Q&A Wayne McCullough!

August 8, 2006

by Chris Bronte

The author, Chris Bronte, and the author, Wayne McCullough

A blood-and-guts warrior who has been to hell and back in boxing, former WBC Bantamweight Champion and six-time world title challenger Wayne “The Pocket Rocket” McCullough (27-6, 18 KOs) is known for the steel in his chin, courage in his heart and a  never-say-die spirit.

But, as he moves closer and closer to the end of an admirable career, McCullough has transitioned nicely into a trainer and, even more surprisingly, a successful author. His autobiography is currently a top seller.

36-year-old McCullough says he would still take the “right” fights and points to all his losses being at the championship level as proof he can still compete on any stage.

McCullough spoke to FightNews about his life as a punching penman and where he hopes his future will take him.

So Wayne it’s been a while since your last fight (a tenth-round TKO loss to Oscar Larios), what have you been doing with yourself?

It’s been just over a year and I’ve been training fighters and training myself, so when I get the call I know I’ll be in shape. I was supposed to fight Israel Vasquez in January but I was sort of screwed out of it. But I’ve kept training the whole time.

Obviously you’re known for you toughness, you’ve been in with the best in the divisions you’ve campaigned in and win or lose always heard the last bell. How hard was it to come to terms with being stopped for the first time in your career?

Well, it happened so fast the night of the fight. Margaret Goodman (ringside doctor) stopped the fight and I put that in my book. But six months later, I found out that in fact it was my trainer Freddie Roach who had gone behind my back and told Richard Steele (the referee) to stop the fight. And that really disgusted me because I didn’t know. Freddie had only spent three days in camp with me, but I didn’t go and cry about that. Sure I was getting hit, but I wasn’t going anywhere. My face wasn’t even marked up and my face marks up pretty easily. So it kind of annoyed me as I always finish strong. I finished strong in the first Larios fight. I’m not saying I could have won the fight. But the stoppage disgusted me so much I couldn’t even walk into my gym for five weeks. I really would have liked to have gone out on my shield.

So you’re 36 now and have had a great career, won a world title. You’ve fought the best of your generation and win or lose have always performed well. What still drives you to fight?

The WBC Super Bantamweight belt, I’ve fought for it four times. I fought Morales, I fought Zaragoza and Larios twice all for the same belt and a couple of times I’ve come out on the wrong end. But I’m still ranked number nine and I’d love to win another WBC belt because I think it’s the most prestigious one out there.

So how are you going move forward with your career?

I’ve just got to get back in the ring. I was supposed to be in there in June but it didn’t happen. But even though I’m training fighters now, I’m still training myself everyday, so if the right fight comes along, I’ll be ready.

And what is the right fight?

I think Vasquez. That’s the fight I should have had, but it was cancelled. Now he’s fighting Jhonny Gonzalez, but I think I’m owed it.

But would you take a tune up fight?

I’d love it. They could put me on the same card, it would be great. They could put me and see how I do against a lesser guy. Remember all my losses have been at championship level. I think if I was to lose against a guy who wasn’t on championship level, then I’d know it was over. That’s the only way you can decide it. We’ve just seen old champions who have come back. Look at Javier Castillejo. That was just amazing. The guy is 39 years old. I’m 36. Bernard Hopkins is 41. Virgil Hill is 40-something. I train all the time. I keep myself very healthy. I don’t drink. I know it’s unusual for an Irishman not to drink! I look after myself, I’m a family man and I think my body can go on for a bit longer. I’m not stupid. My sharpness is still there and I haven’t lost any reaction time, and my stamina has never given me any problem.

It’s just a about getting the right opportunity. I’ve always fought number one guys. When I fought Morales and Hamed, they were both in the pound-for-pound top ten. Larios was number one in the bantamweight division. So, we’ll just see what happens.

Outside of the ring you’ve been busy writing your autobiography and doing ringside reports for The Ring magazine. How was you book received back home?

Well it’s number two on the best sellers list, so that’s a good thing. The good thing about it is that I’ve given it to journalists, the critics in Belfast and Ireland and in England have read it and none have had a bad word to say about it. They said that might have put a bit more about Mat Tinley (first and former promoter). But it’s a book about my life not about Mat Tinley. I’m friends with Mat Tinley still and I don’t dwell on him still owing me money. I could have gone into more detail but there was a ninety-thousand word cut off!

 Perhaps nearly as much as your wife, Cheryl, your former promoter Mat Tinley features prominently in the book. At times it appears you relationship was very strained, to the point that you say it sometimes affected your performance. What can you tell us about that?

Well he was my manager. He bought me out to America. He was a TV executive with Prime International and he promised me TV for every fight, British, Irish and American TV and he did deliver. My pro debut was on Tuesday Night Fights. He’s the type of guy that if he was the president and I was his bodyguard, I’d take a bullet for him. But things happen. He made money and I made money. But with my last fight with him, my cheque bounced and there was a certain time when I was fighting for one hundred grand and two hours before the fight I was told I was only going to be making twenty. And the arena was sold out, American TV, British TV, I know the fight made over a half million dollars and I only got twenty.

