A COUPLE of minutes into ‘Boxing News’ interview with Nyall ‘Non Stop’ Berry, the line went silent.
“Nyall, are you still there?”
Turns out he was still there and just needed a few extra moments to think over the answer to my question.
The question was: ‘What’s the best punch you’ve landed in your pro career?’ and Berry had a few to choose from.
There was the right uppercut that iced Lewis Frimpong and brought the 25-year-old from Birmingham the vacant English super-bantamweight championship in March.
Or was the monster counter left hook that sent Jayro Fernando Duran crashing to a rare stoppage defeat better?
How about the pinpoint right-hand counter that put away Sufyaan Ahmed in only 23 seconds ?
Berry goes with the latter.
“It was a nice counter shot,” he said, “and he was a good opponent.”
Jon Pegg, Berry’s manager, trainer and matchmaker, had been hoping Ahmed would give his three-fight novice some rounds, but one punch was all it took.
“I worked in construction from a little kid,” said Berry, “and maybe that’s where it (his punching power) comes from. I built my man strength at an early age. I was always on my feet lifting heavy things all day long. I guess that explains it.”
It could be in his DNA as well.
Dennis Berry is his uncle and he could really crack.
Fighting at super-welterweight, ‘Bad Boy’ Berry had some chilling KOs on his 17-10 record compiled between 1993 and 2000.
“He was a bit wild,” said Nyall of his uncle, “but when he connected they felt it.”
‘Bad Boy’ doesn’t get involved in his nephew’s career. That is all left to Pegg, whose success stories include Sam Eggington.
Pegg told me that after five fights, Berry was showing more promise than Eggington had shown at the same stage.
Eggington has come back from losses and Berry is doing the same.
He has won all three since being picked apart in eight by quality Italian Francesco De Rosa in Coventry last June, a loss Berry puts down to being ‘too gung-ho’.
“These things happen,” shrugged Berry, who won the Development Championship as an amateur with Eastside before turning over in 2022.
He has won all three since and next is a six rounder in Cannock on Sunday, May 25.
Berry plans to campaign at 118lbs.
“I was 120lbs when I won the English title,” he reasoned ahead of his fight on Scott Murray’s show at Bar Sport. “I made it easy.”
He won the St George’s belt in devastating style.
“He caught me and thought he could get me out of there,” said Berry. “I stayed calm under pressure, blocked and dodged and when I saw the opportunity I let the uppercut go.”
Berry added: “I learned a lot from that fight I lost. If I hadn’t been through that I would have panicked (against Frimpong).”
Berry is now set to unleash his power punches on the 118lbs division – and says he needs to climb the rankings quickly.
“This is a make or break year,” said Berry.
“It’s hard trying to make it work financially and it’s hard mentally too. It’s life isn’t it?
“I have a kid and it’s hard trying to train full time.
“I’m a realist and I’ve thought to myself: ‘If it’s not going anywhere, what’s the point?’”
