Boxers speak-out as Sheffield United prepare for the fight of their lives

Tommy Frank understands why people might draw parallels between life in the hurt game and the challenges which confront Sheffield United’s players as, following a three month hiatus, they prepare for this week’s return to Premier League action.
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Fighters are used to having time to think. They understand what it’s like to spend weeks in the gym - working, worrying and waiting - for the big day to arrive. Boxers need to be physically tough. But mentally, even tougher.

“I know what the lads will have been going through, when they were having to stay in shape without ever really knowing when they might get back out on the pitch,” Frank says, recognising the psychological demons Chris Wilder’s squad found themselves wrestling with when the season was first suspended in March. “Even the strongest individual questions things at times and I’m sure there will have been days when Billy (Sharp, the United captain), was worrying if things were going to start again.

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“We have it ourselves in our business. Routine is key, even though we usually know a rough sort of date when we’re getting back in the ring. But we’ve also got to make sure that we’re always the best we can be because, as you’ve seen countless times before, you never know when a chance might come up that’s too good not to take.”

Frank, the Commonwealth super flyweight champion and lifelong United fan, admits he is “really excited, really looking forward to watching” Wednesday’s game at Aston Villa - the first to be staged in England since the Covid-19 outbreak. In a sense, the break could not have come at a worse time for Wilder’s men as, seventh in the table and unbeaten in six, they were gathering momentum in the race for Europe.

Although some clubs have expressed concerns about the pace with which football has been brought out of mothballs - the lack of preparation time has been a particular bugbear for many of their top-flight rivals - Wilder has preferred to focus on the opportunities it presents instead.

Former WBA lightweight champion Anthony Crolla is impressed by the 52-year-old’s pragmatism. Indeed, recounting the bout he believes was responsible for turbo-charging his career, Crolla reminded how professional sportsmen and women have an obligation to keep themselves in a constant state of readiness.

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“It’s all about taking chances when they arise,” he says. “That’s so, so important.

Boxer and Sheffield United fan Tommy Frank is backing Chris Wilder's team to continue their push for a place in Europe when Premier League competition resumes on WednesdayBoxer and Sheffield United fan Tommy Frank is backing Chris Wilder's team to continue their push for a place in Europe when Premier League competition resumes on Wednesday
Boxer and Sheffield United fan Tommy Frank is backing Chris Wilder's team to continue their push for a place in Europe when Premier League competition resumes on Wednesday

“I got offered a British title shot at two weeks notice. I’d been in the gym helping out with some sparring, just ticking over really, and my trainer Joe Gallagher rang me on the way home late at night to tell me there might be a chance.

“It was a weight up, because I’d been fighting at super feather, but because I was in shape we felt confident going through with it. So we got the fight, I won, and that was the start of bigger things for me.”

United’s players were issued with individual fitness programmes when the Steelphalt Academy was forced to close as the pandemic approached its peak. After reopening its doors towards the end of last month, Wilder was delighted to discover every single one had been followed to the letter. With 10 matches remaining, Crolla, an avid Manchester United fan, expects Wilder’s side to reap the benefits of that discipline.

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“Right from the start, I always had it drilled into me to stay ready. My dad and Joe were always going on about that.

Sheffield United will climb to fifth if they win at Aston Villa on Wednesday, when the Premier League returns to action: Ross Kinnaird/Getty ImagesSheffield United will climb to fifth if they win at Aston Villa on Wednesday, when the Premier League returns to action: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
Sheffield United will climb to fifth if they win at Aston Villa on Wednesday, when the Premier League returns to action: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

“I’ll give you an example why that’s so important. Weight is such a big thing in boxing and, if you balloon, then it means you’re going to spend most of your time trying to work it off for a fight. If you stay pretty much right, then it means you can spend more time working on your skills and technique, rather than just trying to shed those pounds that you shouldn’t have put on.

“It’s going to be the same for the football lads. Now they’re back in training, because they’re in good shape, they’ll have been able to spend more time on the really important stuff instead of just trying to get match fit.”

“If you’re an athlete, it’s a lifestyle,” Crolla, who now co-presents the Black Eye Barber Show on YouTube after retiring in November, continues. “If you want to play at it, then boxing or football probably isn’t for you. You can’t get to your peak and be messing around at it.

