IN all his years in boxing, Frankie Gavin says he’s never seen a super-heavyweight quite like Matthew Williams. The 2007 World Champion was in Williams’ corner throughout the National Amateur Championship that culminated in the 20-year-old from Acocks Green outworking Joshua Simms (Freedom) in the final.
That result means Gavin, 2005 and 2007 ABA lightweight champion and 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, has been in the corner with two National Amateur Champions. He helped mentor Tom Chaney steer Holly Heffron to the 2022 title at bantamweight and Williams became his second NAC Champion in April.
Gavin has been with Williams for his last nine bouts. Williams has won eight – six by stoppage.
“He’s such a humble kid,” said Gavin, who won British and Commonwealth welterweight honours and fought Kell Brook for the IBF title in his pro career.
“When you meet Matt you think: ‘He’s too nice, he will get bashed” and then he gets in there and fights like an animal.
“I’ve never seen a super heavyweight fight at the pace he fights at. He’s all over them, he’s all pressure.
“Simms said after the final: ‘I’m super fit, but I couldn’t live with him.’”
Simms tested Williams’ chin in the final.
Williams shipped some heavy uppercuts in the second and ploughed through them.
“Simms can definitely punch and Matt just walked through them,” said Gavin. “I know he can’t do that all the time.”
The Williams style is very different to that of his coach.
Gavin was accused of boxing like a ballet dancer during his amateur career – and his catch-me-if-you-can style took him to the top of the world.
Gavin won World Championship gold in Chicago in 2007, beating Alexey Tishchenko in the lightweight semi-finals.
The Russian had won 2004 Olympic featherweight gold and proved himself up at 60 kgs by winning the European Championship ahead of the Worlds.
Gavin beat him and then watched Tishchenko win Olympic gold the following summer in Beijing after Gavin was unable to make the weight.
Gavin has had an amateur trainer’s license for eight years and says he remembers the advice Chaney gave him at the start.
Chaney was his coach at Hall Green ABC and Gavin remembered: “Tom told me when I started coaching: ‘Not everyone is as good as you and they are all different. They all deal with the way you talk to them differently.’
“I was the sort that if you gave me an inch, I would take a mile. Matt isn’t like that. If I tell him to take a day off he’s in the gym the next day and that’s important.
“You have to want to be there when it gets tough.”
Gavin is proving to be a good coach. Max McCracken jr won all six bouts under him and it was his father who asked Frankie to work with Williams.
Next for Williams is the Tri-Nations Championship in Cardiff.
“Matt has the style to give anyone problems,” said Gavin. “He’s a freak, the way he fights, but in a good way.
“The pros will suit him. They won’t be able to live with him. He just keeps coming.”
