'They tried to do the same with Ali,' says Anthony Small

Anthony Small may have talked himself out of the boxing big time but he remains typically defiant in his convictions.

The former British and Commonwealth light-middleweight champion has come under fire for his recent public protest against British soldiers and added further fuel to the fire by posting a no holds barred explanation of his actions on you tube.

Leading Promoter Frank Maloney was unimpressed with him and said, “When you are in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

Muslim Small for his part feels he has been unfairly treated and responded on the front foot.

“Whatever God decree will come to pass, I do what I need to do to fulfil my obligations and leave the rest in his hands.

“They all (the media) tried to do the same with Ali but he still went down as the greatest boxer of all time, and all of the two-faced hypocrites within the boxing world would do all they could do to shake the man’s hand, typical boxing, typical people they follow the masses without taking time to think.”

I suggested to Small that the feeling in boxing is that promoters won’t be keen on putting him on their shows, but he sees it differently.

“If they have any sense they will as nothing sells better than controversy.”

But a top trainer thinks Small should take a good look at himself and told me.

“Small is an idiot, and thinks he is better than he is. Why did he fight for the British title then? He hasn’t earned no money from boxing and Muslims don’t really attend boxing.”

Since turning professional, Small has caught the eye for his mix of boastful statements in which he claimed he would become a legend in the mould of Sugar Ray Leonard, Ali and Roy Jones and his outrageous ring entrances, but has yet to live up to those predictions despite his undoubted talent.

Small hasn’t fought since losing his British title to Sam Webb in March and looks set to face an uphill battle in securing another date or promotional deal in Britain.

While I agree with Small that controversy sells, the level of hatred that could be vented at him may be enough to convince promoters he’s best left alone.

He is a good talker, but from a boxing perspective this could be a big mistake.