“HIS face was really bad. His eye was cut, his nose was cut. He werenโt bringing nothing back so I thought his corner should have saved him. But they left him in there and I was going to keep punching him.โ
Anthony Fowler has seen the brutal side of boxing. Heโs been on the receiving end of it, and dished it out in his last fight. His bout with Adam Harper developed into a cruel, one-sided beating. โRound four I was hurting him a lot,โ Fowler said. โItโs a hard game. When youโre a non-puncher and youโre in with a puncher like myself, the corner should be a bit smarter. Live to fight another day.
โI thought he was left a little bit too long in there myself. He had no chance of winning, he was taking a lot of shots. It was an unnecessary beating towards the end. But it is what it is. Itโs a brutal sport weโre in.โ
โI wanted to impress so I was on it but it was a bit mad walking out to no crowd,โ he added. โIt was a bit weird. It was like a spar but I knew Iโd switch on, I knew I had to. My lifeโs on the line. So Iโve got to be on the ball. I canโt afford no more setbacks again so I need to be on it and I knew I would be.โ
Fowler knows what itโs like to experience a punishing loss. Losing to bitter rival Scott Fitzgerald was painful. Fitzgerald put Fowler down in the 10th and last round en route to a points win. Fowler took his first professional defeat headlining at the Echo Arena in his Liverpool hometown at the end of a lengthy war of words with Fitzgerald in the build up to it. It was humbling as well as hurtful.
โIt was the worst fight Iโve had to lose, the feeling after that fight. Because in the Olympics even though I lost to a better man, I did need surgery on my shoulder,โ Anthony said. โ[So] you can take it on the chin. Where with Scott, I was fully injury free, I was fully confident of winning. That hurt a lot more. Especially with all the bad blood and all the rivalry and that, and obviously every f**ker I knew was there. That made it a lot worse.
โI was so convinced I was going to win. I couldnโt understand what happened. I was flying in the gym, I was sparring great. In that fight all the emotion and all the anger in me went against me. It made him perform the best heโs ever boxed, it made me perform really bad. I think I learned you canโt really fight with your heart, itโs got to be your head. All my amateur fights, Iโve always gone in with a calm head but no hatred. Whereas in that fight after three rounds I felt exhausted. I werenโt breathing, my body felt heavy and everything was forced. It was quite weird. When I watch it back I cringe at the stuff I was doing. Now Iโm a lot more experienced. Itโs a boxing match, not a street fight. My mindset for that fight was a street fight and thatโs where I went wrong. I lost it in my head.โ
But he adds, โIt also made me mature as well and itโs also given me extra drive. In the rematch, I know what it feels to lose, he doesnโt. Thatโll push me on a lot harder than itโll push him on, I promise. If it comes down in the fight to who wants it more, I want it more than him one million per cent.โ
Fowler had to rebuild from that defeat, repair his own confidence but learn from his errors. โBefore that fight I would have bet everything I owned on me beating him. Thatโs how confident I was. I got a shock and I think a little bit of over-confidence can sometimes be a bad thing. You need a little bit of fear going into the ring. You need a little bit of a fear factor. All my fights since Iโve been a little bit more switched on,โ he says. โWalking into that fight with Fitzgerald I wanted to knock this kid out rather than go in there with a game plan, be cool, break him down slowly, counter him. It was steaming through him. Which obviously didnโt work.โ
That attitude led to mistakes, not only in the contest but also ahead of the bout. He spent the day before making sure supporters had tickets, failing to manage his own time. Minor things but ones that add up. โBut in my head, he was getting knocked out in five rounds,โ Anthony said. โItโs all living and learning. [In a rematch] I wonโt be dropping no tickets off for no one, I wonโt be walking round town and doing all the daft stuff I was doing. Itโs all about being level headed and being controlled and doing everything right from weighing in to rehydrating to resting to watching videos of the fights to tactics. I had to reassess what I was doing wrong.โ
His downfall drew a, perhaps expected, backlash across social media. Fowler is philosophical about that criticism. โI probably came across as arrogant because I was that overconfident and I was a bit vocal. I probably deserved it. I donโt hold no grudges to no one. Some people like you, some people donโt. Since that fight Iโve had a lot of people stand by me,โ he said. โYouโre always going to get people who donโt like you. Thatโs just the way life is. Some people are quite funny. You get the odd troll who makes you laugh. So youโve got to give it to them.โ
He knows a serious task lies ahead of him. โI canโt afford to lose again. Because I canโt be doing two more years to get back to this level again. I canโt do it. So I need to keep pushing forward,โ he explained.
