Windle: I’m living a real boyhood dream
It’s the big one…and Matt Windle is again ready to upset the odds
MATT Windle is, in his own words, living a boyhood dream.
And, let’s be honest, it’s an unlikely dream. That makes the taste all the sweeter.
Birmingham’s Punching Poet has risen from near fistic obscurity, overcome heart-breaking area title losses and clinched a Commonwealth belt at light-fly.
In this unforgiving, bloody business, there are Cinderella stories and there is Matt Windle. In all honesty, at 32 years of age, Matt shouldn’t be doing what he’s doing at the weight he’s doing it.
But, then, the man behind the mask of measured, articulate interviews, is a hard, hard individual with a determination and will to win that borders on sheer bloody-mindedness.
He is now in the final countdown to the greatest night of his career. On June 9, at Liverpool OIympia, Matt faces former outstanding amateur and unbeaten pro Connor Butler for the Liverpudlians Commonwealth flyweight title and, more importantly, the vacant European belt.
Butler, with one draw in 11, will start the 12 rounder as a hot favourite. But Windle believes odds are for mathematicians, not fighters.
He’s made a mockery of them throughout his 13 fight career.
I caught up with Windle today (Tuesday) as he prepared for the final spar of camp.
“I’ve genuinely enjoyed this one,” he said. “But next week is about the weight and making weight is never fun. We’ve done everything right, but I’m always paranoid because I believe you’ve never made weight until you’ve actually made it. You’ve got to make sure you’re strong at it.”
In a boxing age littered by baffling international belts and silver titles, Matt has done things the old school way. He’s rightly proud of the professional path taken.
“I have been in area, British, Commonwealth and now European title fights, that’s the traditional route, the traditional way to do it,” he said. “If promoters have a prospect they want to build, they tend to avoid the British and go along the path of international belts.
“Being involved in this fight really is boyhood dreams. Ninety per cent of boxers will never experience a British, Commonwealth or European title fight, never mind all three. And I’m fighting for two of them on the same night.
“It’s something that is really special and I’m sure, when my career is over, I’ll look back on what I’ve achieved with pride.”
Windle has no illusions over the scale of the task ahead.
He said “Spencer (trainer Spencer McCracken) reckons he (Butler) might try and put it on me. I think he might try to get behind the jab and box me. It’ll probably be a bit of both, to be honest. He likes to come forward and let his hands go and he has a very good amateur pedigree. I think his corner will want him to build a points lead.
“I’ll be a massive underdog, I know that. He’s undefeated in his backyard, I’m fighting at a weight above. There’s nothing in my favour, but I don’t mind being the underdog – I’ve got used to doing it the hard way.
“I’ve trained much too hard to be put off by people in Row D booing me.”
Windle is ready for war – and ready to add another chapter to his incredible boxing story.