Ryan Rhodes discusses boxing past, present and future
This Friday, July 19, sees two great events in both Yorkshire and Lancashire, with both looking to set the tone for the weekend.
In Manchester, the Ultimate Boxxer series, presented on BT Sport, has its fourth instalment, as an octet of big-hitting cruiserweights look to walk away with winnings of upwards of £40k in a one-night winner-takes-all event.
Over in Yorkshire, it's ladies night, as Terri Harper clashes with Nozipho Bell for the IBO world super featherweight title on a show which is presented by Stefy Bull and the youngest outright owner of the Lord Lonsdale Challenge Belt, Ryan Rhodes, who also famously shared a ring with Mexican superstar Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.
Promoter Stefy Bull believes that Harper could be the big next star of female boxing, and Rhodes foresees an exciting night of boxing ahead this coming Friday.
Giving his take on Harper Bell and more, he said, "A part of me is a bit jealous of the girls. When I saw the IBO title arrive I thought to myself 'I wish I had won one of these!' They are really special belts and I believe we are going to get a really special fight in Yorkshire this Friday night between two fighters who are coming to leave it all on the line.
"Not only is there a great top of the bill but one-time world title challenger Gavin McDonnell also features amongst other really talented fighters so there is a good card from top to bottom with some real quality fighters on it and it's going to be rocking inside the Magna Center tomorrow night."
Rhodes was an esteemed fighter himself, having a standout career of his own which accumulated with two reigns as British Champion, a European title and four valiant attempts at the world title, with the latter being against pound-for-pound megastar 'Canelo'.
Rhodes reflected on his career and discussed what the future holds for him in boxing, "I had a great career and I'm very proud of it and I look back with fond memories of it. Mixing it with Canelo was an amazing experience and he has improved a lot since then but you could tell he was a special talent even back then when he was in his early 20's, he was unbelievable and I'm not surprised to see him reach the heights that he has.
"Obviously I wish I had become a world champion, but I have no regrets. Now I am all about helping the next generation of fighters realise their dreams by running my gym and training fighters whilst also managing and promoting them. That's my drive in boxing now is to give back to the game and help the fighters on the rise achieve their dreams."