As part of ‘The Away Fighter’ special episode, we caught up with boxer Garth Noot to discuss all things boxing, but also what it is like to be constantly fighting, and in the away corner.
The likes of Oleksandr Usyk, Floyd Mayweather, and Joe Calzaghe will always be remembered for their exceptional boxing records and are recognised globally by even those who aren’t hardcore boxing fans.
However, in this story, it is those fighters who are not headlining; they’re simply there to fight and move quickly on to the next job.
This role requires incredible courage, durability and toughness. It’s also a role which has many different names, including ‘journeyman’, ‘away fighter’, ‘road warrior’, and ‘stepping stone’.
I call them the ‘unsung heroes’ of boxing, who are the foundations for this brutal and wonderful sport. As one World Champion is newly crowned, so is one charging prospect who has aspirations of reaching the same mountain top.
They all have something in common: they’ve all been in there at some point with an experienced professional whose job is to help develop them by also testing their skills.
A journeyman has seen it all, every trick, style, punch, arena, you name it, they’ve probably seen it. This experience enables them to survive and compete. Regularly, they usually don’t have their arm raised in their four or six-rounders, which they compete in.
Instead, they turn up to work and more often than not test their opponent mentally and physically. Sometimes they bite down on the gumshield (an item which is used as a motto or advertisement for themselves when it comes to fighting), and if a prospect can’t handle them, it’s unlikely they are ready for the next step-up.
Although they may not have a winning record, they can sometimes be a promoter’s best friend. They are some of the most reliable athletes in sports, often being called upon on short notice to take a fight with little to no preparation.
Swansea’s Steve Davies has had first-hand experience of this whilst heading to Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia. He said, “I was heading to Bulgaria with the boys, and I got a phone call at the airport to fight Haaris Khan (on his debut) in three days.
“So I spent the trip running on a treadmill to keep the weight down. Then I landed back in Luton at 8 am on the Saturday morning and headed straight to the venue to weigh in.”
With that said, they show up, and for however long it lasts, they more often than not give fans in attendance a competitive fight.
Davies, that evening at the Vale Sports Arena in Cardiff, went the complete four rounds. Sometimes they offer a fighter a reality check, a humbling experience where the young, upcoming combatant really needs to show their worth.
This is where the fine art of matchmaking comes into play, because let’s be honest, to onlookers looking in, it may seem like an easy call to predict who will claim the victory.
Some people even call it boring when a boxer gets an underwhelming 40-36 decision win.
Sometimes, an away corner fighter gets a victory, but that could become an issue for their next job in seven or 14 days, where nobody will want them if they continue winning. It’s almost like a poison.
It’s not fixed; no boxer is told to lose, they have a go, and if the opportunity arises, they may take it.
A promising fighter uses these sorts of fights to boost their record and give them invaluable lessons under the lights of fight night.
Without a fighter willing to fight in the away corner, these big-ticket sellers, future stars of the sport, will be unable to progress to the next stage.
They’ll probably never have the experience of fighting on a big Riyadh Season card or headline arenas, but without these versatile, resilient, road warriors, boxing wouldn’t be the same.
The Away Fighter- https://open.spotify.com/episode/0fMl6BpLELRYtsxugx11gQ?si=qYOtZOwtSlWQVOBBWXJpCA&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A25tCuy4ahLGxtX89zYRZ9I
Words by Harry Tovey
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