Dave Coldwell interview
Posted: 15 Nov 2006, 15:28
Trainer Dave Coldwell has teamed up with Britain's No1 promoter allegedly, gets his Boxers on the top shows, get them TV exposer and great fights ( remember Daniel Thorpe ruffling Amir Khan's feathers last December?). For an up and coming trainer hes doing quite well, would you agree?.
You stopped boxing in 2000 but never retired. Would you box again?
No I wouldnt because Im too busy and too commited to the boxer's I've got. I train, I manage so its a bit difficult to box aswell.
How did teaming up with allegedly happen?
Well I've always got on well with Frank when I was a boxer myself, just throught the circit and boxing on his shows.Then when I got my promoters licence, two weeks later they got intouch and we've been working together ever since.
What made you want to become a trainer?
Well I've alway studied the game as such. I was never just one of those boxers who just fought. I knew the weights, the fighters around the world and stuff like that. Brendan Ingle started me off actually running his other gym, and I was just training kids and bringing them through.Then when I split with Brendan I set up my own gym and it just started from there.
If you could train any boxer who would it be and why?
Floyd Mayweather because hes at the top of the tree at the moment and I would love to do something with him. Obviously Im just starting out and the stuff that hes doing is fantastic and it would be good to have an insight into what he gets upto and just the sheer talent of what he's capable of.
Why did you move your gym from Sheffield to Rotherham?
It was down to a buisness opportunity actually. I had a gym over at Hyde Park in the centre of Sheffield and the Council put the rent up quite considerably, and for what it was it wasnt worth it. So I moved to Ecclesfield for a while to an industrial unit and it was absolutely freezing and it was no good. Then while I was there a friend of mine said do you fancy buying a gym and as it turned out I had heard of the gym. Body Tec's been there for 22 years so when I went to have a look at it I saw the opportunties and I ended up buying the place. Then I put the boxing under one roof as it makes sense rather having the boxing over there and the gym down here.
One of your boxers went on message boards looking for matchups behind your back. Which resulted in people saying you were a bad manager, how did that make you feel?
Well to be honest it was Martin Gillick and he's been doing this for a long time. Micky Elliott was his manager before hand. He was with Micky for a year and never had a fight and I get on well with Micky and I spoke to him about him. What it is bascially is he'd only found me a couple of months prior and Im in contact with him and he's saying oh no Im ready to get a fight yet Im weighing 13st 7lb and I want to box at super middleweight. So if you want to box at super middleweight and you weighing 13st 7lb, me as a manager I cant make a match for you, your 1st 7lb over weight!. Yet he's calling everybody out on the internet saying I want to fight you you you but yet he's a 1st 7lb overweight. The proof is in the pudding in the fact that he's gone his separate ways and gone off to New Zealand but has he had a fight yet? he's been a pro for two years and hasnt had a fight.
Ryan Rhodes hasnt fought since july when he lost to Gary Lockett in Wales. Whats happening with him?
Ryan will be back out in the new year. Its well documented he had to pull out of the Lockett fight originally because of his back. Its just a process of getting his back sorted so he can move on from that. He has been in the gym training and he's looking forward to fighting next year.
Kell Brook fights Tony Doherty on the 9th Dec at Londons Excel. How is the training going?
Fantastic. Its well documented that Kell's had loads of problems in the past about his weight but he's changed and hes learnt now. Since after his last fight he fought on the saturday and was back in the gym by wednesday weighing 11st 2lb. Hes trained trained trained got a bit of a cold had three days off, came back in the gym got weighed yesterday and he's 11st. So its not a problem with his weight not a problem what so ever.
Finally, anyone from your gym we should keep an eye out for?
Well aswell as fighters that I train I manage quite a lot of fighters around the country. I manage Rendall Munroe with Mike Shinfield he's a good fighter. The guys in my gym Ive got a lightweight thats an exciting fighter Andrew Ward. Ive got about 10 boxers altogether in my gym. Kid's that are coming through Ive got a 16-year-old, very good kid Ive had him since he was 10-years-old. I've got another kid that is going to start boxing in the amateurs he's called Joe Sowdon he's a 16-year-old at 13st 10lb. Then the pros that are down there Andrew ward, Craig Bromley, obviously Ryan and Kell Ive got quite a few.
