Long Road to Glory: Spirited Rhodes Will Not Quit on World Title Dreams

When Ryan Rhodes departed from Brendan Ingle’s Wincobank gym six years ago, a careworn Englishman entered an uncertain period of rediscovery, reevaluation and ultimately re-enlightenment. Rhodes’ love of boxing had never wavered, but accusations of being “too chinny” after a second round knockout loss to Jason Matthews in 1999 germinated the seeds of doubt already sewn into his mind.

Emerging as one of Britain’s most exciting prospects in the mid-1990’s, a flashy young switch-hitter that typified the Ingle ethos graduated alongside the likes of ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed. A genuinely impressive career record found itself interspersed with rare but acutely damaging losses; as ‘Prince’ Naseem progressed to become a five-year world champion, Rhodes’ parallel path found itself derailed by disenchantment.

Releasing himself from the shell of a flashy prospect, Rhodes’ last six years have reignited his passion for the sport, reshaped his fighting style and consequently readjusted his future.

“When I was 28 years old, I changed trainers from Brendan Ingle to Dave Caldwell,” Rhodes explains. “I’d been with Brendan for 22 years, and probably two or three years before I changed [trainers] I became a bit bored with the game.

“I was doing the same things over and over again. As soon as I moved and changed camps with Dave [Coldwell], the buzz came back and I started loving training again.”

What exactly has changed to stoke the fires once again? “Until I walk into that gym, I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he eagerly explains, palpably content with the current set up. “I like that about training. It’s completely new all the time.

“I feel brilliant. I was 35 on Sunday just gone, and I’m keeping up with the younger lads in the gym and still loving training, which is really important. I enjoy getting put through my paces by my conditioner and my trainer.

“When that becomes difficult, I think that will be the time when I start questioning whether I should carry on, but that hasn’t even come into the equation.”

The self-belief and determination he now possesses presents us with a fighter of considerable substance; Rhodes’ hard work paid off when he was offered a date with destiny, a shot at the WBC light-middleweight world title against Mexico’s Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.

The “Spice Boy” of British boxing found himself bettered by Mexico’s “Cinnamon Kid”; Golden Boy’s golden boy eventually broke Rhodes’ commendable resistance in the twelfth and final round. Rhodes took relief on the canvas earlier in the fight, with two thudding left hooks to the body setting up a knockdown right cross from the Mexican in the fourth round. Unexpectedly, the man made of Sheffield steel intrepidly rose to contest another seven rounds, despite a twilight performance being outshone by the brightest spark in Mexican boxing.

“I was out there three weeks before and preparations went absolutely fantastic,” Rhodes assures me, truly candid in his assessment. “I couldn’t of wished for it to be any better. Obviously, on the night I got beat by a great fighter. I tried different things, but he had an answer for everything I tried and everything I did.

“He’s still only 21 and I think he’s going to be a superstar. As long as he keeps training, keeps disciplined and keeps his feet on the ground, I really do think he’s going to be up there with the likes of Pacquiao and Mayweather in the next year to eighteen months.”

Even after such a devastating defeat, Rhodes can glance down at the words ‘Everything happens for a reason’, which are etched across his frame; the ink a corporeal illustration of something more spiritual. He is a believer of fate and destiny, insisting before his collision with ‘Canelo’ that “there is someone out there who writes the script”. So far, Rhodes’ script has featured three main acts; Otis Grant, Gary Lockett and Saul Alvarez. Three world title opportunities have still not granted a single world title.

His quest for that elusive world title, which began on the undercard at a Welsh ice rink in front of 2,500 predominantly vacant seats, had seemingly climaxed at an altitude of 5,138ft in Guadalajara as the entertainment for 15,000 zealous Mexicans. Yet that fight with Alvarez has proven not to be the fate of Rhodes, as he prepares for a vital clash against Belarusian Siarhei Khomitski on Saturday, in what will be a welcome return to a home crowd.

“Training is going absolutely fantastic. For a fighter in the last two or three days, you just can’t wait to get in there and do the business. I know a little bit about this kid, because he beat Jamie [Moore] the fight after me, and Jamie retired, so obviously I know he’s a tough fellow.

“I still enjoy getting up and going training, going for runs and I love fighting. I’m excited about getting back in the ring on Saturday night.”

So what would a win do for the future of Ryan Rhodes in this business? “After this fight I’m number one for the European title,” he coolly assures me, typically ambitious and refreshingly optimistic. “When I win the European title, it will put me in a good ranking position with the different organizations. At the minute I’m number 10 in the WBC ratings, so when I win the European title I’ll definitely move up a few spots in that ranking.

“Who knows, with one or two defenses you become the best in Europe and the next step is a shot at a world title. I’m not writing off ever fighting for and winning a world title.”

Ryan Rhodes trains & fights using Lonsdale boxing apparel & equipment. www.lonsdale.com