got things back on track when you reclaimed the British Light Middleweight title stopping Gary Woolcombe before moving onto the European & International scene what are your thoughts about how you got things back on track and how they are now?
Ryan Rhodes – I just kept my self belief, I knew if I got my chance again I’d take it and take it well. It’s just believing in yourself and people around me believing in me and my ability and what I could do and what I could achieve. Changing trainers, moving from Brendan Ingle after being with him 22/23 years from being 6 years old all the way until 27/28 or whatever it was. Moving gym prior to that I think I’d become stale and a bit bored with the game. I carried on when I left Brendan to go with Dave and the spark came back, the love for the game came back. That’s why I was fighting better, I was producing better fights. My game raised to another level.
Anson Wainwright – When your not Boxing what do you like to do with your time?
Ryan Rhodes – I spend time with my kids and play Golf. I watch Football, I’m not a massive fan but I support the local teams Sheffield Wednesday & Sheffield United There not doing very well at the moment! I’ve got a lot of friends who are big fans. Whenever football’s on TV I go and support them.
Anson Wainwright – You’ve been a pro now for over 15 years what would you say has been the proudest moment to date?
Ryan Rhodes – Difficult. I’ve had some good one’s. I think winning the European title because I was a massive underdog. Everybody thought Jamie (Moore) would beat me and beat me well. I think winning back the British title, obviously winning it the first time was fantastic but I think after all those years and like you said being in the Wilderness. That was a fantastic moment. There were people saying I was finished, I was pasted it, things like that. I’m 34 and I feel I’m as good if not better that when I was 22/23. It just goes to show if you keep trying you’ll achieve your goals. I think I’m the prime example of that.
Anson Wainwright – I guess you appreciate the chance more now and fighters are fighting when they are older and longer like Bernard Hopkins?
Ryan Rhodes – Absolutely, I thought (Joe) Calzaghe was better when he was older, he produced better performances when he got older. Even Johnny Nelson, he was a massive inspiration to me. Johnny did what he did when he was younger and then we had a similar type of career having to box everywhere and he was a little bit in the Wilderness, he won his world title when he was however old. He just got better and better and then obviously he had the injury. Then he won the world title when he was however old and just got better and better. Like you said Bernard Hopkins, I think he just turned 46, that’s unbelievable!
Anson Wainwright – Do you think you have another 12 years in Boxing then! Ha-ha
Ryan Rhodes – I don’t think so Ha-ha
Anson Wainwright – Your highly rated by both the WBC & IBF at number 4. You obviously want that world title fight, do you want anyone in particular?
Ryan Rhodes – I did a couple of interviews the other week, one was in Boxing news. I don’t care who it is as long as it’s for a world title at Light Middleweight cause I don’t want to have any regrets and think what if I’d of fought for a world title at Light Middleweight could I do it or not. I just need that world title to put a few demons to one side.
Who were your Boxing hero’s and who do you enjoy watching fight today?
Ryan Rhodes – Growing up was Marvin Hagler, Leonard, Duran & Tyson. Hero’s today you’ve got to look at Mayweather, Pacquiao people like that.
Anson Wainwright – Several years ago Mayweather & Naz weren’t to far apart in weight. That would of been interesting?
Ryan Rhodes – Oh Yeah! Imagine that fight. You see I don’t think Naz reached his potential. What we used to see Naz do in the gym was unbelievable. To be fair I know Naz never reached that potential.
Anson Wainwright – Finally do you have a message for your fans?
Ryan Rhodes – Keep supporting me. I’m trying my hardest to get this world title fight. Thanks for supporting all these years and when I do get my world title fight I promise I’m going to give absolutely 110%
Thanks for your time Ryan, keep up the good work.
Anson Wainwright
15rounds.com
Midweek Thoughts – So finally Amir Khan has an opponent for the 16 April. It’s going to be Paul McCloskey. Reports in Britain say that McCloskey who had turned the fight down twice previously will get around £200,000 it is belived that Lamont Peterson wanted £750,000…Over the weekend Tomas “Gusano” Rojas scored an impressive points win over former WBA 115 champion Nobuo Nashiro. It was Rojas first defence of the WBC trinket he had picked up late last year when he won the title also in Japan. The 30 year old doesn’t have an impressive record 35-12-1(23) but he’s always been willing to fight whomever is put in front of him and deserves credit for his persistence and willingness to go on the road and fight the best guys he can. Also on the same card Malcolm “Eagle Eye” Tunacao stopped Daigo Nakahiro in six in an OPBF 118 title fight. Tunacao is ten years removed from his brief reign as WBC Flyweight champion and seems to deserve another title shot. How about Koki Kameda-Tunacao…In Mexico Austin”No Doubt” Trout won the WBA Interim Light Middleweight title with a dominant performance over Rigoberto Alvarez…In a give and take British & Commonwealth title fight Jason “2 Smooth” Booth scored a split decision win over Jamie Arthur who put up a gallant effort. On the undercard 2008 Olympic Super Heavyweight bronze medallist David Price moved to 9-0(7) stopping Osborne Machimana in three. Machimana famously ended Corrie Sanders career. Frank Maloney later said he is willing to match Price with anyone in Britain. For now Price will head off to train with Odlanier Solis where he will be Solis chief sparring partner. Last Friday Sergio Mora was surprisingly beaten by Brian Vera, it looks a long road back for Mora from here.
