On Manchester City
Are you and the Manchester City fans worried about the outcome of the Premier League’s case against the club, or have you seen it all before as a City fan?
You've got to be worried about the 115 charges, especially when you see what the Premier League have done with Everton and Nottingham Forest for fewer charges.
Are the Premier League picking on City because we’ve been successful? Maybe, butthere’s certainly a part of me that thinks some of the other clubs in the league will be making a racket behind-the-scenes about punishing the club.
If you look at all of our achievements over the last few years, it’s easy for otherclub’s to be jealous of that.
What I would say about the owners is, they’ve invested millions into the local area and created loads of jobs and opportunities for so many local people. It’s not just the men’s team that has benefited, The City campus is like a little sports village with world-class youth and ladies facilities. There’s a college there. I think it’s incredible what they’veput into the area and that benefits the entire city.
If we’re found guilty, we’re found guilty. We’ll deserve to be punished and we’ll take the punishment. I find it hard to believe that the club have made over 100 mistakes, not with the way they run things there. We’ll find out soon enough.
Pep Guardiola, it could be his last year. What do you think will happen? What is your gut feeling on it?
I think it could be Pep’s last year with the club, but I can speak for myself and every other City fan when I say that I would love him to stay. None of us want to see him go.
He’s the greatest manager the club has had, he sits above quite a few legends.
He’s the most influential manager in the game; he’s changed the game and how everyone plays it. Now, almost every team has got a keeper that plays with the ball on the floor, but when Pep first started doing that when he joined, everyone said he was mad and couldn’t do it. He’s proved everyone wrong on that front.
Pep’s a genius. He’s won everything there is to win. When he does go, we’ll miss him rotten. For me, that is the biggest worry, replacing him. How can you replace a legend like that? It’s impossible. I hope he has a hand in the succession plan and helps the club identify the next manager.
City only need to look over the road at how difficult it is to replace such an influential manager. United used to win everything, but since Fergie left, it’s been bad times over at Old Trafford.
The Champions League is back. What are you expecting from City in it this season?
That’s where City are at the moment, when the Champions League gets up and running its us and Real Madrid that are the favourites to win it.
I expect us to have another good crack at it again. Last year, against Madrid, there was a little bit of bad luck. Real Madrid played a very clever game and wanted to take it to penalties, which they did. They just hung in and waited.
For Real Madrid to come to Manchester and basically just shut up shop highlights where we are as a football club on the European stage.
We’re more than capable of winning it.
On City vs Arsenal
Arsenal have got close to City over the last couple of years, do you consider them to be your biggest competition for the Premier League this season?
I think Arsenal will be City’s biggest threat in the Premier League, to be honest with you.
Arsenal’s early form hasn’t been that good to be fair. When I watched Arsenal play Villa a few weeks ago, I thought they were very lucky to win that game. They could have been a few behind in the first half.
City weren’t at their best on Saturday against Brentford, but we got the result in the end. Brentford are a decent team that will take points of some of the big boys this season.
I think the biggest threat to City’s crown will come from The Gunners. Liverpool won’t be far behind them, and I think Newcastle could also be up there towards the end of the season. I do think the title will be won by one of City or Arsenal though and I’m feeling confident that we can do it again.
Erling Haaland has started the season like an absolute beast. If he was a boxer, who would you compare him to?
If I had to compare Erling Haaland to a boxer it would be Julian Jackson, who pound for pound, was one of the greatest punchers in boxing history. He’s just so clinical. He can have three touches in a game and two of them will be goals. I like what I’m seeing from him this season, he looks hungry, and he’s getting more involved in the build-up, which is great.
For a big man, the minute he gets a yard on a defender, because of his strength and running power, he’s in and he’s impossible to stop. His first touch is normally always immaculate. When he gets the ball out of his feet and into his stride, defences are in trouble.
He’s an incredible footballer. We’re lucky to have him. He’sa marked man because everyone knows about his reputation, everyone wants to stop him, and he doesn’t let that bother him in the slightest. He only needs a chance, and he’ll take it. His mind is so sharp. He’ll kill you in seconds, Erling, just like the best fighters.
You look at the goals he’s scored, 99 goals in 103 games. It’s a freakish record. He’s going to break football if he keeps it up. He’ll be the best striker in football history.
Haaland vs Gabriel and Saliba is a heavyweight clash. Who will come out on top?
You look at Haaland’s recent form, and you have to think that it will be Gabriel and Saliba that are more worried about coming up against him.
