When a 6ft 8ins heavyweight prospect not only loses but is stopped in a fight he is widely expected to win, questions are naturally asked. Matty Harris suffered exactly that type of defeat last summer to Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko in Edinburgh.
However, with new trainer Peter Fury now in his corner, Harris has his comeback fight tonight (March 1) on the Sam Eggington-Abass Baraou card in Telford. Ahead of this fight Boxing News chatted to Harris about the loss, working with Peter Fury, and much more.
Interview by Shaun Brown
BN: Good to speak to you.
MH: Strange being part of the circus again.
BN: Itโs been seven or eight months since your last fight, so is it a strange feeling being back?
MH: A little bit. It is a bit strange. Iโve enjoyed theโฆ I couldnโt even say itโs time off because it hasnโt been; Iโve been away working. I have enjoyed being away from the madness. Iโve enjoyed my quiet time.
(Writer’s note: Matty then goes to try and find a chair to get comfortable.)
BN: So, you were saying youโve enjoyed being away from the madness.
MH: Iโve been working hard; working in silence. I ainโt really been that active on social media. Iโve never been a big person for social media anyway. I havenโt been to any shows or anything like that. I kept myself to myself and cracking on with normal life; just training. Iโve been up north with Peter Fury working away. Heโs been putting me through my paces to make sure Iโm ready for this return.
BN: What was the thinking behind choosing Peter Fury as your next trainer?
MH: He understands heavyweight boxing. Heโs one of the few trainers in the world that understands heavyweight boxing is different to boxing in any other weight class. Heโs trained world champions before, so I thought it was definitely worth a conversation. We already had a good pre-existing relationship with him from about four years ago when I first went into training camp with Hughie to help get him ready for a fight. We got along well; he liked the way I boxed and who wouldโve guessed โ full circle โ things have come back around. Itโs funny how things work.
BN: Whatโs Peter had to say to you about what happened last July?
MH: We spoke about the fight. He and everybody else around me know what went wrong. Itโs just a matter of putting it right. Anyone with a set of eyes could see what went wrong in that fight. Itโs a pretty easy fix but itโs not just a matter of fixing that – itโs then improving. Itโs not an easy fix, obviously. Youโve got to put a lot of work in and take it to another level.
BN: Can you explain what happened?
MH: I was boxing well. I sat him downโฆ still the only other person to sit him down… just saying. I remember standing off my stool at the end of the second roundโฆ and I hadn’t even thrown that many punches, that was the bit that confused me. I remember standing off my stool at the end of the second round and thinking, โWhatโs happened here?โ It was a new feeling. Iโd not experienced it before. My body just felt zapped. I remember thinking, โWhat do we do here?โ The thing is, I didnโt even feel like I was breathing that heavy. It just felt like my muscles lost all their energy. Got through the third and fourth and in the fifth I got stopped. Thatโs it plain and simple.
ย BN: Did you expect something like this to happen? Were there any signs in your preparation?
MH: I donโt really know how to put it. Did I expect what happened to happen? Yes and no, I suppose. I knew what had gone wrong in training camp. But when Iโm heading into a fight, I donโt think about anything other than the fight. Any doubts I have, I get rid of them; I donโt think about it. Going into the ring I didnโt have any doubts or anything like that, but in my heart I knew what was wrong. Thatโs why I had to move things around.
BN: Are you able to explain? Can you answer that?
MH: Itโs pointless because at the end of the day I lost. At the end of the day all that matters in this game is results and not excuses. I lost to a guy that I shouldnโt have lost to but I lost and I accepted that. I worked hard, made changes and now Iโm back.
BN: And are you looking forward to being back?
MH: I canโt wait. Itโs been a long time. I’ve been working exceptionally hard and grafting away day-to-day and these are the things that people will never see or hear about. So, itโd be nice to get back under the lights.
BN: Is there anything you have been specifically working hard at or to improve?
MH: Everything! Iโve been working hard at improving everything. My feet, my hands, my fitnessโฆ literally everything. And thatโs what I mean: itโs a complete and utter remodelling, I suppose. I genuinely donโt know how to put it. Weโve worked hard on everything and no matter what you do he [Peter] is constantly pushing you to achieve better. Anybody that knows Peter or has spoken to him knows heโs not one to mince his words. I appreciate the honesty and the environment Iโm in.
