July 2014 BOXING NEWS (U.K.) Interview with Iceman Scully On Canelo Alvares-Erslianda Lara: BOXING NEWS: What is it like for a fighter to lose for the first time? ICE: It all depends on the fighter, I believe. I would say that all fighters feel a real sense of loneliness and surrealness after that first loss. You wish you could jump back in time to the dressing room before that loss and do it all just one more time with a different approach. The difference between losing and winning, especially for someone who enjoys so much fame and expectations, is extremely tough on the psyche and it takes a certain amount of maturity and strength and clear thinking to come through it as well as possible. BOXING NEWS: Can more be gained from the experience of defeat or is it best to learn while you keep winning? ICE: Everyone would love to keep learning and winning at the same time but the fact is that you learn much, much more from losses than you do victories and I say this because the reality is that when you win you generally focus on the victory and not nearly as much on the mistakes you made on the way to it. You often see a boxer losing a fight clearly only to come back and score a late knockout and all the emphasis after is on the ability to come from behind, on this having possession of late round power and strength. But the focus should always be on the reasons why you were losing before scoring that knockout. Its up to someone close to the fighter to be able to help him realize his mistakes and to try and fix them for the next time, even when the victory was gained in spite of those mistakes. In this case I am very confident that Canelo has ran through the Mayweather fight in his mind well over 100 times and he realizes things he could have done better and things he could have tried to do differently. BOXING NEWS: What positives can he take from the Mayweather loss? ICE: I would say that he should feel good about his performance for several reasons. One is that he gained a ton of championship level experience that he couldnt get with anyone else on earth. He won some rounds in the eyes of most observers and he didnt get brutalized as much as he was outmaneuvered. He hung tough for 12 rounds with the pound for pound best of his era and Im sure he definitely looks back and feels he could have done a few little things differently and made it an even closer fight. Ill bet anything he feels in his heart that if they were to fight again he could make it a much tougher and better fight. BOXING NEWS: He has since fought and beaten Angulo, how far behind him will a win like that put the defeat? ICE: On the one hand it was a great victory over a very tough opponent. But on the other hand it was not over Mayweather or someone with the style and moves that Floyd possesses. Im sure beating a tough guy like Angulo was a confidence booster but deep down you always really want to try the guy who pinned that defeat on you. BOXING NEWS: At 23, and after nearly 50 fights, how much scope does Canelo have to improve? ICE: I would say its all up to the fighter and his mentality. Im sure he realized during the Mayweather fight that he was seeing and feeling and dealing with things hed never seen before so that should have made him realize that there is a lot more to learn in this game. I think as good as he now is that physically and mentally and skill wise he is still climbing and learning and improving. Hes still on the upswing and Im guessing that assuming he doesnt have to endure a bunch of wars between now and then that by the time he is 26 years old he will be hitting his true prime. BOXING NEWS: What does it tell you about Canelo that he WANTS the Lara fight? ICE: Its definitely the mark of a real fighter. You can never be upset with a boxer with his mentality, going after tough opposition like this right after his first career loss. Many fighters would love to rebound with a careful strategy that would see them maneuvered back into another title shot but Canelo is a real fighter and a real professional and the boxing world must commend him on willfully facing this type of opposition. BOXING NEWS: Can Canelo follow in the line of Chavez Snr, Oscar.... Is there more pressure on a national idol? ICE: I would imagine the pressure on a fighter like Canelo in a boxing rich country like Mexico must be immense. Certain boxers from certain areas of the world no doubt feel that they are carrying the weight of their countries hopes on their backs and I would have to assume that Canelo is one of those guys. Hes a national hero and he must feel as though winning these type fights is a way of etching himself deeper and deeper into Mexicos deep and rich history. Theres no doubt in mind that leading up to his fights he has the people of his country not far from his thoughts. That type of pressure can either be a tremendous asset or a mentally and physically draining liability. It all depends on the fighter and his heart and mindset. BOXING NEWS: What would you be saying to Canelo in the dressing room before the fight? ICE: Depending on Canelo and his mindset and his personality it would probably be one of two things. More than likely if I am not trying to let him know that this is just another step on our way to our goals, that we have to keep pressing forward in his career, that this is just another hurdle that he prepared for and now has to jump, then I am expressing to him that this is the big fight, one that is a must win for him. That this is a chance at real redemption in the eyes of the fans and that without victory over Lara there will be no chance ever of a rematch with Mayweather. The trainer knows his fighter and Im sure he will tell him whatever is best to mix with the fighter and his personality and mindset going into this particular match at this particular time.
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 20:53:42 +0000
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