John Fewkes retires
Sheffield talent John Fewkes (19-1-1) has decided to hang up his gloves at the age of 25. The lightweight, known to his legion of South Yorkshire fans as ‘Fireball’, was a very clever fighter particularly noted for his slippery defence. He quits the sport with only an Area title to his name - nowhere near a reflection of Fewkes’ potential – and no doubt John will know that more than anyone else.
The main reason for his retirement at such a tender age will surprise no one who followed his progress.
“It’s the weight. I don’t know what it is – even when I train hard and eat right I end up sitting in a sauna in a sweat suit, not seeing straight. It got to the point that I wouldn’t have minded passing out and then I wouldn’t have to box.
“It’s not a spur of the moment thing. I’ve been battling with it for a while now and have spent a month thinking about it. I just found it harder and harder to get up in the morning and do the running. It’s something I’ve done for fifteen years but it was making me depressed, to be honest.
“I’ve had three fights in two years. If I really wanted to fight I’d have been chomping at the bit, pestering Glyn (Rhodes, his long time trainer) to get me something sorted. But I haven’t been. Two fights fell through recently. I wasn’t happy but I wasn’t exactly devastated.
“It wouldn’t have been fair to Glyn or Richard Poxon (Hatton Promotions) or my family to keep going and not being ready for fights.
“Not being a big head or anything but I kept thinking, ‘you’re too talented to throw it away’. I even thought of fighting heavy but can you imagine me fighting at light-middleweight or middleweight or something…I’d look like James Toney at heavyweight! I’d have to fight at light-welter and I just can’t do it.
“I look at kids doing well and I think ‘I’m better than them’ but the bottom line is that they want it more than me. That’s why I love Amir Khan – I look at what he’s done and it’s obvious he wants it 150%. You’ve got to want it and I don’t want it enough.”
As trainer-fighter relationships go, Rhodes-Fewkes is about as close as you see. The man who guided the fighter from boy to man said, “We both had a good long chat and both feel it’s the right choice. His heart’s not in it any more so there’s no point trying to talk him out of it.
“I agree with him and support him too. But for me it’s really upsetting because Fewkey’s like family to me. He’s also one of the best kids to talk to in the corner and then go out and do what you just told him to do.
“I think most people will admit he’s one of the smartest boxers around and he can read a fight great. Everyone in the gym loves him he’s always got time for anyone, especially the kids.”
Fewkes still loves the gym and training elements of the sport and intends to turn his hand to training, pursuing amateur qualifications in the first instance.
I was there for Fewkes’ professional debut in September 2004 when he uncharacteristically went toe to toe with another debutant, Mark Dane, dropping him twice before stopping him at the end of the second round. Dane didn’t box again. If that was due to being disheartened he was harsh on himself – he’d met a good un.
Fewkes only mustered one more stoppage win in his career (ironically against Kristian Laight who has only been halted four times in 100 fights).
Fewkes’ best year was 2007. He started that year with what in retrospect is quite clearly the best result of his career when he boxed very nicely to outpoint Craig Watson over eight rounds. He also bested European title challenger Toncho Tontchev and then in-form danger man Gary Reid. Watson, of course, went on to become a two-weight Commonwealth champion and challenge for the European title.
For one reason or another, Fewkes (listed on BoxRec as 5’8” which must be a couple of inches generous) always had his struggles to maintain a fighting weight of 9st 9lbs. I thought his demons were behind him when he made 135lbs for the Tontchev fight. He told me he’d cracked it, though today admitted he made light of the difficulties he faced.
Unfortunately, when a big night came for him, the weight issue raised its head again. Fewkes made his check weight early in the week for a Sky-televised English title bout against Martin Gethin in September 2008. But come weigh in time, Fewkes was out by some distance. He blamed wrong advice from a new nutritionist he’d been working with.
Such was the effort of trying to make the limit, Fewkes’ legs gave out on him at the weigh in. He finally came in a pound and a quarter over and forfeited a percentage of his purse.
Rhodes was apoplectic and refused to work his corner. With the English title on the line only for Gethin, Fewkes predictably folded. I know it sounds crazy but whilst he had any energy in his legs, he won every second. Gethin couldn’t hit him. Then the inevitable implosion followed.
Fewkes was out for a year and let himself go. After, as he put to me at the time, he ‘was tired of eating and drinking rubbish’ he repaired his relationship with Rhodes and shed the excess once more. He even got a deal with Hatton Promotions recently but Fewkes just doesn’t have the motivation any more.
Whatever one might think of Fewkes, he’s right about one thing. The ring is no place to be if your heart isn’t in it.
“I want to live my life with a smile on my face. Once I’d made the decision the next morning was the first time in ages that I woke up with a smile. “This sport is hard enough even when you do want it.”
