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October 2001
Each month we bring you a selection of articles from the current and past issues of BOXING MONTHLY. To buy the magazine, see our subscription or back issues pages, or use our world distribution map to find a news-stand copy. Why not use our Interactive Forum to express your own boxing comments and opinions!
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TAKA CAN Manchester prospect Anthony Farnell might have guessed that he would be the one getting burned after calling his opponent 'vindaloo'. Because life's like that. His conqueror - and WBU light-middleweight champion Takaloo - talks to RUTH MASON |
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WBU light-middleweight champion Takaloo
- Get Big Pic It was a highly anticipated showdown. The vacant WBU light-middleweight title
was on the line, but it was really a test of the undefeated, touted Anthony
Farnell. Finally let off the leash, could he do the business against a game
box-puncher expected to take him into the trenches? Takaloo answered the
question in quite spectacular fashion. BM: Even in your wildest dreams, can you have imagined bursting the Farnell
bubble in only 123 seconds? And in front of his hometown Manchester fans? T: I spoilt the whole party. In interviews I was saying: "You saw what
Danny Williams done to Kali Meehan [knocking out the New Zealander in 32
seconds]. Don't be surprised if I do the same thing." I had a Man City top
and I put "Takaloo Round One" on the back. But, as I was walking into
the ring, they stopped me and said: "You can't wear that. It's going to
cause an absolute riot!" It was just a mental thing. Once I got in there, I was much stronger than
him. I felt I could take him out any time. I prepared properly for the fight. I
knew I'd be ready for the trenches. I knew what I had to do to beat him. Winning the title was one of the main things, but I'm still learning. My
trainer [Jim McDonnell] said: "You came of age in that fight. The way you
controlled yourself walking into the ring, you kept focused." We knew I
could punch. We knew I could box. The only thing letting me down was my
concentration. I managed to do it in that fight. Anthony was a good fighter. He had 27 wins; you don't get unbeaten records
like that by being useless. He called himself "The Warrior". I went up
to Manchester on the Wednesday, and Anthony was trying to intimidate me all
week. I stayed nice and calm. All I was thinking about was how to beat him. He
was really up for it and angry. He was just burning up nervous energy. BM: The striking difference between you and Farnell seemed to be mental
strength. You handled your business in his backyard with maturity, whereas he
perhaps got carried away with all the hype, allowing it to adversely affect his
boxing. Jim McDonnell kept motivating you right up to the first bell. He
evidently holds the key to your state of mind T: Even with my ring entrance, I was so focused. Anthony came in waving to
all his fans. I had done a mind thing with Jimmy. We call it "psyche to
win", 20 steps you go through. We did that every night. He nearly had me in
tears, he really had me up for the fight. I sort of got hypnotised, and when the
bell went it was like the start of the race. It was like the gun going off,
that's when you go to work. I was going to start off quick, finish quick. We
train at altitude. I'd done 20 rounds. I was going to give it all I've got for
12 rounds. Whatever Farnell had to throw at me, I had it backed up. We were
going to war and I had all the ammo. Jimmy was telling me: "This is when
the golden hour starts. You're going to be fighting for 36 minutes. That's all
it is." He was really in my ear. I knew there was nothing to worry about.
People said to me: "Just go out there and enjoy it. Blank out the
crowd." On the morning of the fight, I did the ring walk with Jimmy. I got familiar
with the place. I did a lot of visualisation: hearing all the hostile crowd
calling me names. So when I got in the ring, I had already been through it.
Being relaxed is the key. I enjoyed every minute. BM: Farnell wasn't exactly lacking in confidence. Do you think he needed
bringing down a peg or two? T: Oh yeah, so many people have been calling me up saying: "Oh,
brilliant." Because he was a horrible git. He wouldn't shake hands and he
was growling. I watched the Shane Mosley and Adrian Stone fight, the respect
they had, smiling and shaking hands. When the bell goes, that's when you start
hating your opponent. I'm always nice to my opponents. Even afterwards I went up
to Farnell to shake his hand and he pushed me away. He was just a bad loser. I
don't think you need to be like that in boxing. People like you more if you just
be yourself. Farnell's probably a nice kid, but he's trying to put that
toughness on in front of his family and fans. BM: Understandably, you went crazy when the fight was stopped. Just how
satisfying was it to take away the Mancunian's unbeaten record on his home turf? T: Oh man, for four weeks Jimmy had been saying to me: "Don't say
nothing, even at the press conferences. Keep yourself nice and calm."
