How does Neil Fannan look at 50?
Punch-lines is not talking about the age of the great trainer, though we might pluck up the courage to slip it into the story later on.
No50 is a special number for Fannan.
Saturday’s WBA Inter-continental title defence for Lewis Ritson is the Hartlepool man’s 50th championship fight as a coach.
It should come as no shock that he’s well up on the winning total, 28, with 19 defeats. There are a couple of draws in there.
There are British, Commonwealth and European titles aplenty, and a less-well-rated version of a world belt, won by the incredible Michael Hunter who, with 10 victories, is Fanno’s runaway leader.
But coming up on the rails is Ritson who, surely, is one of his finest achievements, enhancing the Geordie’s career from a destroyer at domestic level into a world-rated light-welterweight.
Fannan watched and marvelled, as did us all, at how Ritson put on an incredible performance to defeat bitter rival Robbie Davies Jnr in a WBA world title eliminator 12 months ago and now, the trainer is looking to move him even closer to the big one.
“I do believe, on paper, Miguel Vazquez is the next step up from Robbie Davies,” explained Fannan.
“It’s our step into world level and, hopefully, it’s a wise move.
“I’m hoping Vazquez is a boxer we can learn from, but also beat.
“I believe Lewis is ready for this, this is the natural progression for him.
“We’ve been away sparring some very good lads and he has looked the part.”
Vazquez reigned for the best part of four years as the IBF world lightweight champion and while that reign is over, he has still been operating at the top level and boasts 42 career wins against just nine losses.
“Whatever I’ve watched of him, he looks anything but finished,” said Fannan, who’s looking in top nick himself at 61-years-young.
“You look at his record and he’s had a lot of fights but he doesn’t look on the slide.
“It’s a credit to him and his professionalism, I’m expecting a hard fight.
“He comes with a nickname of the Puppet, he’s cute and he never seems to fight the same way, sometimes you’ll see him try to steal the round and other times he’ll stand and fight.
“I don’t think you can win a world title and then hold on to it for so long if you don’t have power.
“The one thing I’ve learned in boxing is that if you take someone as a non-puncher, you take him at your own risk.
“You can’t stay at the level Vazquez has performed at if you can’t command respect.
“I’ve warned Lewis about that. In world terms people might say he’s not the heaviest handed but when you get in he will hit harder than you’ll think.”
Unlike Ritson, Tommy Ward has been with Fannan from the start of his professional journey and is an incredibly-gifted super bantamweight, rated at number three with the WBO.
He is also in action at the East of England Arena, where he will take on former Commonwealth champion Thomas Essomba over 10 rounds this Saturday
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Tom Collins/ Hartlepool Life
