Alex Arthur is a world champion with a point to prove and brimming with self-confidence, finds Martin Hannan
HIS DETRACTORS like to point out that Alex Arthur has yet to win a world title in the ring, but next Saturday in Manchester's MEN Arena, Arthur will have the chance to do so against Nicky Cook in what is a true world championship bout, the first def
ence of his WBO super-featherweight belt. Not that the Edinburgh boxer gives a tuppenny damn for anyone who thinks he is not a true champion.
"They can kiss my ass," said Arthur. "I don't give a shit about what people say, it doesn't make any difference to me." It should be pointed out that Arthur made those remarks before boxing legend and Sky commentator Jim Watt said yesterday that he felt Arthur might be out to prove a point against Cook and secure the title in the ring.
Having won the interim championship with a superb victory over Koba Gogaladze in Cardiff last July, Arthur automatically succeeded to the title and became Scotland's 11th world professional boxing champion in May when Joan Guzman surrendered his belt.
"I made my point on July 21 last year when I beat the mandatory challenger for the world title," said Arthur. "Gogaladze was an Olympic bronze medallist and a great fighter in his own right. He was the guy that Guzman was supposed to defend against, a member of the 'who wants to fight him club', and then it became my turn because Guzman didn't want to defend his title. I really feel I won the title that night and no-one could convince me any differently."
Arthur subsequently defended the interim title with a points win against England's Stephen Foster last December at Meadowbank. He had trouble making the 9st 4lbs limit, was rocked by Foster's aggression, got knocked down late, and was frankly out of sorts, but promises he'll be back to his best come Saturday.
"I don't want to get into details, there were a lot of problems, but I'm back to where I was before I fought Gogaladze," said Arthur. "Nicky Cook is also a better fighter than Foster so that will motivate me – it seems to be the case with me that I rise to the standard of the opposition."
He may not indeed care a jot for other opinions, but the fact is that, deep down, Arthur himself will surely not be satisfied until he goes on to beat the other top super-featherweights in the world such as Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines or the Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez. Standing in his way is a very dangerous opponent indeed. Cook, 28, suffered his only career loss when world-class American champion Steve Leuvano knocked him out in the 11th round of their WBO featherweight title contest in London last year.
Cook took a beating, hitting the canvas four times, but the Essex man has since stepped up to super-featherweight, destroying Kirkor Kirkorov of Bulgaria in two rounds in London in February.
Once again, Arthur's preparation for a fight begs some questions. The trouble is that he has had more trainers than a shoe shop, though he seems to have settled on Wayne McCullough, the former world bantamweight champion who trained Arthur for his two successful European title defences against Ricky Burns and Sergey Gulyakevich.
"I have received criticism in the past for changing trainers but that is just my way," said Arthur. "Wayne is my top choice. He is an absolutely brilliant trainer and we are close friends. It's been great having him here."
One thing is certain, Arthur's previous problems in getting to the super-featherweight limit of 9st 4lbs have not recurred this time, as he boasted.
"I am down to 9st 7lbs with a week to go," he said. "Last time that was a big part of my preparation that went wrong. I have been working with the Olympic judo team's strength and conditioning people, and it's been great."
A more pertinent problem for Arthur, and one that must worry even a man of his self-confidence, is the fact that he has turned 30. The fresh-faced lad who came home from the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur with a gold medal in 1998, and then electrified Scotland with a series of classy performances as a professional, is suddenly approaching the veteran stage of his career.
Back in 1998, Arthur made friends with a young cyclist from Edinburgh called Chris Hoy, and he has been delighted at his mate's success in Beijing and now hopes to emulate him.
"Me and Chris have been mates since we were on the Commonwealth games team in '98," said Arthur. "I was more successful than him then – I won gold! – but what an achievement. I have seen some of the stuff he does in training and it's enough to make you vomit. He deserves five or six gold medals for the way he trains."
On the undercard in Manchester, Amir Khan will continue his seemingly relentless advance to world title contention with what should be a straightforward defence of his WBO Intercontinental lightweight title against unknown, if undefeated, Breidis Prescott from Colombia. Audley Harrison, Britain's last boxing Olympic gold medallist before James DeGale, will also feature, against an as yet unnamed opponent. All the fights are on Sky Box Office.
Even though his only conqueror, Michael Gomez, fought out of Manchester, Arthur has enjoyed his previous visits to the city and the MEN Arena - "It's been a good place for me and it's always very atmospheric" – not that they have lasted long. Both fights in 2001 ended in first-round stoppages, as Russians Dmitry Gorodetsky and Alexey Slyauchin simply could not handle the devastating shots unleashed by Arthur – Slyauchin never fought professionally again, while Gorodetsky surrendered after a fearsome series of body shots broke his ribs.
Cook is known to be susceptible to such attacks to the body, and it may be that Arthur may come downstairs to batter Cook. Certainly, the best punch Arthur threw against Foster was a body shot that had grown men wincing in the dear seats.
The biggest problem for brave-talking – "I'll give him a hiding" – Cook is that he is a featherweight stepping up a division. "I shouldn't have been fighting at nine stone," he claimed. "I am a lot more comfortable and feel stronger."
But back in Kuala Lumpur, Alex Arthur was a lightweight who stepped down to super-featherweight as a pro, and has always predicted that he would eventually go back up to the higher weight. A few pounds makes all the difference at world level and while Cook may have power, having stopped 16 of his 27 opponents, Arthur can and will hit Cook heavier than any opponent has done before. It may be a long night in Manchester, but expect Alex Arthur to be amazing again.
The full article contains 1164 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
