“Stop looking to KO sparring partners” coach tells Harris

Matty Harris…wants to revenge his first defeat in November

THERE’S a possibility big hitting heavyweight Matty Harris will face the man who dramatically snapped his unbeaten record in November.

And this time, trainer Edwin Cleary will spell out an important lesson to the Leamington fighter who possesses near frightening power: Go easier on sparring partners.

Lack of sparring, not conditioning, was the fundamental reason for Harris’ defeat to Ukrainian Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko in July.

The 23-year-old had caused a real buzz in boxing circles by registering five wins, four by first round stoppage. With major promoters Wasserman guiding his progress, the future dazzled.

Then Dovbyshchenko crashed the lavish party. Dropped in the second, he came back to halt a fighter who had simply stopped throwing punches in the fifth.

Former pro Cleary, whose Leamington gym drips talent, stressed those who blamed Harris’ downfall on fitness have got it wrong.

A lack of sparring cost the 6ft 8ins boxer – and Harris struggles to find sparring partners for one simple reason: he’s sparked too many out.

“He ticked boxes as far as strength and conditioning went,” said Edwin. “His strength and conditioning coach is also Danny Quartermaine’s strength and conditioning coach and I don’t see anyone complaining about his fitness.

“The issue I have was struggling with sparring. Heavyweight are human beings, they don’t want to be hit hard by a 19 stone man in sparring, they don’t want to come back with headaches and black eyes.

“Matty has been knocking kids out in sparring. I’ve told him, ‘they don’t need you, you need them’. I want Matty to do eight – 10 rounds sparring regularly and not come out of them with bumps and bruises.

“My most important thing is to ensure kids can string sentences together when they retire.

“In his book Riddick Bowe describes how Eddie Futch got him an Eastern European sparring partner. Eddie put his water bottle down, turned round and the Eastern European was on the canvas. He immediately began throwing punches at Bowe who said it was then he realised he’d done something wrong.

Edwin Cleary with unbeaten Danny Quartermaine

“What has Matty learned from all those knockouts? Absolutely nothing.”

“The finger has been pointed at strength and conditioning and that is unfair. As his trainer, I take full responsibility as far as the sparring goes.”

The deluge of publicity surrounding Harris’ journey has clouded one important fact. He is a raw novice with very limited experience.

“Matty had five amateur fights,” Edwin pointed out. “He has all the genetic attributes to become heavyweight champion, I truly believe that. He works hard, but all fighters have things they need to work harder on.

“I’m trying to get him to think like a heavyweight. He is doing everything he needs to do to become a heavyweight champion, but it is always the little things you don’t do that catch up with you.

“I am trying to build a fighter from scratch, which I’ve done many times before.”

Edwin believes defeat may have made Wasserman realise it has been “too much, too soon” for his fighter.

“I think if Matty hadn’t dropped Dovbyshchenko in the second, he would’ve beaten him,” he said.

“He got a little bit blood hungry and began throwing his hands like there was no tomorrow. There was nothing technically to say to him in the corner because it was all about getting him to catch-up with his breathing.”

Edwin added: “There’s talk of a rematch in November. If he gets the sparring, Matty gets rid of him.”

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