Interesting interview with St Clair
Posted: 28 Jan 2008, 13:39
St Clair confidence deserves respect
by Ciaran Baynes, 28 January 2008
While many of Amir Khan's opponents have insisted the Olympic silver medallist would not present anything they can't handle, the relaxed confidence exuded by Gairy St Clair suggests he truly believes it.
St Clair (39-5-2, 17 KOs) does not promise to beat Khan (15-0, 12 KOs), but is dubious he will be facing anything he has not seen before and absolutely certain he will not be stopped.
Heard it all before you may say.
But not from a man who has never been knocked down, let alone stopped in his 46-fight career. Someone who held a world title not much more than a year ago and has mixed with Diego Corrales and Vivian Harris, albeit before the millenium. A fighter who has sparred countless times with Zab Judah and many rounds with Kostya Tsyzu.
For all Khan's gifts, would you not be confident lasting the distance with him if you had not been troubled by any of these fighters?
"He may show me some speed, but I've been in the ring many times with Zab Judah and he's pretty quick."
Did Tszyu ever hurt him in the ring?
"He caught me a lot of times, but never hurt me. I was blessed. I've never been hurt. It's in my genes it's where I grew up."
St Clair saw Khan fight once in Belfast, when he was supposed to be fighting Scott Harrison for his WBO featherweight title - before the Scot's personal problems ended this possibility - and saw one of the Bolton fighter's least impressive performances when he was taken six rounds by Hungarian Laszlo Komjathi.
Since then, he has paid little attention to Khan's career, he did not know that he had been knocked down by Willie Lomond for instance, and does not plan to brush up before fight night.
"I make no special preparations. I've been boxing 14 years. I know what to do in there. I just adjust to what I'm facing. That's why they call me superman."
If this smacks of over-confidence, his answer when asked about the possibility of stopping his opponent showed his sense of perspective.
"I'm not a big puncher, but you never know we'll see what happens."
Like any fighter he is not going into the bout talking about defeat and insists he is there to win. But his is a pragmatist's vision, not a romantic one.
He does not have the gaudy ambitions of Khan - he cannot afford them. But that does not make him any less determined. Victory over Khan could propel him to another big payday, but a stoppage defeat would in all likelihood end this possibility forever.
Such financial motivation for a man with "bills to pay" and five children across the other side of the world from his current base in Sydney, is every bit as powerful as Khan's fear of defeat and the wrecking of a pre-told destiny of being a world champion.
"I don't care about world titles, I've been world champion," St Clair said. "The money's not in the titles. It's in who you fight."
He was preparing for an IBF inter-continental super-featherweight title bout scheduled the day before this bout but chose this one because it paid more.
This is not to say that this determination and experience are likely to propel him to victory.
His chin may be the stuff of legend and deserving of his nickname but his in-ring skills are not as polished as Khan and as difficult as his opponents have found his style to come to terms with, so have the judges who have scored his fights.
Similarly, a man whose trainer did not think he had the power to stop Harrison, is unlikely to seize the bout by force.
That said, though cynics may see him as at best a stepping stone, at worst a punch-bag, on Khan's ever-careful road to a world title, I get the feeling that St Clair will be a source of frustration for his opponent, and possibly fans on Saturday night - and that his career will still be alive once the final bell rings.
"Good luck Amir Khan trying to stop me. I'm going to be there all night," St Clair added before he left The Peacock Gym. And I believe him.
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Nicked from setenta.
Interesting artical. Will tell us a lot about Khan's ability this fight. If he KOs him then he probably is something special. I still wanna see him against a bigger puncher though.
by Ciaran Baynes, 28 January 2008
While many of Amir Khan's opponents have insisted the Olympic silver medallist would not present anything they can't handle, the relaxed confidence exuded by Gairy St Clair suggests he truly believes it.
St Clair (39-5-2, 17 KOs) does not promise to beat Khan (15-0, 12 KOs), but is dubious he will be facing anything he has not seen before and absolutely certain he will not be stopped.
Heard it all before you may say.
But not from a man who has never been knocked down, let alone stopped in his 46-fight career. Someone who held a world title not much more than a year ago and has mixed with Diego Corrales and Vivian Harris, albeit before the millenium. A fighter who has sparred countless times with Zab Judah and many rounds with Kostya Tsyzu.
For all Khan's gifts, would you not be confident lasting the distance with him if you had not been troubled by any of these fighters?
"He may show me some speed, but I've been in the ring many times with Zab Judah and he's pretty quick."
Did Tszyu ever hurt him in the ring?
"He caught me a lot of times, but never hurt me. I was blessed. I've never been hurt. It's in my genes it's where I grew up."
St Clair saw Khan fight once in Belfast, when he was supposed to be fighting Scott Harrison for his WBO featherweight title - before the Scot's personal problems ended this possibility - and saw one of the Bolton fighter's least impressive performances when he was taken six rounds by Hungarian Laszlo Komjathi.
Since then, he has paid little attention to Khan's career, he did not know that he had been knocked down by Willie Lomond for instance, and does not plan to brush up before fight night.
"I make no special preparations. I've been boxing 14 years. I know what to do in there. I just adjust to what I'm facing. That's why they call me superman."
If this smacks of over-confidence, his answer when asked about the possibility of stopping his opponent showed his sense of perspective.
"I'm not a big puncher, but you never know we'll see what happens."
Like any fighter he is not going into the bout talking about defeat and insists he is there to win. But his is a pragmatist's vision, not a romantic one.
He does not have the gaudy ambitions of Khan - he cannot afford them. But that does not make him any less determined. Victory over Khan could propel him to another big payday, but a stoppage defeat would in all likelihood end this possibility forever.
Such financial motivation for a man with "bills to pay" and five children across the other side of the world from his current base in Sydney, is every bit as powerful as Khan's fear of defeat and the wrecking of a pre-told destiny of being a world champion.
"I don't care about world titles, I've been world champion," St Clair said. "The money's not in the titles. It's in who you fight."
He was preparing for an IBF inter-continental super-featherweight title bout scheduled the day before this bout but chose this one because it paid more.
This is not to say that this determination and experience are likely to propel him to victory.
His chin may be the stuff of legend and deserving of his nickname but his in-ring skills are not as polished as Khan and as difficult as his opponents have found his style to come to terms with, so have the judges who have scored his fights.
Similarly, a man whose trainer did not think he had the power to stop Harrison, is unlikely to seize the bout by force.
That said, though cynics may see him as at best a stepping stone, at worst a punch-bag, on Khan's ever-careful road to a world title, I get the feeling that St Clair will be a source of frustration for his opponent, and possibly fans on Saturday night - and that his career will still be alive once the final bell rings.
"Good luck Amir Khan trying to stop me. I'm going to be there all night," St Clair added before he left The Peacock Gym. And I believe him.
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Nicked from setenta.
Interesting artical. Will tell us a lot about Khan's ability this fight. If he KOs him then he probably is something special. I still wanna see him against a bigger puncher though.