If you asked Haaland, he’d be excited by the challenge. He’ll be thinking to himself ‘I can’t wait to test myself against this lot’ and I think Gabriel and Saliba will be dreading having to deal with him over the course of ninety minutes.
I don't think they'rescared, or they will shy away from the challenge of dealing with Haaland, but instead of thinking, ‘I'll have him in my pocket this game’ they’ll be worried about what he can do.
With the form that Haaland’s in at the moment, I don’t think there’s a defence in the world that he’ll be bothered about facing.
On Oasis Reunion
What’s your reaction to the Oasis reunion?
I want to throw my phone in the river because everyone is calling me asking for tickets! “Can you get us 12? Can you get us 8?” I think some people think that Liam and Noel are living at the end of my bed (laughs).
It’scrazy how many people want to be part of it, want to see them come back on stage together.
Can you imagine if I started calling them asking about it? I think they’re going to be a little bit busy, you know what I mean?
Liam’s going to be playing at the AJ Dubois fight, and I’m looking forward to seeing him.
I wouldn’t say Liam and Noel are on my speed dial, I don’t see them every week, but I’d like to think I can call them my friends and I’m absolutely delighted that they’re going to be back performing together.
I think it’s great. Two brothers coming back together, spending time together. That’s what it’s all about.
What chances do you give Liam and Noel getting through the tour?
It’s quite a few dates. That’s a question that a lot of people are asking, and I hope it’s one that we don’t find out the answer to before the shows because I’ve got tickets for Dublin!
I remember when they split the first time, I was on my way to Milan to see them. Plane touches down and Liam’s security guy called me and said: “Rick, don’t tell me you’ve set-off, it’s not happening.”
I said: “What the gig?” And he said: “Oasis. It’s not happening. It’s over, mate.”
I couldn’t believe it because they’ve always had a few rows, you know what I mean? It’s been over a few times without it really being over, but it was, and that was fifteen years ago! Makes you feel really f**king old!
I was buzzing when I heard they were getting back together, and I’m still buzzing about it now.
What does the future look like for them? Do you think they should make new music and keep touring or is this going to be a one-off?
I would love it if they put some new music out, gave us some new records, but even if they don’t, they’ve got such an amazing body of work, there’s no doubt that the music will be fantastic when they step on stage.
They can both be a little bit fiery. I just hope that they can hit it off on and off stage.
It took them fifteen years to get to this point. Keep it going for the tour at least pleased lads.
The biggest comeback in the history of music
You can tell by the demand, the excitement, that this is going to be the biggest comeback in music history. Nothing is going to be able to top it.
I think, deep down, the pair of them, they’re doing it because they miss each other and they’re doing it to make history.
We saw the Roses get back together and that was great. This is going to be on another level entirely. It’s a seismic event that everyone wants to be part of, and I can understand why.
On Joshua vs Dubois
Joshua has experience fighting in Wembley Stadium, whereas this is new territory for Dubois. Does that give an advantage to Joshua and are you expecting Dubois to handle the occasion?
I think AJ will handle the occasion a bit better because he'sbeen there and done it. He’s more familiar with the big occasion because of the events that he’s been involved in. Will that give him an advantage in the fight? I don’t think it will, when the two guys get in the ring, you forget about the size of the crowd.
Dubois is a confident fighter; he’s looked confident in the build-up. I can read fighters pretty well, and you can always tell when a fighter seems daunted by the task in front of him, but I wouldn’t put Daniel in that category. He’s got a look in his eyes that tells me he’s ready. This isn’t a payday for him - he’s going to go in there with the belief that he can beat AJ.
If you think about Dubois best performance, he went into the Lion’s Den and went toe-to-toe in Warsaw and he wasn’t fazed by that in the slightest. He boxed Usyk extremely well on the night, and if it wasn’t for an iffy below the belt call, who knows what could have happened.
The occasion won’t get to Dubois. I make Joshua slight favourite but that has nothing to do with his experience in terms of fighting in front of a full house at Wembley Stadium.
AJ looks like he’s in a happy place
I’m looking at AJ and I see a man at total ease with himself. He looks at peace and completely assured of who he is and what he wants to do. It’s a complete transformation from when he had that wobble after Usyk beat him and he got on the mic afterwards - that was difficult to watch.
He’s got a brilliant team around him and an unbelievable trainer in Ben Davison. I can't speakmore highly of Ben Davidson.I saw him in action when he used to train Tyson Fury back in my gym in Manchester before Tyson got his own gym in Morecambe.
