'I would have beaten prime Roy Jones and Ray Leonard," says shy Anthony Small

British and Commonwealth light-middleweight champion Anthony Small is certainly not one who needs any form of grooming in the school of self-confidence.

After all we are talking about a man who has made a name for himself in the things he says and does outside the ring.

You only need to check out his press conference word of wars with the likes of Ryan Rhodes and Matthew Hall for a full download of his vocabulary.

And you can view his enetertaining ideas of coming to the ring on a skateboard or covering his face with a mask more suited for a horror movie for a demonstration of his creativity. 

Yet for some he has not quite lived up to the self-hype in the ring.

But be warned he is not down beat, neither is he intending on changing the personality you either love or loathe. (Me, I kind of love it.)

This Friday he puts both titles on the line at Dagenham’s Goresbrook Leisure Centre against a more than able challenger in Sam Webb and Small was in his ever boastful and entertaining mood when I spoke to him.

Small is not everyone’s cup of tea but when I met him it was clear that his manner is one of good nature and he just enjoys helping sell the fight and himself a little (a lot! - Ed.).

Anthony is someone I had been looking forward to meeting for a while just to see for myself what the man himself was really like in the flesh.

We finally crossed paths at last month's Prizefighter light-middleweights in a York Hall corridor and even though it was heading for the small hours of the morning Anthony was still standing tall and extremely welcoming of my request of an interview.

Having just sat at ringside to witness Prince Arron (a man he has already beaten) be crowned the latest Prizefighter King, I opened up by asking would he have won this event? To which he immediately came alive and had a smiling, swift, and positive response.

“Absolutely, how are you going to ask me a question like that? If I was to fight Roy Jones in his prime I would say yeah, if I was to fight Sugar Ray Leonard in his prime I would say yeah, I would win those fights because I’m a fighter. I have to have that confidence.”

His immediate plans are centred around this week's mandatory defence and Small was quick to inform me of his opponent’s ‘real name.’

“Samuel Webster I would have you know is his proper name - he has shortened his name because he is not proud of it or himself. I am not over-looking this fight and have trained hard for it ,and am willing to go into the trenches with Sam and do what needs to be done which is come out victorious and from there I want to go for the European title.”

So would that mean you facing current European champion Ryan Rhodes then?

“This is the thing - I am not actually chasing any names, because chasing names especially when fighters don’t want to fight you can put you in a low pit where you have got no word, but I am chasing the European title because obviously that will give me a top ten ranking with the world boxing organisations and from there go on to be a world champion next year and no playing around mate.”

Could you imagine a time when Anthony no longer plays around? I doubt it and that’s why I look forward anticipating his latest adventure.

Because you never know quite what to expect and depending on your view of him you will either be smiling or frowning.

I hope it’s the former!