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Old coach Joe hopes to bring Arthur good Fortune in ring



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Published Date: 05 February 2008
By BRIAN DONALD
ALEX ARTHUR has enlisted the help of his first boxing coach as he eyes world title glory against Joan Guzman.
Arthur will be temporarily reunited with Joe Fortune from the Leith Victoria club ahead of his WBO super-featherweight showdown with Dominican Republic fighter Guzman on April 26 – the venue for which is yet to be decided.

Fortune, 73, explained:
"I gave Alex Arthur a thorough grounding in ring craft when I coached him for the first nine years of his amateur career – a grounding which included Alex having an almost watertight defence.

"Under my guidance, Alex was almost never cut, knocked down or knocked out in around 60 amateur bouts.

"Recently I've watched Alex being caught by a sucker punch from Steve Foster and decked at Meadowbank in December.

"He was also cut badly in a European title fight with a Russian (Sergei Gulyachev] something that I can't ever recall happening when I was in his corner."

And Fortune believes he is the man to sort out Arthur's defensive woes. He said: "I feel Alex's defence has become sloppy and this worries me deeply as I've also just watched Joan Guzman in two of his most recent bouts on video and the guy is hot stuff.

"I dearly want Alex to win the world title so I'm going back to his training camp to offer him guidance on restoring his defence to what it was in his amateur heyday in the 1990s."

Meanwhile, Arthur responded positively to former coach Fortune's offer, saying: "I have the greatest respect for Joe Fortune and I agree with what he says.

"Joe took my raw talent and refined it into a boxer who could win a Commonwealth Games gold medal in 1998.

"I will be inviting Joe down to the gym to work on my defensive skills – it would be crazy not to as I'm willing to do anything that helps me bring a world title win over Guzman."



The full article contains 337 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 05 February 2008 10:31 AM
  • Source: Edinburgh Evening News
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Boxing , Alex Arthur
 
1

Robster,

Here, there & everywhere. 05/02/2008 13:33:38
Yes Joe is very respected and a very good amateur coach, note I say AMATEUR.

If you want the world title around your waist Alex then you will need to look beyond Edinburgh for assistance from someone who has been there and done it at the highest level. Never mind the penny pinching you need to get yourself back over to LA and have Freddy Roach back in your corner or is that beyond your tight fisted budget. If you want to beat Guzman it will take more than sorting out a leaky defence.

You need to cut the stitching away from your pockets and fork out for top quality hard sparring, which, I'm sorry to say you won't find that here in the capital city. You will also need to be in the best physical condition you have ever been in, in entire your life.

No offence or disrespect intended to Joe Fortune, whom I hold in the highest regard as an outstanding amateur coach, but I'm sorry to say he will not do you any good in this instance.

By all means have Joe as part of your backroom staff and give him the trip of a lifetime he deserves by inviting him to the wild card gym with you to show your gratitude to him for all he done for you in the past, or will that cost too much??
2

Jingling Geordie,

Sunshine on Leith 05/02/2008 23:43:00
Alex needs to cut out the showboating and interaction with the spectators, he gets away with it because he fights "huddies" try it with Guzman and he'll take his head off.
Alex states Guzman might not turn up because he doesn't like to travel, not exactly a globetrotter yourself Alex.............Meadowbank or bust, that's about the size of it.
3

taka look,

edinburgh 11/02/2008 14:20:17
I agree pretty much with what both have been saying. Alex's defence and been shocking, he should've got advice from old Joe a long time ago instead of surrounding himself with half these wasters. The old man knows his stuff, anyone in the boxing know can tell you that but is it too little too late ? Guzman is something else and for Alex to say he might not turn up is pretty stupid...or maybe he hopes he won't turn up !

 

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