Lee Beard has shaken off recent reports of a split with Team Hatton by focusing on his new appointment as trainer to Joan Guzman.
Trainer hoping to continue with Team Hatton
Lee Beard has shaken off recent reports of a split with Team Hatton by focusing on his new appointment as trainer to Joan Guzman.
Beard, a long-time trainer of Matthew Hatton and an integral part of Ricky's training camps, was approached by the former two-weight world champion ahead of a re-match with South African Ali Funeka for the vacant IBF lightweight title.
And while Beard is hoping to be re-united with the Hattons in the near future, it is the job of getting Guzman into top shape that has been commanding all his attention.
The pair teamed up for the first time earlier this year and things are going well as the unbeaten Guzman looks to add a third title to the WBO super-bantam and WBO super-featherweight belts he has previously held.
"I was in America with (light-welterweight prospect) Tim Coleman in December last year and Guzman's manager got talking to Tim's manager, and could see the shape Tim was in physically," Beard told
skysports.com.
Draw
"And he said why not send Guzman over to England to train with me. He was looking for a trainer because his first fight with Funeka didn't go well, he fought a draw.
"So he was on the lookout and I guess his manager had spoken about me before, so he invited me over to New York to spend a week with Guzman.
"So I went over at the beginning of January, and everybody was aware of that, then I came back to train Matthew for his fight in Stoke last week.
"I got a call only a few days before from Guzman asking me to train him as he had been given a date of April 3 by Golden Boy for the rematch with Funeka and could I start training him, as it was in eight weeks' time.
"He wanted me to come over to start a camp and give us a chance to gel. So I spoke to Matthew and he said he'd prefer me to stay of course but said it was a great opportunity, and it was fine and he could use anyone in the corner for what was just a 'keep-busy' fight, so he would see me when I got back.
"He didn't need me at that time, he was already in great shape and sparring eight rounds a day, my assistant was there to help out with him. If he was fighting anybody that was a risk I wouldn't have thought about going. So everything was alright.
Frustrating
"Next thing I know I was reading that I had moved over there. It's just ridiculous and blown out of all proportion. The first week over there in New York I was just reading so many things, it was so frustrating. I was coming back in two weeks!"
Guzman is currently training hard in Beard's Manchester gym and the pair will remain in England for another week before heading off to Las Vegas to finish off preparations for the fight now inked in for March 27.
And Beard is expecting a different Guzman to be on show in the return match against Funeka, who at 6ft 1in is at least six inches taller than the man originally from the Dominican Republic, who some years ago was lined up to fight Scotland's Alex Arthur.
"In the first fight, he didn't have any difficulties getting close to Funeka in the first couple of rounds when he was fresh, but he made a lot of mistakes and one thing that was evident to me was his legs," Beard said. "They just looked so flat.
"Normally he's really sharp defensively but in that particular fight he was flat. He's broken his hand before and when I first started training him he was not really hitting the bag, the pads.
"I noticed in the fight he was throwing a lot of punches but they were kind of slapping punches and I've been trying to get him to punch with the knuckle part of the glove, and use his body more to generate power.
"He is very fast and I feel he sacrifices power for speed by slapping type punches, he is punching extremely hard at the minute, a lot harder than the first 2-3 weeks and is still punching with speed."
Gameplan
"When he had opportunities he just threw punches that seemed to take more out of him than Funeka. We've got a gameplan and we have been working on a couple of things.
"Funeka's really big at the weight, he's 6-1 tall. Guzman says he is not as big a puncher as Humberto Soto or Jorge Barrios, but the difficult thing was that height.
"He felt he could have taken him in that fight but he had a bad cut over the eye and a nosebleed, and his legs went after he got hit in the eighth.
"I think that fight was a wake-up call and he does everything I ask of him in training. It's a fight he wanted to rectify and he's in great shape right now. I brought in Kerry Kayes who is an expert with nutrition, and has been on board since we arrived back in the UK and will be going to Las Vegas for the fight, so it's all coming together.
"One of the things he liked about the idea of training with me was that he would be on his own, he wanted to isolate himself and focus on the fight.
"Even in New York he was staying with me at the apartment and away from his wife and kids and now he's over here in Manchester on his own.
"We've got a gameplan and I'm looking for a unanimous points win. Guzman thinks he can knock him out and he'll have no difficulties getting in close, but I think we can impress the judges over 12 rounds. If the knockout comes it will come."
Guzman does not have the luxury of looking past the fight with Funeka and he cannot afford a defeat at the age of 33, especially with some big fights on the horizon.
Great shape
"The reason he wanted to fight Funeka again was because he didn't think he did himself justice in that fight, he wasn't happy with that performance and he wanted to put that straight," Beard said.
"There will be some big fights out there, but Guzman is in great shape right now and he wants to rectify that last fight and not think about the future."
And the Mancunian is hoping to re-establish his close relationship with Ricky and brother Matthew Hatton and prepare the latter for what could be the biggest year of his career.
"I've got a lot of time for Matthew, he's a great guy and a friend and I'd train Matthew today," concluded Beard. "He's performing really well now and he's really peaking. He's better against better opposition but whether he'll get the fights that he needs is another question.
"Not one percent of me has got a problem with Matthew, I know I've done nothing wrong, and I know he's done nothing wrong.
"The whole thing has been blown out of proportion."
Joan Guzman will be having a public workout in Manchester on Thursday March 11, details of which can be found here.
