DEAN SUTHERLAND gave up his WBC International silver welterweight belt when he elected to step up a division but any remorse at starting again is diminished by his excitement at the opportunity that has quickly opened up for him at the bigger weight.
The undefeated southpaw (13-0) was denied the chance to shake off the rust when a scheduled appearance on the Kynoch Boxing Dinner Club was cancelled following the Queen’s death.
Any frustration, however, was quickly forgotten when it was announced shortly afterwards that he would be fighting Englishman Louis Greene (14-3) for the vacant Commonwealth super-welterweight title at Aberdeen’s Beachroom Ballroom on November 26.
This opportunity, he believes, shows why it was the right time to step up in weight and go again, after Australian Tim Tszyu vacated the belt and opened the door for Sutherland in the process.
“I’ve moved up to super-welterweight for the longevity of my career,” he said. “At welterweight, especially with the WBC check weigh-ins, I was really struggling to get the most out of my body. I couldn’t increase my sparring as I wasn’t able to properly fuel my body.
“I’m only 23 and this allows me to change my training, go into a more explosive style and eat that little bit more. We’re going to see more out of me at this weight as I’ve got a lot more energy.
“It’s not nice to give up a belt that you worked hard to get but my ambition was never just to win a WBC international title. It was to win British, Commonwealth, European and then go on to world honours. An international title will be a bullet point in the long list of my achievements at the end of my career.
“This fight is one that will welcome me straight into the super-welterweight division and have people talking about me. It’s one that I’ve been asking for for a long time.
“It makes it even better that it’s a domestic opponent that’s been in with some good names. And it’s a wonderful title to have too and one that should open up a lot of doors, taking me closer to a shot at the British title and also gain me wider international recognition.
“We didn’t want to have six or seven fights before getting the chance to compete for titles at super-welter. So we did our research and noticed back in the spring that Tim Tszyu hadn’t defended the belt for a while as he was looking at world honours. So we put a bit of pressure on the Commonwealth to get their belt back out as quickly as possible.
“My manager Sam made the case that I would be a good person to hold that title and made a shortlist of potential opponents. And Louis Greene was a nice and easy deal to make. It’s worked out absolutely perfectly.”
Another of Sutherland’s long-term goals is to fight at Pittodrie. He and Aberdeen now share a sponsor in the Texo Group and the former electrician has been a visitor to the club’s training ground to chew the fat with manager Jim Goodwin and his players.
“Texo agreed to cover my salary from my day job to allow me to go full-time in boxing and that’s been a huge change for me,” he added. “There’s that link now with Aberdeen and my dream to fight at Pittodrie and it feels like all the pieces of the puzzle are falling into place.
“I know a few of the younger players in the squad so I’ve been in a few times to see them. The Pittodrie fight is my long-term vision but I don’t think it will take too long to get there!”
Sutherland is a cerebral, thoughtful individual, someone who places huge store in the ability to open up the mind to maximise all possibilities. He credits his regular visits to a psychologist for helping him.
“I’ve been doing this for three years now and the best thing is it’s not just about my boxing,” he says. “It’s about how I carry myself in my day-to-day life, how I view other people, and using the right vocabulary to show the truest emotions that I’m feeling.
“From a boxing sense it makes sure I’ve got the right mentality to go out and perform at my absolute best. I’m not stressed, rigid or focused on other things. And it’s about having fun too. If you’re tense and trying to force something it never works out.
“It’s something that separates me from your stereotypical boxer who’s rugged and maybe been in trouble. But you don’t need to be that to be successful. I’ve never been in any bother. I’m just focused and so passionate about boxing. It’s obviously working so far and long may it continue.”
