Camp David fire back at Team Anderson
Trainer Dominic Ingle called BoxRec News this evening to set the record straight about Paul David’s late withdrawal from tonight’s scheduled British super-middleweight title eliminator – and says there’s no way Kenny Anderson is getting a straight shot at the Lonsdale.
“I saw what Anderson’s trainer (Kevin Maree) had told you, about wanting to see a medical note,” said Ingle. “He mustn’t know how it works. A medical note has been submitted to the Board. And there’s no way that Anderson will get a shot at the title because Paul David has pulled out ill. We told (promoter) Tommy Gilmour that he’d be ready to fight in two weeks time. He said it would have to be done in March and if that’s the case, David will keep on it and he’ll be ready.”
With such a late withdrawal and, on the face of it, David not having fought for over a year, suspicions were understandably raised about the nature of the no show.
“It was obvious on Saturday that he was ill. He had sickness and diarrhoea and the doctor diagnosed it as gastroenteritis, saying it was probably a two day thing. But if you’ve got a two day thing on Saturday and you’re fighting on Monday, that’s that. Paul wanted to fight and I told him no. He trained really hard for ten weeks for this, over Christmas and New Year. He’s waited a year for this opportunity and he’d be daft to throw it away.
“He would have a tough enough time in Scotland against this kid anyway – though I’ve absolutely no doubt he’ll beat him – but I wasn’t going to let him fight under these conditions.”
Ingle argues that it’s rather ironic that Anderson’s team were asking to be made the mandatory challenger to champion Paul Smith when it is David who has a history of being messed about.
“Eliminators were made for Paul against Tony Dodson and Tony Quigley. They never happened. But both those fighters went and fought for the title. Anderson has fought nobodies. Paul David has been beaten a few times but he’s not bothered who he fights, he doesn’t want to pick his opponents. Two losses were against Brian Magee and Stevie McGuire.
“He’s beaten decent lads like Andrew Lowe and Peter Haymer. Anderson hasn’t boxed anybody yet and there’s no way he’ll get a straight shot at the title.
“I’m very confident Paul will beat Anderson. And Smith too – I don’t really rate him at super-middleweight. His fight against Quigley was rubbish.”
Let’s hope there is no more trouble, stomach or otherwise, regarding this match – it’s bubbling up nicely for March.
