Mathews claims he stayed too long at feather...because he was world champion
Derry Mathews has said that he should have moved up from feather long before he did - but didn't do so because he was 'world champion' at the weight.
He told BBC Radio Merseyside: "For health reasons I wish I would have done it and I could have still be unbeaten.
"But I was world champion and there was no way I was going to work so hard to get that belt and I was not going to give it up."
I have no doubt whatsoever that Mathews worked incredibly hard to get the belt to which he refers - but it was the WBU strap (won against Stephen Foster) and is of negligible significance to anyone who is interested in the integrity of the sport.
Statements like this - published uncritically by the BBC - do little to help public perception of the sport or its champions.
Mathews, a winner of the English title which probably has more credibility than the WBU belt, actually fell short of British title status. He was doing very well in an eliminator for a Lonsdale belt match before being brutally knocked out by Martin Lindsay in nine rounds, almost two years ago.
And, in any case, this was at featherweight and was AFTER he'd lost his WBU title by way of knockout by Choi Tseveenpurev.
After that he lost another two back to back by stoppage (Harry Ramogoadi and Scott Lawton), at around the super-feather mark before returning on 17th July with a four-round points win over Kristian Laight. Mathews weighed 10st 2lbs.
The 26-year-old Scouser believes the defeats were due to the negative effects of being weight-drained.
"It's ok in four round fights because you're only doing twelve minutes. But when you go past eight rounds and ten rounds then the effect comes over you.
"People don't realise when you're dieting you're losing fluid from your brain and your body and it's hard to replace that. Everyone says you've got 24 hours before you weigh in, but it's how your body can get the stuff back in.
"I feel no one out there at lightweight is going to bother me when I do get up to that level and start fighting for titles.
"I believe I've got the skill and ability and I've got the right team behind me.
"I'm not here to say I'm going to be British champion in the next two fights. It's going to be a long journey, it's going to be another hard journey for me and another step up the ladder.
"There are a lot of people ahead of me who I believe deserve a shot ahead of me. But if a title fight did come up in the next couple of months I'd take it and I believe I'm good enough to be British champion or I wouldn't be in this game."
A former 'world champion' aspiring to get a shot at the British belt? That in itself explains the relative merits of the titles in question.