Farnell was really getting to me, calling me Vindaloo. A couple of times I just
wanted to jump at him. After the fight I said: "Farnell just had the
hottest vindaloo he's ever had!" It felt brilliant. No one gave me a chance. Doing it on his home turf in that fashion was just a
bonus. All the happiness came out. It was a shock to me doing it in the first
round. I was thinking about four or five rounds. Afterwards I didn't sleep for
two days. BM: Did it hurt you when most people, both inside and outside the trade, were
picking him to prevail? T: You can't blame them. The guy was unbeaten, I've got two losses on my
record [a fourth-round loss to Jawaid Khaliq, now the IBO welterweight champion,
and a points reverse to Michael Jones]. But I had a lot of problems at home and
I wasn't enjoying boxing. I was just doing it for the sake of it, to get the
money. Now I'm enjoying boxing. I love putting a show on. I shocked Frank Warren. He didn't really think I could do it. He said to me
that it was a 50-50 fight. I said: "Look, it's an 80-20 fight, 80 for me,
because I'm going to win." I set up training camp at Margate out of my own
pocket. I went to the French Alps. It meant so much to me. I proved a lot of
people wrong, I like doing that! BM: You reproduced your brilliant gym form in the ring, where it counts. That
must have pleased you. T: They were saying to me that I was a gym fighter because I sparred with
Harry Simon, Adrian Stone and Wayne Alexander. In the gym I was really
brilliant. They said: "Take it in the ring man, do it in front of a hostile
crowd." My trainer said: "The day you do it in the ring, you'll do it
all the time." It's being in the zone where you're happy. And I'm only
happy in the ring. People say about Jimmy that he's more than a fitness trainer. We had been
working on uppercuts. He's a brilliant trainer. You've got Emanuel Steward, but,
when he's looking after Lennox Lewis, they go and get a fitness trainer, a
runner, a guy that does the boxing, a guy that does the hand wraps. Jimmy does
everything. A couple of years or so ago, I was really going nowhere. People said
to Jimmy: "He's only a six-round fighter, I wouldn't waste my time with
him." But Jimmy took me on board and brought out the best in me. I owe my
career to him. BM: As you said Jim is a renowned conditioner. And you were in fantastic
shape for the contest. Tell us about your training regime. T: We train three times a day. We get up at six o'clock, do a run. We come in
the gym and do a lot of upper-body-strength exercises with weights. It's like being in the army: 20 press ups, 10 sit ups with a count and you
have to hold it and count for a minute and a half. That takes about 3 hours. We
go home have breakfast and go back to sleep. Then the gym at two o'clock for sparring. In the evening, we do loads of
track work [400 and 800 metres]. On Sunday, we do a 15-mile run. Jimmy's got it
covered. A week before the fight, I didn't do anything, just recharged. We're going to the French Alps again. It's really nice for running. When I
first went there, I thought: "I've got a little holiday here." But it
was torture! By the end of the week, I couldn't wait to get home! Everyone's really happy in our camp. Me and Danny Williams feed off each
other. If I'm having a tough round, I think of Danny when his shoulder came out
and his courage encourages me to go forward. Jimmy's shown me what boxing's
about, how fit you need to be. He told me to go out and enjoy it. I was thinking: "How the hell can you
enjoy this." The hardest thing in boxing now is the training - fighting's
easy. Every day he has a different routine for me. He trains me harder than the
average guy [because] I'm a high-energy fighter. BM: You can't live in the gym 24/7. What do you do in your down time? T: The only day off is a Saturday. I've been with my girlfriend, Sarah, for
10 years. I'm really into football. BM: The light-middleweight division is really strong in Britain. Adrian Stone
is considering hanging up his gloves after his recent loss to Mosley. That
leaves Richard Williams [Commonwealth champion], Wayne Alexander [British boss]
and Steve Roberts [WBF titleholder] all vying to be the main man. Which fight
would you want the most? T: Me and Alexander for the vacant WBO title. I'd love that. It'd be a battle
of the bombs. We'd just see who lands the first punch. And I'm a wicked body
puncher. For the last fight, I had nine sparring partners and I knocked six out
with body shots. He [Alexander] is a good friend of mine. We trained together for two years. I
had my days and he had his days. But I will win that fight if it happens. I'll
be in great shape. When I get in the ring, friendship goes out the window. I'll
be the first Iranian-born world champion. Frank's talking about putting a show
on in the Middle East. BM: It was a career-defining win over Farnell. But you must believe the best
is yet to come. Before the bout, Farnell was receiving all the star treatment.
You must be looking for big things now. T: We're going to Gleason's Gym. I'm going to spar [IBF light-welter
champion] Zab Judah and [Felix] Trinidad. All I can do is learn. It'll be a
tough assignment. When I sparred Harry Simon, Jimmy said that you couldn't tell
who was the world champion. My next dream is fighting in Las Vegas. Why can't I
go to America and fight for one of the major titles? I feel you're going to see the best of me now. They're talking about big
fights, hopefully Frank will get behind me. I've put the shivers down the
light-middleweights. So be careful of the Takaloo! |
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