Cutman Jamie Sheldon on boxing's best ever, the best prospect, the best in Britain and more

Best boxer ever? “Sugar Ray Robinson. I like the old stuff. They were raw. No physios, no nutritionists. They fought everyone. 20 rounds at a time. If they didn’t fight, they didn’t eat. Today, fighters are fighting to make a good living. Then, they were fighting to live.”

Best boxer today? “Vasyl Lomachenko (Ukrainian junior-lightweight world champion). Just becaused of his footwork and stuff like that.”

Best boxer in this country? “I’m not going to answer that. If I don’t say one that I work with, I could be in serious trouble!”

Best prospect? “Sunny Edwards, from Steel City Gym. He’s got everything. He met Grant (Steel City gym owner Grant Smith) through the GB squad, because he’s from London. He’s only a young kid, 20 or whatever he is, but he moved up from London to Sheffield to turn pro with Grant. He’s going to be down at super-fly. He’s only a little kid. He looks about 10 and like he’s wagging school. He’s a cracking kid. The good thing is, he has a good rapport with the other kids in the gym. He helps them, and they look after him. He’s slick. He’s a cracking prospect.”

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Best moment in boxing? “Tony Bellew at Goodison Park. The last two fights I’ve done for him were Haye and the cruiserweight world-title fight at Goodison Park (third-round knockout of Ilunga Makabu). Bellew v Haye, that was a good night, but Goodison Park was better. I was so happy for him. That bloke, it was his childhood dream. He’s an Everton fan fighting for a world title at their stadium. I wrapped him and worked the corner, taking his gumshield out, that kind of thing. Tony is unbelievable. He’s just a normal bloke. He’s very appreciative of everything. You turn up and he thanks you for coming. He gives it all the mouth to help sell a fight, but he does it with some humour. He says what he thinks. If he says on TV he doesn’t like someone, he genuinely doesn’t like them.”

Biggest regret? “No regrets. Everything I’ve ever done wrong has helped put me to where I am today, and I’m happy where I am.”

Best fight seen? “Not one fight, but a show. It was a small one recently. It was one of Stefy Bull’s. Josh Wale fought on it. That show, you’d have paid to watch it on TV. On the small shows, the lads want to scrap, they want to make a name for themselves. They properly wade in. I like that. Bite down on your gumshield and start swinging.”

Best friend from boxing? “Any of the fighters I’ve worked with. They’re all different characters and they all bring something good to the table. I could go to Grant here and tell him anything and it wouldn’t go any futher. Trust like that is hard to find.”

Best advice for a young boxer? “That’s a tricky one.” Pauses. “Come down to this gym!”

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