Ross Burkinshaw – “Dennis Hobson doesn’t have a magic wand, but him and Ryan Rhodes will make me a world champion!”
By destroying Benjamin Smoes in less than a round at the Octagon Centre in Sheffield last weekend, Ross Burkinshaw added the WBO European title to a trophy cabinet which already contained Commonwealth and English championship belts.
The former soldier, accompanied to the ring by four fellow servicemen, made his journey to the squared circle to the sound of Hot Chocolate’s “You sexy thing” reverberating around the venue. The choice of music pleased the rowdy crowd and all that was left to do for ‘The Boss’ was to put on a show and claim the shiny new belt.
And put on a show is exactly what the 28-year-old homegrown puncher did. A sharp, short right hand that landed cleanly on the point of the chin saw the Belgian visitor sink to the canvas, before a follow-up flurry encouraged referee Steve Gray to call a halt to the action.
“I got rid of him (Smoes) quicker than anybody expected. I was so totally in the zone that I didn’t know what was happening when the referee stopped the fight.”
“I initially thought I caught him with a hard jab to drop him, but it was actually a right hand. Then, when I was walking to the neutral corner, I thought he (the referee) was counting, but he was really waving it off.”
It wasn’t too long ago that Burkinshaw’s life as a professional boxer was in real jeopardy. A plethora of soul destroying, career threatening injuries prompted a surgeon to advise the fighter to find a new way of making a living.
Nevertheless, ‘The Boss’ is made of tough stuff and he refused to give up on his lifelong dream of testing himself at the highest level, and following in the footsteps of his childhood heroes; Clinton Woods, Paul ‘Silky’ Jones, Johnny Nelson, Herol Graham, Ryan Rhodes and ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed.
Burkinshaw isn’t the same man that he was when his body was falling apart and he was slipping to heavy defeats at the fists of Lee Haskins, Craig Lyon and Gavin McDonnell. Under the watchful eye of Rhodes, he has matured, he has learned his trade and he has found his style.
“I’ve been beaten by some great fighters and I give those lads all the credit they deserve. But those losses gave me experience and I’ve learned from them. I don’t panic when I get tagged anymore. I used to be like a bull to a red rag. But now I’ll go for a walk and make sure I’ve got my senses back before I start trading again.”
“I’ve got a great team around me now: Dennis is managing and promoting me, Ryan is training me, my wife (Nicola) looks after my diet, Michael Lovett is my strength and conditioning coach and I get all of my supplements from BFN.”
“I believe I’ve shown in the last year that I’m much stronger now. Not just physically – mentally too. I’m settled now and I know what I want. I want a crack at the world title and I don’t care which version of the world title it is, I just want a shot.”
“And I know that if I listen to Ryan and do exactly what he tells me to do, I’ll be fine. He has been there and done it and I have 100-percent faith in him.”
Naturally, young domestic contenders are campaigning for a fight with Burkinshaw for his belts. But the hard working husband and father isn’t hellbent on waiting around on the British scene. Hobson and Rhodes are keen to manoeuvre their man into world title eliminators.
“I’ve got people calling me out left, right and centre, but I’ll only do what Dennis and Ryan tell me to do, and they want to get me to the world level.”
“I’m only willing to take fights that will progress my career and benefit me and my family. I don’t need these little scrotes that keep calling me out.”
“I’m no prima donna – I don’t want or need people blowing smoke up my arse and telling me I’m the best in the world. I’ve got to where I am by keeping my feet on the ground and working hard. And I’m going to continue doing so.”
- Stevie Adams Jr / @StevieAdamsJr
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