To that end he decided to link up with a new trainer in Shane McGuigan. He boxed twice after the Fitzgerald loss with Dave Coldwell in his corner, beating both Brian Rose and Harry Scarfe. โI boxed Harry Scarfe and it was an easy win, I controlled the fight, I won every round. But I didnโt feel myself. The old me I would have knocked Harry Scarfe out,โ Fowler said. โIf I want to get to where I want to get, I should be stopping the likes of Harry Scarfe. I half thought I havenโt felt myself for a while.โ
โI werenโt performing how I can perform in the ring,โ he insisted. So he elected to make a change and moved to McGuiganโs gym. โWhen I first come here I found it really hard because he wants you to consistently punch hard and correct over and over again. Heโs a real perfectionist. He drills it on you and I still canโt do it to this day. But Iโm trying. Itโs really, really hard what he wants you to do but I feel as though itโs coming more and more. I can do the rounds easy now. I used to do six rounds and be blowing out my arse. Iโve adapted to it now,โ Fowler said. โI want us to be on the same journey and I do feel a lot more confident than I used to. Iโve been in the ring with many world champions, Iโve been in the ring with [James] DeGale, [Carl] Froch, Billy Joe Saunders and Iโve never thought, โWoah theyโre a level above.โ
โSo I know I can get to that stage. I know Iโve got it in me.โ
However far he gets, it wonโt be limited by lack of trying. Fowler beasts himself in the gym. โI just think itโs in me. I just think Iโve done it for so long I donโt know any different. Iโm just programmed to just work hard. Itโs like I donโt want to let myself down. I respect myself enough not to let myself down and I want to look back in a few yearsโ time and say to myself, โYou know what you done your best.โ Whatever level I end up at, I might not get to the level I want to get to, but at least Iโll know in my heart that I gave it my all. Thatโs enough for me. As long as I can look at myself in the mirror and say you know what you done your best, thatโs enough for me,โ he said. โI want to be in these hard fights every fight now. Because Iโm not learning nothing from boxing Adam Harper, Iโm not learning nothing apart from how tough he wasโฆ I want to be in these fights where Iโve got to use my brain, use tactics and be smart and draw counters. This next fight, itโs a perfect fight for me to see where Iโm at on the world scene.
โI want to see how good I am myself.โ
COMING NEXT
Fowler looks ahead to his fight on March 20 and outlines his hopes
โ[Jorge Fortea] has definitely got a good chin, a good engine and heโs experienced too. So at this stage of my career I think itโs a good fight.
โIโm number 10 with the WBO and number 12 with the WBA so Iโm getting up there myself and just need to keep pushing on, getting experience and learning on the job.
โ[His] style can make me look bad if Iโm not clever so Iโve got to use my brain more this time rather just walk forward trying to blast him out. I need to be clever.
โ[Ted Cheeseman and James Metcalfe,] they both want to fight me, to be fair. I think Cheesemanโs got a little thing with me and obviously Metcalfeโs a Scouser so heโll want to fight me regardless. That could potentially be the next fight, if it all goes well really. Iโd like to fight the winner of that. Me and Metcalfe would be massive in Liverpool. It would be really big. Heโs a good lad James, Iโve sparred him, heโs a good fighter, his dad was a great fighter and thatโll be massive in Liverpool. Iโd love that in an arena.
โ[Scott] Fitzgeraldโs got no belt anymore, itโs just more like a bit of ego and I want to prove Iโm better than him. Eddie Hearn wants the fight because it sells.
โA bit of a bad blood, a proper fight againโฆ If we rematch again Iโm confident Iโll just box his head off. Iโm confident Iโll just go in the ring nice and cool and just outbox him quite well and I hope I get the chance. But if not Iโll just keep pushing on, I donโt really care.
โItโs more for ego than an actual belt but Iโm not going to lie, I do want to fight him. If I donโt fight him, life goes on.โ