Glyn Rhodes and the Sheffield Boxing Centre Interview
As well as former IBF light-heavyweight champion Clinton Woods, Sheffield’s Glyn Rhodes has guided the careers of countless fighters such as Billy Boyle, Jez Wilson and Ross Burkinshaw in his guise as trainer/manager at the Sheffield Boxing Centre. BoxRec News correspondent David Simpson visited the former lightweight to find out about life as a coach and running such a busy gym.
Tell us about the history of the Sheffield Boxing Centre and how you came to be at your present location.
I retired from fighting in 1993. I had no qualifications outside of boxing. I thought I was done with boxing when I retired, but when I did go to the gym, kids would ask me for advice and I discovered I had a flair for training, so I decided to get my own gym. The current gym used to be a school which had closed down. It was full of glue sniffers and pigeons. That was fifteen years ago and we’re still here. At the busiest times of the week it’s full, with anything up to fifty people.
When did you decide to become a trainer?
After I retired. When I was fighting I couldn’t ever envisage myself as a trainer. I used to look at people like Brendan Ingle and think “I don’t want the hassle”. I didn’t think I had the patience to tolerate the things I saw him having to put up with. I was with Brendan since the age of 18 up until I was 33. I was there during the Herol Graham, Naz, Ryan Rhodes years, so I saw first hand all the hassle Brendan had to put up with as a trainer.
What sort of hassle exactly?
People being disrespectful. When you bring a kid along from 10 or 11 right through to 18, 19, then someone whispers in his ear and then he leaves you, after you’ve done all the hard work. It happens in boxing and it’s happened to me. There’s not really anything you can do about it, and I saw it happen to Brendan as well. Another annoying thing is fights being called off. It’s also quite frustrating to see a good fighter, but for some reason it doesn’t quite happen for him. For example, Herol Graham was a great fighter, but he was up against Hagler, Hearns, Leonard and Duran. So I looked at Brendan and thought, “I don’t need this”.
What changed your opinion, was it a gradual process?
Yes, it was gradual, but I had to make training work as I had nothing else to fall back on, it was all or nothing. I simply had to succeed, otherwise I would have had to work on doors or building sites as I had no qualifications.
Does the gym struggle financially?
Yes, for lots of reasons. First, there’s the rent, ours is too high. Also, it’s expensive these days for kids to turn pro. The kids themselves often can’t afford it so we have to help them out financially. You basically have to beg, steal or borrow whatever you can. One of our fighters, Billy Boyle just fought out in Germany for the Sauerlands and he said the set up over there is unbelievable. We’re not in that position, we’re at grass roots level. In our gym, we deal with kids who have nothing, but they’ll be in the gym with a world champion like Clinton Woods. But I wouldn’t have it any other way, although it would be nice to have a financial cushion.
Is it fair to say that year by year your biggest challenge is staying in business?
Yes absolutely, that’s not an exaggeration. For instance, I put on a show in December 2009. The night before I was 3k up, the night after the show I was 3k down. Billy Boyle’s opponent pulled out so we had to find a replacement. I had to pay for two flights from Latvia, hotels, transport etc, etc, all within 24 hours. It was a nightmare and the situation can turn in an instant. I even had a call from my bank after I’d booked the flights. They told me somebody was using my card to book flights, I had to tell them it was me. It sounds funny now, but at the time it’s just more hassle. It would be nice if things went smoothly but that’s not the business we are in, it fluctuates all the time.
Although there’s a lot of hassle, do you relish the challenges?
Yes, because I’m a fighter with a fighter’s mentality. If somebody tells me I can’t do something, I’ll show them that I can.
What’s your situation with sponsorship?
I mainly rely on people like my friend Mark [pictured, right]. I’ve also got one or two other people I can approach who’ll put money into the gym for no return. There’s lots of people in the gym who’ve got money from Mark. We’ve just opened another gym nearby which Ross Burkinshaw is running for me. It’s in a deprived area, the kids there have got nothing. When they see the local drug dealers with money, flash cars etc, etc, they want to emulate them. They never think they’ll get caught by the police. When a kid is in this position with those temptations, why would a kid want to go to a boxing gym? They have to be special kids to graft hard and become a pro boxer. There’s no guarantee that they’ll succeed or make any money from the sport. A kid can train seven days a week but there’s no guarantee that they’ll win.