He’s speaking to me now, but I’d like to sit down and have a frank conversation, one on one. I still consider him a friend but we’re just not that close anymore, and he was like a big brother to me. But things change.

At the moment you’re still promoted by Dan Goossen. So how is that going?

Yeah, but my contract is up this month, this week in fact. But I’d like to finish my career with Dan, because I know Dan from my pro debut. But it has to be worth it. For my pro debut, I got six thousand dollars and that was back in ‘93, good money for a four rounder. But if they offer me ten grand now for a fight, what’s the point?

Although still an active fighter, you’re now training fighters. Who are they and how did this come about?

I’m training Alex Arthur from Scotland. We hooked up about December of last year. He’s been asking me for years. I’ve been his friend and we just hooked and he’s loving it. He’s won his last two fights which is good. He should be ready for a championship.

Then there’s Enrique Ornelas. We were sat down at the MGM and he was asking if I still trained Alex, and he mentioned Enrique to me and his brother Librado (Andrade). I’m not officially training him (Librado) but he comes in and works with his brother.

So what can you tell us about Enrique?

He’s not your typical Mexican fighter. He can punch, he’s heavy handed. He’s got real good skills. I told him that I’m not going to change anything about his style. I’m gonna tighten it up. Get their speed better, so they can speed it up, bring it down and speed it up. He’s successful in what he’s doing, style wise. Enrique’s a real harder worker. He spars three to four days a week, which is really good. But I really enjoy the training. I remember, I got a letter from Eddie Futch (former trainer) a couple of years before he passed away saying that I’d make a really good trainer some day. The first thing people think is that when you’re a trainer, you’re going to get your fighter to fight like you. But it’s just the opposite; I wouldn’t get them to fight like me. Alex doesn’t fight like me, Enrique doesn’t fight like me, so why try and make them fight like me?

Enrique has a high profile fight coming up against Australian Sam Soliman. How do you see that fight going?

I saw today on FightNews that Sam Soliman thinks he is going to win this fight in style, that’s it going to be easy. They’re living off the Winky Wright fight, which he lost anyway. He just caught Winky at the right time. Winky looked terrible that night. If you catch the person at the right time, you can look good. We’re doing the right stuff in the gym, but Sam Soliman is the type of fighter who can make anyone look bad. He’s awkward, he’s short and he fights even shorter. So, we’re working on things to make him look bad.

So when eventually you decide to hang up the gloves will you become a full-time trainer?

(Laughing) I’m more like a full trainer now I think. I’d love to follow in Eddie’s footsteps. I believe he was the best trainer who ever lived. I’d love to come even close to what he was. But if I do it, I won’t take on too many fighters. I think a lot of trainers take on too many fighters and they cut themselves. How can you give twenty fighters everyday five minutes of your time? I think I’d most I’d ever have is 6 to 8 fighters.

Currently which fighters do you enjoy watching most?

My favourite fighter up until recently was Roy Jones. He’s depreciated a bit lately. But I just love the way he could have his hands behind his back and knock you out. Also I like Arturo Gatti. He just fought this weekend and it might have been the end for him. But my all-time favourite is Henry Armstrong. And Barry McGuigan was my boyhood hero, as I mention in the book. But out of the old-time fighters, I like George Foreman and Joe Frazier. I liked Muhammad Ali too, the way he ran his mouth and backed it up. But I liked more or less the Joe Frazier type who’d jump in the ring and try and knock you out.

But right now Floyd Mayweather is the best out there. Nobody can touch him. I think from welterweight to middleweight. He impressed me in his last few fights. At the beginning of his career, he was maybe a little boring, but now he’s hurting people and knocking them out.

So when can we expect to see you back in action?

I could be ready in a week. I’d rather not take a fight on short notice. In fact I was going to fight in Pechanga recently but they ended up getting Sam Soliman instead. Of course I’d really not want to do it but against a lesser guy you can get away with it.

So would you welcome a third fight with Larios?

Oh, I’d love it. Larios got a chance himself as he had just got beaten by Vasquez and then went in with one of the best pound-for-pound guys in the world. I take my hat off to Larios, as he’s the only guy who beat me and gave me a rematch. But I don’t think it’s likely we’ll get in the ring together again.

Wayne McCullough’s autobiography, “Don’t Quit! The Autobiography of Wayne McCullough Pocket Rocket”, is available at Walmart.com, Amazon .com or any of the major book store web sites. And for those of you who would like to see some of Wayne’s boxing memorabilia, New York’s Irish Arts Exhibition is currently displaying his Olympic silver medal , and both his ring outfit and the gloves he wore during his fight with Naseem Hamed, which both fighters have signed.

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