By Oliver McManus: Mickey Helliet stages a characteristically stacked card of boxing at York Hall on July 14th with over 20 fights taking place at the spiritual home of British boxing – across the bill there are absolute gems with Quaise Khademi looking to go 5 and 0, Gelasius Taaru, JJ Hughes, Andre Sterling, Simon Corcoran, Derrick Osaze, Ermal Dida, Almat Bekabauov, Denzel Bentley, they are all on the card and all have bright futures ahead of them BUT, arguably, the most exciting of all is John Harding Jr.
By no means the youngest, aged 33, John is looking to push on in double-quick time and has already set his sights on securing a title by the end of the year. Having followed his career from the beginning he is unquestionably talented enough to achieve big things and, oddly enough, he could do so in both the boxing and music world (not your traditional combination, then).
Anyway I caught up with him on June 30th, at York Hall;
You’re fighting on July 14th, at York Hall, how is training going?
Training is going good, I’ve been working closely with Dillian Whyte and helping him out, last night I was sparring with Buatsi so both of them have been really helpful in preparing me, helping me with the way they train and prepare themselves and it’s been a good learning process.
What sort of opponent are we looking at, I’m obviously not expecting anything major just yet…
You know what Ollie, in my career, I didn’t have much of an amateur career in terms of consistency of fights so right now these beginning fights are serving as experience so getting rounds will help me get comfortable as a professional but if I can sense the knockout then I’m going to go for it.
I spoke to you after your last fight and he was quite a dirty fighter, when you get those fighters how frustrating is it?
Definitely, definitely, that really frustrates me but it’s all a learning curve and anything can happen within each round so you’ve got to stay alert and be prepared for all sorts of tactics, I just treat it as another learning curve and then, if it happens again, I know how to deal with it – it’s just something that will help me and help me develop as a fighter.
From what you learn in sparring is it always easy to transfer that into the fight scenario?
It is completely different and that’s one of the things I’ve been coping and adjusting to as a professional, I’m very slick in sparring and when it gets into the ring I’m hoping you’ll see a very different type of fighter to last time, more explosive, someone who is knocking on the door for titles.
You’ve got a music career as well, what’s behind all that?
Music career was always, when I was growing up I was gifted with writing and I just didn’t stop; it was actually from before when I started professionally boxing, I was going about the music and to the boxing world it might be something new but to the music world it looks like I’m doing something new with boxing!
If one of them kicks off are you going to have drop the other?
I tell you what, you can’t box forever, we’ve seen it time after time with the greats when they try to comeback so for now I’m enjoying it, my mixtape is out, RMG…
… it’s very good…
Thank you, thank you, people are loving it and I’m getting great feedback, I didn’t know it would be so great just for me expressing myself and it means a lot, I’m just enjoying myself.
Are we looking at a title by 2018 or is that when 2019 comes into play?
After this fight a lot of things will change, a few announcements, I’m hoping that in 2018 we will get the title but definitely, definitely, definitely, in 2019 if not. Either around my waist or staring it in the eyes.
Jeff Ofori vs Jumaane Camero, great fight, what are your thoughts?
OH, those two, man, man, man, I’ve had a spar with Jumaane before, he’s a very good mover, very agile, very good puncher and Jeff when I first met him backstage was talking about my music and saying he used to play it, he’s singing along and it’s definitely a fight I am going to be watching.
Do you not fancy fighting on the same card, September 15th?
You never know, you never know, it’s a Goodwin show but you never know.