Ben's good fun to be around, he's a thinking trainer, he'sveryknowledgeable. He’s the perfect trainer for AJ and he looks like he’s never been happier (with a trainer). He looks like he's relaxed, he's got a little bit more rhythm to his game.
Dubois comes into the fight holding the belt, but AJ is the more experienced boxer and has more stature - what do you make of the clash? What kind of fight are we going to see - a lot of people are predicting a war.
It could be one of the best fights of all time. I don't think AJ will shy away, and form looking at what we’ve seen from Dubois, I don’t think he’ll shy away either.
Everyone knows that it only takes one punch to end a fight, and that’s particularly true in the heavyweight game. Neither of them are going to want to get beat to a fellow Brit, they’ll have to dig in.
There’s so much at stake in this fight. It’s a history-making fight. Two British fighters frighting in front of 90,000 plus at the national stadium. Obviously, whoever wins will have their eyes on Usyk or Fury in the future.
This is the fight that Daniel Dubois has probably been dreaming about ever since his days on the amateur circuit. Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium, defending a world heavyweight title. It doesn’t get much bigger than that in boxing.
I think this could be one of them fights that goes deep. Sometimes, fights come along where one fighter is up, then he’s down, then he’s up again and you’re watching it in disbelief. Whoever wins the fight, the other boxer is going to have to be nailed to the floor.
If you asked me who I would put my last pound on in this fight, I’d stick it on AJ, but I’m expecting a war. I think it’s going to be a special occasion for British boxing. I think it’s going to be a real slugfest.
What do you make of AJ’s previous opponents vs the people Daniel Dubois has fought? Can we read anything into that?
I don’t think you can read anything into a heavyweight fight from both boxersprevious opponents. In the heavyweight division, it only takes one punch and its game over. For that reason, it’s hard to look at previous performances and to say confidently that AJ or Dubois is going to knock the other one out.
A lot of people are saying that it could be over with one big punch, and that is true, but that doesn’t consider the determination and the pride that both fighters have. There’s so much at stake for both of these guys.
Previous performances don’t carry that much sway for an occasion and a fight of this size. You know that whoever comes out on top is going to have to nail the other to the canvas.
A lot of people questioned Daniel Dubois heart when he fought Joe Joyce after he went down on one knee. That criticism was unwarranted in my opinion, and in the fights since, Dubois has proven he’s got a massive heart.
It’s going to be an unbelievable fight. I’m expecting a war.
I do think AJ has the slightest advantage though.
On Dubois
Dubois has some big wins on his record but has come up short against world level opponents. Is Joshua maybe a step too far for him?
I make AJ the slight favourite in this fight, simply because of his pedigree, but I’m expecting a contest between the pair of them.
Everyone has the daggers out for Daniel, especially after what happened with Joe Joyce. I thought that criticism was really, really harsh. You call a fighter a coward for taking a knee if you’ve never been in the ring in that position before. When you’re in there, your eye’s nearly falling out and it’sclosing up with every little tap you get…since that moment, Dubois have demonstrated his toughness, his heart. He’s proved a lot of people wrong.
His fight against Usyk could have easily gone the other way. He was really unlucky in that fight. Was it a below the belt punch on Usyk? I think it was borderline, and it’s hard to tell because Usyk is the smaller fighter.
We all know Usyk’s pedigree, but Dubois boxed well against him. He caused Usyk as many problems as AJ and Tyson did when they fought him.
In Daniel Dubois’ last fight against Filip Hrgović, he kept leaving himself far too open and took quite a few shots from his right hand. They kept coming at him. I don’t think Daniel can afford to be that open and take too many rights of AJ, that’s a luxury that he really can’t afford and I’m sure it’s something that he’s been working on.
If AJ catches him with a big right, it’s lights out. Game over.
If you asked me who I would put my last pound on in this fight, I’d stick it on AJ, but I’m expecting a war. I think it’s going to be a special occasion for British boxing.
What is Daniel Dubois' best route to victory over Anthony Joshua?
I think Daniel Dubois has got one of the most underrated left jabs in boxing.He'sreally good with it, really solid.
I think Duboishas to use that jab, march AJ down with it. I think that is where Dubois can find a little bit of joy in the fight.
I think AJ will try and lure him in, he’ll try and walk Dubois onto something. That’s where he could potentially bring that jab in. Send it in and keep sending it when the chance to do so appears.
I think he can work the body if AJ walks on him too. I’m not saying that he should stay on it, but maybe throw a few more at the body than he normally would, that’sa good way to slow your opponent down.
