Askin talks comeback and Dickinson defeat

30.05.12

Matty Askin; “I just fought the wrong fight against Jon-Lewis Dickinson”

By Michael J Jones

After recently suffering his first defeat at the hands of County Durham’s Jon Lewis Dickinson, Blackpool’s Matty Askin has vowed to get back to winning ways and become British champion. The 6ft 4ins cruiserweight, who dipped to 13-1 (9) with the ten-round decision loss, realises he made too many mistakes against neat-boxing Dickinson.

The bout was chief support to the thrilling lightweight slugfest between Derry Matthews and Anthony Crolla and Askin went down unanimously by scores of 98-93, 97-93 and 97-93. The bout for the English belt saw Dickinson, now 11-2 (3), box intelligently behind the jab to sweep the early rounds as Askin appeared listless and unable to adjust. Matty’s trainer Bob Shannon even asked his tiring fighter towards the end of the contest whether he should stop the fight (which brought an expletive reply).

The Blackpool “Assassin” gamely came forward in the later rounds but it was far too-little, too-late. Former Prizefighter champion Dickinson now looks set to take on the winner of the Enzo Maccerinelli-Shane McPhilbin rematch later this year as the beaten fighter is left in the wilderness for the time being.

Livefight caught up with 23-year-old Matty, who has just started full training again to get his thoughts on the Dickinson fight and find out where he goes from here-

LF) So Matty, commiserations on your first pro defeat. Have you watched the fight yet?

MA) Thanks. I’ve only just watched it a few days ago. I couldn’t talk to anyone for three weeks as I was so cut up about losing but I’ve just started training again now and I’ll hopefully be back around September.

LF) What do you feel went wrong in your fight with Jon Lewis Dickinson?

MA) When I watched the fight I could see all of the mistakes I was making. It was just inexperience really, Jon Lewis Dickinson is not as good as me, I just made it easy for him. I did nothing we had worked on in training; I got hit and just started loading up. Basically he ‘turned up’ and I didn’t.

LF) He’s been stopped a couple of times on injury yet the odd shot that got through he took well; did that surprise you?

MA) The thing that surprised me the most was his discipline in the fight. No matter what happened he refused to be derailed from his game-plan I really didn’t expect him to be capable of that. He boxed a good fight and I’m not kidding myself, I know I lost.

LF) At one point after the 7th round, your trainer asked you whether you wanted him to pull you out of the contest. How serious do you feel that threat was?

MA) Well, you saw my response to that (laughs). No I think he could just see I was struggling and wanted to give me a boost and get me going. It did feel like I wasn’t in the fight at that stage, like I said, I made it easy for (Dickinson).

LF) You said before the fight that your camp had been intense; do you think you may have over-trained?

MA) Training went very well and honestly that’s the best I’ve ever trained for any fight. I was driving to Manchester from Blackpool six days a week and felt a bit run down by the end of camp so maybe I’ll discuss changing that around a little with my team, but otherwise, I couldn’t have been fitter.

LF) A loss can effect a fighter in different ways; do you feel like the defeat has knocked your confidence at all?

MA) Not in a boxing sense no. I’ve got that experience now of tasting defeat, I know what it feels like and I don’t want to feel like this again. I shouldn’t have lost and I just hope I get a rematch down the line to put things right.

LF) If you got a rematch in a few months what would you do differently in a fight with Jon Lewis Dickinson?

MA) Take a gun in with me (laughs)! No seriously, I’d just keep cool and I wouldn’t react to getting hit by loading up on my shots. It sounds funny, but I’d probably try going on the back-foot more too. In the first round I boxed like that and had some success but as soon as I got hit I lost my composure.
I think another thing is if me and Jon Lewis fought again I’d have the fear that I never had before the first fight. I just thought I’d beat him and that was that, but now I know he can beat me it’ll give me that edge for next time.

LF) Shane McPhilbin fights Maccerenelli next month in a rematch and Dickinson should get the winner. You may have to wait a little while to get another shot at your victor?

MA) I want the rematch but I’ve got to speak to my team and see where we go from here. I think (Dickinson) would beat Enzo or McPhilbin but I just want to fight the winner. Hopefully I’ll be back in September to get back on-track. I still want to be a champion and I’m also out to prove I can box, and not just hit hard.

LF) Matty thank you and good luck on your comeback.

MA) Thanks mate anytime.

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