You stopped boxing in 2000 but never retired. Would you box again?
No I wouldnt because Im too busy and too commited to the boxer's I've got. I train, I manage so its a bit difficult to box aswell.
How did teaming up with allegedly happen?
Well I've always got on well with Frank when I was a boxer myself, just throught the circit and boxing on his shows.Then when I got my promoters licence, two weeks later they got intouch and we've been working together ever since.
What made you want to become a trainer?
Well I've alway studied the game as such. I was never just one of those boxers who just fought. I knew the weights, the fighters around the world and stuff like that. Brendan Ingle started me off actually running his other gym, and I was just training kids and bringing them through.Then when I split with Brendan I set up my own gym and it just started from there.
If you could train any boxer who would it be and why?
Floyd Mayweather because hes at the top of the tree at the moment and I would love to do something with him. Obviously Im just starting out and the stuff that hes doing is fantastic and it would be good to have an insight into what he gets upto and just the sheer talent of what he's capable of.
Why did you move your gym from Sheffield to Rotherham?
It was down to a buisness opportunity actually. I had a gym over at Hyde Park in the centre of Sheffield and the Council put the rent up quite considerably, and for what it was it wasnt worth it. So I moved to Ecclesfield for a while to an industrial unit and it was absolutely freezing and it was no good. Then while I was there a friend of mine said do you fancy buying a gym and as it turned out I had heard of the gym. Body Tec's been there for 22 years so when I went to have a look at it I saw the opportunties and I ended up buying the place. Then I put the boxing under one roof as it makes sense rather having the boxing over there and the gym down here.
One of your boxers went on message boards looking for matchups behind your back. Which resulted in people saying you were a bad manager, how did that make you feel?
Well to be honest it was Martin Gillick and he's been doing this for a long time. Micky Elliott was his manager before hand. He was with Micky for a year and never had a fight and I get on well with Micky and I spoke to him about him. What it is bascially is he'd only found me a couple of months prior and Im in contact with him and he's saying oh no Im ready to get a fight yet Im weighing 13st 7lb and I want to box at super middleweight. So if you want to box at super middleweight and you weighing 13st 7lb, me as a manager I cant make a match for you, your 1st 7lb over weight!. Yet he's calling everybody out on the internet saying I want to fight you you you but yet he's a 1st 7lb overweight. The proof is in the pudding in the fact that he's gone his separate ways and gone off to New Zealand but has he had a fight yet? he's been a pro for two years and hasnt had a fight.
Ryan Rhodes hasnt fought since july when he lost to Gary Lockett in Wales. Whats happening with him?
Ryan will be back out in the new year. Its well documented he had to pull out of the Lockett fight originally because of his back. Its just a process of getting his back sorted so he can move on from that. He has been in the gym training and he's looking forward to fighting next year.
Kell Brook fights Tony Doherty on the 9th Dec at Londons Excel. How is the training going?
Fantastic. Its well documented that Kell's had loads of problems in the past about his weight but he's changed and hes learnt now. Since after his last fight he fought on the saturday and was back in the gym by wednesday weighing 11st 2lb. Hes trained trained trained got a bit of a cold had three days off, came back in the gym got weighed yesterday and he's 11st. So its not a problem with his weight not a problem what so ever.
Finally, anyone from your gym we should keep an eye out for?
Well aswell as fighters that I train I manage quite a lot of fighters around the country. I manage Rendall Munroe with Mike Shinfield he's a good fighter. The guys in my gym Ive got a lightweight thats an exciting fighter Andrew Ward. Ive got about 10 boxers altogether in my gym. Kid's that are coming through Ive got a 16-year-old, very good kid Ive had him since he was 10-years-old. I've got another kid that is going to start boxing in the amateurs he's called Joe Sowdon he's a 16-year-old at 13st 10lb. Then the pros that are down there Andrew ward, Craig Bromley, obviously Ryan and Kell Ive got quite a few.