Do you have just one matchmaker?
No, I work with several. For my own shows I tend to use one main guy as I’ve got to know him over the years. But you can’t work with just one person in boxing. The famous last words in boxing are “I’ll never work with you again”, then the next day the same person will call you looking for a fighter. People have to get along out of necessity whether they like each other or not. It wouldn’t work if you just worked with people you like.
What sort of relationship do you have with the city council, other businesses, Sheffield United and Wednesday etc. Are they supportive?
Not really, the council isn’t much help at all. We don’t get given a reason. Maybe they see us as being successful because they look at the pro’s like Clinton and think we don’t need assistance, so they refuse us funding. We don’t receive any lottery funding, nothing, although the ABA has donated some equipment from their lottery funding.
How important are the shows you put on, both financially and in terms of running the gym?
Very important, but not so much financially, more to showcase the fighters. Once again, some people see a full house and the ticket price and think we’re flush, but they don’t take into account the overheads. For instance, there’s doctors required, venue charges, paramedics, security etc, etc, which most people don’t take into account. But it’s essential that we put on the shows. All the kids want to fight in their home town in front of their friends and family.
Tell us a bit about some of your current fighters.
We’ve got a good bunch of kids at the moment. Sam Sheedy, Jez Wilson amongst others. Then there’s Carl Lyle, he’s a great pro and a great example, as is Billy Boyle. I’d rather have them than a gym full of superstars, that would only bring headaches, as they’d all want to be number one. For instance, years ago, Naz [Hamed] wanted to use the gym from 4-5 pm on his own, but I said no. We want everyone to train together, with the kids alongside the pros.
On your website, there’s a comment from you which says “No fighter in my gym can fool me with excuses, I used them all myself when I was boxing.” Can you give us some examples of the excuses fighters use?
Where shall I start, there’s hundreds!!! Many fighters are dedicated but it’s hard to say focused, especially if a fighter doesn’t have a date to aim for. It’s especially hard for the younger kids, when all their mates are out enjoying themselves.
Who runs your website and is it important?
It’s very important. It’s run by a guy who works for Mark, who designed and maintains it. It’s been the best thing I’ve done in relation to the gym. So many people have said they’ve seen it. It’s great for the public to get information about the gym and that has the bonus of saving me time.
The gym is also involved in an anti-racism initiative which is featured on the website. Did you start the program at the gym or were you approached?
We were approached and asked to participate. We visit local schools and have developed a good relationship with them. We were also given computers by the GMB union and it’s been a big plus having them. If I said to a kid “go to college and educate yourself”, the chances are that they wouldn’t listen. But because I can say “come to the gym, do your computer work for an hour, and then you can train in the gym”, that stands a much better chance of encouraging the kid to learn. It’s also beneficial to boxers once they retire by equipping them with skills for life after fighting. Not knowing what to do next is a big problem for fighters after they retire. I was in that position myself and it’s horrible. Hardly any fighters are financially secure when they retire and the problems facing ex boxers are well known, even with big names such as Bruno, Calzaghe and Hatton etc. To suddenly stop boxing after all those years, nothing will ever replace the buzz of fighting, so retirement is very difficult and problematic.
How do you acquire your equipment, supplements etc.
We have loads of people offering us supplements. I know very little about nutrition so I leave it to others at the gym. Some people, Kerry Kayes for instance, are experts in that field. However, I don’t believe in re-inventing the wheel, I believe in tried and trusted methods. However, diet and nutrition have improved dramatically and that’s a good thing, but I leave it to people who are qualified to deal with those things.
You referred to the café we’re meeting in now as ‘your office’, why is that?
We’re regulars and we get on well with the owners and staff. We have a tab and our own table, plus we can use the patio, like now, if we need some privacy. It’s a great place, but once again, some people get the wrong idea. They’ll see us sat by the window most days and think that all we do is come in here and drink tea, but of course they don’t realise we’re often working from here, or we’ve been on the phone all morning, plus all the other work we do during the day, every day.
To find out more about the Sheffield Boxing Centre, visit: http://www.sheffieldboxingcentre.co.uk/
