Interview โ Declan Warrington
BN: Now that youโve had a break, whatโs next?
Iโm meant to be fighting end of July. Weโre waiting for the promoters and managers to do their things in the background, in terms of opponents. I part-manage my own career โย I do have a say โ but if they say, โFight this guyโ, Iโll say, โOkayโ. As long as Iโm being paid fairly, Iโm going to go for opportunities.
We had a meeting with George [Warren], and weโre going to see what the options are. Not a lot of people are willing to fight me if itโs not for a title. If itโs a big fight, fantastic. I really want to fight as soon as possible.
If I get given an opportunity, Iโm going for it. I would rather retire and say I went for it, than, โWhat if?โ โWhat ifโ would ruin the rest of my life, because Iโve seen it time and time again. People have injuries that stop their careers; people have life incidents that stopped their careers. During Covid I had five family members pass away, so that shows you how short life can be. โYouโre here; youโve got an opportunity; go for it.โ Youโve only got one life to live, so why not?
BN: Having since watched back your fight with Artur Beterbiev, how do you reflect on it?
I watched the fight as a fan first. I turned off my emotions โย the fact that it was me โ and what an entertaining fight. Back and forth. Heavy shots. Then I watched it again, analysing myself โย to give Beterbiev his hardest fight to date, Iโve got to be proud of that. Iโve got hardly any experience and had all this criticism โ I did something right, to give him the fight that he said, โI respect youโ. There was a bit of relief [from him] when the fight got stopped. Weโre [me and trainer Tunde Ajay] are definitely going to be watching it together [too].
We had a lot of respect for each other after the fight; we both went in there and gave it our all. He landed a hell of a shot while I was throwing โย thatโs inexperience โย I opened myself up and got caught on my chin. That first punch would have put a lot of people to sleep. I was annoyed that Tunde stopped the fight when he did, but Beterbiev might have started unloading more than he was.
[Afterwards] I had the longest Iโve ever had out of the gym โ four weeks โย since Iโve started boxing. I was enjoying it. You need to have that ability to know when to switch off; know that youโve been doing this for a long time now โย given it your all โย you need to give your body a break. Surprisingly, when I came back, Tunde was like, โYouโve been doing secret trainingโโ. The rejuvenation. I felt sharper; it was like I was hitting harder. I feel better as well. All the niggles that I had; little injuries that I was training through [are gone]. I feel better.
Realistically, the only time Iโll tell [how much that fight might have improved me] is when I get back in the ring, โcause trainingโs one thing [and fightingโs another]. When you actually have a fight thereโs pressure โย the reality of, โThis mattersโ. When you spar thereโs a lot of practising youโre doing โย it donโt really matter. A fightโs not practice. From [Tundeโs] perspective of watching it, and my perspective of watching it, weโve incorporated certain things into training.
BN: One of the best fights that can be made is Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivolโฆ
Itโs not going to happen. I genuinely feel like I took a lot out of Beterbiev. Even when I watched the fight back โย I rewound to Tunde stopping the fight about 15 times. I watched a lot of his fights leading up to that โย Iโve never seen him so relieved at a fight being stopped before. Never. Usually he bangs the floor in aggression. โAagghh.โ Beast mode. โIโve done this. Look at me. Iโm an animal.โ This one was more like, โThank Godโ.
Absolutely [it needs to happen soon] but itโs not going to happen. I could put money on it. I canโt remember a time two Russian champions have fought each other. We havenโt seen Bivol lose; we havenโt seen Beterbiev lose. Itโs hard to rule out either of them winning [against each other]. What Beterbiev does, which a lot of people donโt realise, is he makes a fighter surrender. He didnโt make me surrender, but he pressures a fighter and makes them scared to throw punches. He puts them into that state where they just want the fight to get stopped โย he puts on so much mental pressure that they end up getting cornered and beaten up. I was in there with him and see how smart he is and certain things that he does.
Bivol is technically sound, in the centre of the ring. Can he keep Beterbiev from the centre of the ring? I donโt think so. If the fight happens now I think Beterbiev wins. If it happens in three years Bivol wins.
BN: As a leading light-heavyweight, how do you feel about Saul โCaneloโ Alvarez, a super middleweight, potentially getting another shot at one of your divisionโs leading fighters, in Bivol?
It makes me feel happy for him, I promise you. People donโt know how hard boxers work. Caneloโs been doing this at this level for a number of years, so heโs earned it. The same way Floyd Mayweather is having exhibition fights and still making a lot of money โ itโs because he paved the way. He built such a career. All them years in the gym. All them years training two times a day; having all them mega fights. Risky, hard fights. Taking shots to the head. When you retire, someone that paved the way for us [active] guys to be put on the map, they deserve to be able to go and have these exhibition fights and still make good money after boxing. Itโs sad for me when I see boxers give their life to boxing, and then afterwards they ainโt got no money. You risk your life in there.
I think Bivol wins again [if he has a rematch with Alvarez]. Itโs at light heavyweight; as good as Canelo is, heโs not a light heavyweight. He came up from junior middleweight; heโs a solid middleweight, and he was pushing it at super-middle. In terms of his size, and Bivolโs style, itโll be a very, very similar fight.
BN: What did you make of your domestic rival Joshua Buatsiโs performance against Pawel Stepien?
I saw the response to the fight. A lot of people were tweeting me saying, โYarde will wipe the floor with Buatsi; itโs an easy fight for Yardeโ. I donโt pay attention to that, because styles make fights. Iโve always thought Iโd beat Buatsi; I still think Iโd beat Buatsi. I know Iโd beat Buatsi. But thereโs a lot of politics; people not wanting to lose. I didnโt watch it live, so Iโm not going to talk about it based on other peopleโs opinions.
Itโs maybe made the fight easier [to make, through Buatsi moving from Matchroom to BOXXER]. I want to fight again in July. A fight like Buatsi, I want it to have a good promotional build. Itโs a pay-per-view fight. Me and Buatsi have always said it; weโve actually met face-to-face a number of times; weโre both from London. We both know by our energy, weโre going to fight each other. Weโve always said it. Iโm excited for when that happens. Weโve never sparred. When youโre from London and youโve been around it a bit, thereโs a natural respect that youโve chosen that certain type of life. I respect what heโs done โย heโs been to the Olympics and stuff. Heโs respected my grind and how Iโve risen out of nowhere.
BN: How do you see Beterbievโs fight with Callum Smith?
I think Beterbiev will stop him, but thereโs that thing. How much did I take out of Beterbiev? He even said after the fight, โYou hit me and I felt dizzyโ. [Smithโs] the underdog but heโs such a good fighter. Heโs long; rangy; got a good left hook. Will it be enough for Beterbiev? I donโt think so.
BN: Your friend and stablemate Ohara Davies is pushing to fight Rolando โRollyโ Romeroโฆ
I was there [when they sparred]. This is when people were talking about Romero. โHeโs knocking people out in the gym.โ Ohara actually said, โI want to spar youโ. Ohara was calling out everyone in the gym. Everyone. How the spar ended was Rolly Romero stumbling all over the ring. He basically stopped him, and then after they said, โYeah, thatโs enoughโ. He was out of it. It wasnโt that late in the spar either. If the spar carried on he would have knocked him out. It was competitive in the sense of Romero was coming forward. But he did get jabbed a lot. He just got caught with a hell of a shot. I really want them to fight. I know theyโre trying to move Ohara out of the way to fight Ryan Garcia, which makes sense in terms of money, but if Oharaโs anything like me heโll say, โFuck thatโ. I think he wins it.