BoxRec

“I’d had enough, in all honesty, just getting beat up by people I knew I was better than. I’d gone through my life having pretty much everything my own way, but it was a hard career and turning professional at eighteen made me go from boy to man in no time. It wasn’t just in fights that I was having a hard time of things. Look at Stephen Smith, a world-class fighter in my eyes, and me and him must’ve done about a thousand rounds together, helping each other out when we were gym-mates all those years ago. It was hard in the gym, and it was getting so much harder in the ring because I was always losing. I announced my retirement at the age of twenty-six, but I was fornicating terrified about what I’d no next. It was a break I needed and not retirement, and that’s why I made a comeback.”


https://hannibalboxing.com/ive-always-t ... ooks-back/

Thanks for posting. Great servant. Who didn't love Derry?

Steveh583 wrote: ↑18 Jun 2019, 02:26 Thanks for posting. Great servant. Who didn't love Derry?

Quite a lot of people after the John Simpson fight. Pretty sure that's where the 'Dirty' moniker came from (I was always a fan though)

Great guy derry and an exciting fighter too.

thechump wrote: ↑18 Jun 2019, 06:32 Great guy derry and an exciting fighter too.

Aye, has a lot of memorable fights in his career. Does great work at his gym as well

kevo wrote: ↑18 Jun 2019, 06:46 Aye, has a lot of memorable fights in his career. Does great work at his gym as well

I trained with him at the birkenhead venture after speaking to him at the liverpool half marathon a few years back,he is a quality lad and has a lot to pass on to the younger generation. Iv heard his gym is a good gym,isnt it on great homer street?

thechump wrote: ↑18 Jun 2019, 08:15 I trained with him at the birkenhead venture after speaking to him at the liverpool half marathon a few years back,he is a quality lad and has a lot to pass on to the younger generation. Iv heard his gym is a good gym,isnt it on great homer street?

That's the one! Never been myself, but my cousin trained there for a white collar fight, couldn't speak highly enough of him.

Used to post on here occasionally, didn’t he?

He had a great career, I was pleased when he won the Lonsdale belt and picked the WBA Interim title, shame he never got that big night fighting in America...

kevo wrote: ↑18 Jun 2019, 09:10 That's the one! Never been myself, but my cousin trained there for a white collar fight, couldn't speak highly enough of him.

See him doing a lot with disabled kids teaching them boxing as well on his Twitter - seems to be getting into the coaching side of things.

3132DW wrote: ↑18 Jun 2019, 16:49 See him doing a lot with disabled kids teaching them boxing as well on his Twitter - seems to be getting into the coaching side of things.

Yes he does. I think he allowed the gym to be used as a homeless shelter when it was closed over the Christmas period too, I recall something on Twitter a while back...

chinarich wrote: ↑18 Jun 2019, 16:53 Yes he does. I think he allowed the gym to be used as a homeless shelter when it was closed over the Christmas period too, I recall something on Twitter a while back...

Good thing abut Matthews is he does loads in the communty but doesn't tell everybody he just does it

tbf, if you tell ppl about it it can get the word out more and often allow u to do more

someone who genuniely wants to make as big as impact as they can would still be wise to play the publicitty game

There'd usually be a be of publicity, social media and what have you, but he's not the sort to go straight to the a papers screaming 'look what I'm doing'! Stories tend to be picked up after the fact.