Richard Towers: ‘I need to feel like Sconiers is going to kick off’

HOW often are boxers scared? Or intimidated? And when would they ever admit it?

For Hatton Promotions heavyweight Richard Towers, the key to extending his 12-0 record tomorrow is to embrace the nagging doubts, the worries, and to use them to his advantage.

The 32-year-old faces American Harold Sconiers at Ponds Forge in Sheffield, but it’s from another American – hall-of-famer Mike Tyson – that he’s been drawing inspiration.

“Obviously we’ve all got doubts, all boxers get nervous, they get negative thoughts running through their mind, but all you can do is reflect on what’s to come,” says Towers.

“Recently I watched a documentary about Mike Tyson, which really motivated me. When you are going through different things, all those negative things in your mind, you have to realise that the guy across the ring could take your life at any time.

“He has the option to do that, but you have to be the better man so that doesn’t happen. And I need to feel that edge, I need to feel like this guy is going to kick off.”

Sconiers (18-23-2) once took Razor Ruddock to a split decision but has lost three of his past four. That record matters little to Towers, who wants to elevate his status to that of Britain’s leading heavyweights.

He says he has been promised a title shot following this fight – although he opted not to ask  for any more details – but there is no chance of letting the 35-year-old Sconiers out of his sights.

“He is a very tricky fighter and I know he’s put down one of the American’s rising stars in Deontay Wilder (in winning, Wilder was put down once, Sconiers four times, in 2010). He’s a very dangerous and credible adversary.

“The thing is, I’ve got no worries that I didn’t do everything I possibly could to prepare for this fight. According to my trainers, they say I’m ready.

“The guy (Sconiers) is another pedestal, another stepping-stone for me. To get to the moon, you have to look up to the skies. I’ve not cut any corners in preparing for this fight.”

The show is headlined by Gary Buckland’s British super-featherweight title defence against Middlebrough’s Paul Truscott.

Kell Brook elevates himself to world stage following dominant victory against Matthew Hatton

ON a night when ability outshone durability, Sheffield’s Kell Brook thrust himself into world title contention with a commanding victory against Matthew Hatton.

A unanimous points decision (118-109, 119-108, 119-107) only told part of the story for the 25-year-old welterweight.

He and promoter Eddie Hearn can now approach potential opponent Amir Khan with the bargaining power earned not only by Brook’s outstanding in-ring performance, which earned enormous  credibility, but the flash with which he accomplished his mission in front of almost 10,000 people,  proving his marketability. The hometown crowd at the Motorpoint Arena were not disappointed, as Brook moved to 27-0 amid an electric atmosphere.

Following the fight, Hatton – whose nose was broken in the opening round – was gracious in defeat. The Manchester boxer has shared the ring with Saul Alvarez for the WBC light-middleweight title, but while his courage was never in question, neither was the overall result.

At best, Hatton could claim just one round. I felt he may have edged the third and looked decent in the fourth, but Brook’s far greater movement and punching accuracy reduced the former European Welterweight champion’s strategy to an increasing amount of holding, especially in the later rounds.

“I thought I was in control for the whole fight and I never really got out of first gear,” said Brook.

“Matthew is incredibly brave though and a gallant performer, I knew he was a tough guy going into this fight and he’s proved he’s got great heart and so much grit.”

The blood flowing from Hatton in the first was an omen of what was yet to come, as Brook’s precision plagued him throughout the evening.

Brook’s excellence was underlined in round nine when Hatton was dumped on his backside following a stunning left. While Matthew’s resilience and bravery maintained his challenge, the hometown fighter kept his discipline to complete a lopsided victory.

Hearn will now seek to elevate Brook to a status shared by a very elite tier of British fighters. Should Khan opt to avoid his closest domestic rival, there are rich prizes available in the United States. Having now answered all the doubters in the UK, Brook is in a position to ask questions of others.