‘I’ll have to be at my best to beat Johanneson,’ admits Goodwin
It’s nearly here. The lightweight clash betweenChris Goodwin and Carl Johanneson on Saturday night at the Northgate Arena in Chester has gripped the British boxing public from the moment it was announced. The fight will be an eliminator for the British title and has the makings of a crossroads classic.
The young slick stylist in Goodwin versus the hard hitting former champion in Johanneson. It is a fight that needs no hype.
Until last year Chris Goodwin (14-1-1) was a well kept secret. Coming from Chester, he wasn’t that well known to the wider public. Honing his talents in the gym run by father Steve, he was happy to remain anonymous. They were building something special and these things take time. People would hear about him soon enough, but only when the time was right.
2011 was something of a breakthrough year for Chris. In October he claimed the International Masters lightweight title on home turf against Kenya’s Geoffrey Munika. Munika had come off knocking out Ryan Barrett in six rounds to claim the title, but he was no match for Goodwin who produced a performance so impressive that it earmarked him as a future major champion. Goodwin won on points, dominating almost every second of every round.
He would go on to fight Wesley Hertoghe of Belgium less than a month later, claiming the vacant International Masters welterweight title in the process with a dominant points victory. No-one in the camp was ever going to claim that Hertoghe was of any serious quality. He was however tough, and he gave Goodwin a chance to showcase his talents in front of the knowledgeable public at the York Hall, Bethnall Green in London. He impressed them greatly.
Johanneson (31-5 20KO) is another matter. A top notch operator for over a decade, he has fought for the European title, stopped Michael Gomez and battered current world champion Ricky Burns over 12 rounds. He also gave Kevin Mitchell a life and death struggle before finally succumbing in the ninth. Goodwin knows he is in for a serious battle when the pair collide.
“Just look at his record, he is a quality fighter. He hits hard and is very dangerous. I will have to be at my very best to beat him and we will need to get our tactics spot on. That means not standing in front of him letting him fight on the inside. I will need to get on my bike, but I know I have the skills to put on a show.”
For many this is seen as too bigger step up for Goodwin, who has not fought anyone in the same league as Johanneson. Many believe Carl’s greater experience will win the day. Everyone knows it is a risk. Chris himself acknowledges this.
“Boxing isn’t a long career so you do need to take risks. But we feel this is the right time to make a move, and we don’t see it as a stupid risk. Everything is coming right for me, the strength is improving, I have better conditioning than ever and the skills are getting better day by day. We are gonna start creeping up those rankings now, but in no way am I looking past Johanneson.”
By all accounts Goodwin has been electric in sparring. He has been able to work with some great names like Kevin Mitchell, and many a round has been done with European lightweight champion, Welshman Gavin Rees. Something Goodwin is very grateful for.
“We have done loads with Gavin Rees and we need to thank him and his team for that. He has brought me on loads and he is great preparation for a man like Johanneson.”
In a 50-50 fight like this home advantage could really make a difference. The fact that Chris will be in front of a partisan home crowd can only benefit the youngster. Something he is well aware of.
“I have to thank my promoter Fight Options for getting me the show in Chester, they have done everything they can to make this a success. Other fighters could do a lot worse than get signed up by them, they really go into bat for you. I want the crowd to make as much noise as possible, make the atmosphere electric. I want them to know that my preparation has gone perfectly and I am better than ever. I can’t wait until Saturday night.”
This could really be a case of ‘right fight, right time’ for Chris Goodwin. But that is by no means a certainty. Even if he wins, he will most likely have to go to hell and back to be victorious. But if he does win, the world will become his oyster.
Source by: BoxRec News
