ALTHOUGH it is said you should never waste time on regrets, Oldhamโs Mark Heffron has for almost four years been ruing the day a British middleweight title fight against Jason Welborn turned into a British middleweight title fight against Liam Williams.
A switch of opponent necessary but largely unappreciated, this sliding doors moment left Heffron with a considerably tougher challenge than the one he originally anticipated and, alas, resulted in the first professional loss of his career (stopped by Williams in 10 rounds).
โI probably would have been British champion back then,โ Heffron told Boxing News, โif I hadnโt ended up with Liam Williams.โ
Now, as a super-middleweight, Heffron gets the chance to win the Lonsdale belt all over again against Lennox Clarke, the champion, on Saturday (July 16) at the Copper Box Arena. This will in fact be Heffronโs third attempt at winning the British title, having lost a second shot in November 2020, when forced to retire on his stool (due to eye swelling) following four rounds against Denzel Bentley.
โIt was very frustrating, but thatโs life,โ he said of that loss. โYou have your ups and downs and just have to take it on the chin and go again.
โIโm more seasoned now (because of those defeats). Iโve got the experience and Iโve been in this position many times now. I know what to expect.โ
Not only that, given his long-running flirtations with the belt, Heffron has also had plenty of time to imagine how it will feel when a British title is finally put around his waist. โItโs for both the British and Commonwealth belts, which are major titles, so Iโm looking forward to it,โ he said. โIโm really motivated for it and I feel itโs a fight I can definitely win. Iโve been itching to be involved in a big fight since the Bentley rematch and now itโs my time to go.
โEvery British fighter wants that British title. You win that British title and then you go on to fight for more titles, other major ones. Itโs one of the best titles you can win as a British fighter and winning it would mean the absolute world to me. Win this and Iโll be over the moon. I canโt even put it into words.โ
At 30, Heffron knows itโs time to make his move and make good on his undoubted potential. He has realised as well that his best form is likely to be witnessed at super-middleweight rather than at middleweight, the division in which he has campaigned for the bulk of his 12-year pro career.
โWhen I turned pro it was at super-middleweight,โ he said. โWhen I then decided to go down to middleweight it all sounded good on paper โ youโll be an absolutely massive middleweight โ but it was a big struggle getting down to that weight. Itโs all well and good getting down to 11 stone 6, but you have to then be able to perform at that weight. There was nothing in me at that weight. I was pretty much dead.
โNaturally, I walk around at about 12 stone 8 or 12 stone 9. Iโm happy with that. Iโm eating good. Iโm never really hungry. When I was making 11 stone 6, Iโd eat my tea and within half an hour Iโd be starving again. It was horrible. All camp my mind was constantly on my weight and it was hard to concentrate on my opponent or the fight.โ
Able to now do both, Heffron accepts that Lennox Clarke, the current British super-middleweight champion, will be no easy task this weekend. Indeed, beaten just once in 22 fights (a split decision against Lerrone Richards in 2019), Clarke, 20-1-1 (8), is an aggressive, busy type, who last time out upset the highly-touted prospect Willy Hutchinson inside five rounds.
โIโve had my eye on Lennox Clarke for the last few years,โ said Heffron, 27-2-1 (21). โItโs a fight that has been spoken about a few times. Itโs been put to me before and Iโve always said, โYeah, that would make a good fight.โ Weโre both similar fighters. I can box-fight, whereas Lennox is more of a come-forward brawler. Heโs a big, strong lad. Our styles will probably make for a good fight.
โHeโs got a good right hand, he throws a lot of jabs, and he likes to target the stomach quite a bit. To be honest, I donโt want to sound disrespectful, but heโs quite straight up; quite a typical fighter. But heโs big and strong and I canโt wait to fight him.โ
Never one to take the easy route to victory, Heffron concedes that his next British title fight will likely be as exciting and, at times, tough as his first. Given their two styles, he expects nothing less than action in the presence of Clarke and claims to be more than ready for it, too.
โYouโve got to get yourself in the right mindset,โ he said. โIโve gone through this fight many times in my head, both in terms of how it will go and how Lennox Clarke will come out. Iโm very prepared for this fight. Iโve had a solid camp and Iโm more than ready for a 12-round war if thatโs what it ends up being.
โThere are going to be times when I have to use my boxing and there are going to be times when I have to stand and have a good go with him. But Iโm fully prepare to do both of those things.โ