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“I’m training a lad now - a good kid, a nice kid - and he put something on social media about him having a few deserved pints after winning a fight, I told him ‘Yes, you boxed well. But do you really think you deserve to be going out on the p**s after winning a four rounder?’

Former world champion Anthony Crolla says sport is all about taking opportunities when they ariseFormer world champion Anthony Crolla says sport is all about taking opportunities when they arise
Former world champion Anthony Crolla says sport is all about taking opportunities when they arise

“I was worried I’d been a bit hard on him, because he’s a really nice lad, but then I thought ‘no’ - because while there’s a chance you might be fighting, you shouldn’t be doing it. Footy is the same.”

With games taking place behind closed doors for the foreseeable future and strict hygiene and social distancing measures still in effect, United have briefed their players on what to expect when they arrive at Villa Park.

Mike Tyson, the former heavyweight champion of the world, once famously reminded “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Although United are venturing into the unknown, Frank, charting their rise from the third to the first tier of English football in only three seasons, thinks Wilder’s charges will be better equipped to deal with the uncertainty than most.

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“We’re a working class club and the attitude of the lads reflects that,” he says. “It reflects what we’re all about. They’re happy to go into the trenches and happy to cope with whatever is thrown at them. What they’ve achieved just goes to show what can happen if you work hard, but they’ve got real talent too.”

Frank details events during his recent clash with Aran Dipaen of Thailand, which saw him win the WBC International Silver strap, to emphasise the point.

“I didn’t have a glittering amateur career or go to the Olympics,” he admits. “I’ve had to do it the old fashioned way, building up from small halls, and that means I’m used to a bit of adversity.

Tommy Frank appreciates the challenges Sheffield United's players will have faced during lockdownTommy Frank appreciates the challenges Sheffield United's players will have faced during lockdown
Tommy Frank appreciates the challenges Sheffield United's players will have faced during lockdown

“It served me well against the Thai kid. I’d trained well and felt good going into it but then, for some reason, I could tell when I got in there I just didn’t feel my best.

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“If I’d have got annoyed with myself or overwhelmed, I don’t think I’d have got through it. I can remember getting told by my corner with two rounds to go ‘We’re not sure how this is going on the scorecards.’ I adapted. We adapted and I think those last two rounds were what got me through.

“Our lads, because they’re all from humble backgrounds and they’ve not always had the best of everything, will be happy to just get on with it. I’ve heard others complaining but, trust me, there’s never such a thing as a perfect training camp. Overcoming challenges is what prepared you and that’s what Chris and the boys have had to do all the way through as well, to get to where they are now.”

Three weeks ago, Wilder recounted the story of how a dog show once interrupted one of his training sessions on a local park during a spell in charge of Halifax. As journalists wondered if the same thing had ever happened to the likes of Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp - “unlikely” - Wilder suggested his experiences in non-league football explained why he wasn’t fazed by the more problematic aspects of ‘Project Restart.’

Crolla, who suffered a fractured skull and broken ankle thwarting a burglary at a neighbour’s house before a world title tilt in 2015, cites a willingness to adapt as a crucial component of any successful sportsperson.

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“You’ve just got to get on with whatever is thrown at you. Maintaining that discipline can be mentally difficult at times. But it’s worth it. Whatever game you’re in.

“I didn’t always have it easy, there was one thing everyone knows about in particular. But I can look back now and feel really happy and content that I got the best out of myself. That’s all you can ask of anyone in sport. That’s what you want to do.”

Despite being written off as certainties for relegation at the beginning of the campaign, United are now only 900 minutes away from potentially qualifying for the Champions League next term.

“The lads will have made sacrifices while they’ve been out,” Frank says. “Trust me, when you’ve got family around you eating what they want and you’ve got to be really healthy, little things like that take a lot of mental strength. But they’ll be worth it. You get out what you put in and I’m backing them to be the very best they can possibly be. Like every supporter, I’m so proud of them.”

The Tale of the Tape:

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Sheffield United: W11 D10 L7 Honours (since 2016) - League One title, promotion from the Championship.

Anthony Crolla: W35 D3 L7 Honours - Former WBA lightweight champion, former British lightweight champion, former English super featherweight champion.

Tommy Frank: W12 L0 Honours - Commonwealth super flyweight champion, WBC International Silver super flyweight champion, IBO Inter-Continental flyweight champion, former Central Area super flyweight champion.

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