WBO wants to congratulates Dean Powell for being selected Grafter of the Year by boxingscene.com
People within the U.K. boxing scene invariably name Frank Warren Promotions’s matchmaker Dean Powell as the hardest working person in the sport. Powell has a knack for making he right fight at the right time and is always available to take a call, which comes in handy in the age of rolling news coverage. Powell outlined his approach to his trade during a conversation with BoxingScene.
“I am very fortunate,” he said. “Things are tough, but we have to keep on going and I’m a great believer in looking forward and not looking back. I’ve always said that it doesn’t matter what time of day or night an opponent pulls out, once they’re out they’re out and there’s nothing you can do to put them back in. Screaming and shouting is not going to do anything because all you’re doing is taking the positive energy out of yourself, you need to keep that positive energy to work things out.”
Like Warren, Powell named the Upton Park show as a highlight as well as pointing to the steady progress made by FWP’s fighters. He said: “Upton Park was a great thing because we did a lot for that show. Frank did what he had to do, we all got behind him and it ended right.
“I’m really pleased with the way the year ended for [Commonwealth and British middleweight champion] Billy Joe Saunders and his progress. As a team, we’ve all done our jobs for Billy and the kid did his job very well, that was a big plus for me.
“Frankie Gavin finally fulfilling his potential and winning the British welterweight title was big for me. George Groves’s performance against Glen Johnson was another one where we all did our job. We made the match then Adam [Booth] did his job in getting George ready and George did his job in winning the fight convincingly. It has been a hard year, but a lot of positives came out of it. Mickey Duff always said it was about timing and the timing was perfect with Johnson, George did a great job and will move onto bigger and better things in 2013.
“I’m quite a somber person normally, but I’ve got more optimism than usual. November, December, January, February through to mid-March are tough, but I’m looking forward to the next step for a few of the boys — it will be nice to see them moving forward. I’m looking forward to Martin Gethin getting his chance early in the New Year [he takes on Ben Murphy for the vacant British and Commonwealth titles on January 18]. It will be a hard fight, but we were really proud of him when he beat Carl Johanneson [by 11-round TKO in September]. I’m confident he can win the belt and Frankie will get his first notch on a Lonsdale belt [he meets Jason Welborn in the main event], so the year will start well for us.
“As Mickey also said: ‘Sometimes it is not about ability, it is about availability’, and I’m always available to take a call. Even if I’m on holiday, people can get me until 12 o’clock at night or from 7 the next morning because sometimes missing that one call can make all the difference, so I try to take that onboard.
“We all have to work together (in boxing). I have a good relationship with people like Mickey Helliet, Jon Pegg and guys like that, or Errol Johnson and Carl Greaves, they can ring me at any time to ask if I have anyone available and I can do the same with them, and that’s a big thing.”
By Terence Dooley
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