BN: Where was your head after the defeat? In your everyday life, did you find it something easy to bounce back from?
MH: No. Iโm a competitor. Iโm a very competitive person at heart so of course it wasnโt easy to continue with. Iโm not one to sit here and cry and whatever else. Iโm not one to sit here and sing you a sob story. It was difficult, of course, but Iโm here now. Experiences like that are only really a negative if you let them become a negative. So, Iโve taken that experience [and] changed things around, made adjustments and made the most of it. And in a way Iโm grateful for the experience because it makes you re-evaluate, and it put me in a better position moving forward.
BN: Is there a plan for you in 2024? Or, after what happened, is it just about getting past this next fight?
MH: If youโd asked me that question six months ago or however long ago it was it wouldโve been [about] the next fight. But because I lost so early on, the bounce back is much easier. At the end of the day, I learned a valuable lesson and of course we still make plans for the future, but I leave that up to my team. Peterโs a very well-established coach. He knows what heโs talking about and I put a lot of trust in him. He knows the direction I wanna go, about how far I am and how far I can go. He wouldnโt mince his words if he thought I was trash. He wouldnโt have taken me on. Like I said, heโs guided fighters to world titles before. As long as I get to the destination in the end, I donโt care what route I have to go down or how long it takes. Iโm here to put in the work and keep chipping away day by day, one fight at a time.
BN: Did you feel unstoppable after your first five fights?
MH: I remember before I turned pro, I was speaking with a guy called Mervyn Turner and the one piece of advice he gave me back then was: โNever believe in your own hype.โ This was before I turned pro. I was never one for social media, so I never saw it to buy into that kind of stuff. I knock people out, Iโd been knocking people out, so it wasnโt anything new. Itโs not like I got carried away with the media. I knew what I could do; I know what I am. Itโs a difficult question to answer because I donโt think I could give you a good answer for that. All I can tell you now is that the environment Iโm in now is very humbling and thatโs the front, middle and end of it.
BN: In past interviews fighters have mentioned they find out who their real friends are after they get beaten for the first time. Have you experienced that in the last eight months?
MH: That will come from fighters who buy into the hype train. I arrived with the same people Iโve been with for years. My family. Of course they were there for me. My brother โ after I lost โ slept on my sofa for three weeks.
BN: Why did he do that?
MH: To be near me; just to make sure I was alright. One of my friends โ heโs like my family as well โ was staying over on a couple of occasions when my brother had to go home. He was just with me. Both of them after the loss never left my side for about a week. But thatโs because I carry on with the same people Iโve always been with. I donโt really have any new friends.
BN: Whatโs your take on the British heavyweight title fight between Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke?
MH: I think itโs a great fight. Iโm going to go with Frazer Clarke and Iโm going to give you my explanation why. Frazer was one of the people that messaged me after I lost and let out an extended hand. He didnโt have to do that. Heโs another domestic British heavyweight. Heโs got no need to do that, so for that Iโll always have some sort of respect for Frazer. Whoever Frazer fights, Iโll be backing him.
BN: How about Solomon Dacres against David Adeleye?
MH: Iโll give you a hypothetical answer. Iโll go with Solomon. I think heโs a much more well-rounded fighter than David, who is a good fighter himself. How do I put this? As difficult as he [Solomon] might be to watch, itโs very different when youโre in there with him. Like I said, heโs very well rounded and I think he give a lot of problems to British heavyweights.
BN: I thought this would be an interesting interview so thank you for answering all my questionsโฆ
MH: No worries. Can I just also say make sure you put in there that after I lost โ when I first got back โ the first person that called me after I stepped off the plane… I didnโt sleep that nightโฆ how was I supposed to? The first person that called me when I got off the plane was Derek Chisora. As soon as I stepped off the plane, at about 7.20am, I get a call from Derek, and he told me to go and train with him. In between me joining up with Peter Fury, I joined him in the October; in the July and Christmas Derek took me under his wing and took care of me. Iโve gotta give a big shout-out to Derek and a lot of love to him. Same with Dillian Whyte, might I add. The day after or two days after he Facetimed me just to check in with me, just to make sure I was okay. Iโve got to give a lot of respect to them. And to Anthony Joshua. He tried to reach out and he made some nice comments in an interview that someone showed me. These guys know how good I am, thatโs why. It was such a shock when I lost. Iโm glad it happened.