The first chance either fighter gets to really put their foot down, both will take it. That’s what you have to do in these heavyweight contests, you’ve got to make sure you take advantage when you’re on top and you’ve got the momentum because we know that all it takes is one punch and the fight can finish. You don’t want to let the chance to hurt your opponent pass you by because you could be seeing the canvas in the next moment.
Do you think the pressure of the occasion will get to Daniel Dubois?
Dubois is a confident fighter; he’s looked confident in the build-up. I can read fighters pretty well, and you can always tell when a fighter seems daunted by the task in front of him, but I wouldn’t put Daniel in that category. He’s got a look in his eyes that tells me he’s ready. This isn’t a payday for him - he’s going to go in there with the belief that he can beat AJ.
If you think about Dubois best performance, he went into the Lion’s Den and went toe-to-toe in Warsaw and he wasn’t fazed by that in the slightest. He boxed Usyk extremely well on the night, and if it wasn’t for an iffy below the belt call, who knows what could have happened.
The occasion won’t get to Dubois. I make Joshua slight favourite but that has nothing to do with his experience in terms of fighting in front of a full house at Wembley Stadium.
On AJ
What do you think AJ’s biggest weapon is? He’s shown he can fight on the inside and execute a good uppercut, he has a powerful right hand. He's got good stamina but what will the secret be to beating Dubois?
I think AJ’s the better boxer. I think that makes him the slight favourite because he’s technically better, he’s a little bit more fluent than Daniel.
AJ is very good when he comes forward. We see that in his last fight against Francis Ngannou, jab to the body, jab to the head, right hand. He was boxing on the front foot.
We know he can throw big punches on the backfoot, but I think he’s a better boxer when he’s being more assertive and dictating then pace of the fight, using his rhythm.
AJ is an exceptional boxer. Olympic Gold Medallist. Two-time heavyweight champion. Dubois will know that he only needs to land one shot, and it’s over. He’ll be trying to keep the pressure on AJ, but AJ just has that aura of a man at complete ease with himself and his ability. He’s relaxed in the ring. He’s a more fluent fighter.
Does victory for Joshua make him the no1 heavyweight in Britain, given what happened to Tyson Fury earlier in the year?
I don’t think a victory for AJ sees him climb to the top of the British heavyweight pecking order. He would still be just behind Tyson Fury for me.
Tyson didn’t put in his peak performance against Usyk, but I think it was closer than a lot of people give him credit for. Out of all of the fights that Usyk has had against British opposition, Tyson ran him the closest.
Tyson deserves the benefit of the doubt. I hope I’m wrong when I say this, but there is a concern that perhaps Tyson is getting too many miles on the clock now. He’s been in some wars, has Tyson, he’s taken some big hits.
Wilder's one of the biggest heavyweight hitters in history, and you wonder, how much did that trilogy take out of him.
If you look back and think about some of the problems he had away from the ring, to come back and do what he did, it’s got to be one of the greatest stories in boxing history. Losing all that weight - he even beat Ricky Fatton in that regard!
For those reasons, you have to put Tyson at the top.
Of course, what we really want to see is the two men get in the ring and then we will know for sure who is the best. We’ve been waiting for ten years. I think the sport of boxing will need to look at itself in the mirror if that fight doesn’t happen and the appetite from both fighters is there. It would be a massive shame.
Do you think AJ will have to retire if he loses?
It’s not for me to say when or whether AJ should hang up his gloves if he loses the fight on Saturday night.
Is it something AJ will be thinking about? You would have to ask him. What we do know is that when he wants to retire, he can look back on what has been a fantastic career. Olympic gold medallist, two-time heavyweight champion of the world. He’s been involved in some of the biggest events in the sport’s history.
If Dubois were to win, and I don’t think he will, then he would deserve massive credit. If AJ decided that the time was right to walk away, then I don’t think anyone could blame him.
Whatever happens, his legacy is assured, and he’ll go down as a legend of the sport. I just feel that looking at him, he thinks he has more to offer and more to give.
On Anthony Cacace vs Josh Warrington
The IBF super-featherweightwon’t be on the line in this fight. Is that a nonsense in your opinion?
The IBF have a few different rules, don't they?You can't put more than 10 pounds on in the 24 hours before a fight and you can’t fight for a title if you're going into a fight off the back of a defeat.
In many respects, I see their point.If you're coming off a defeat before you fight for a world title, you should have to prove that you've still got the will and the ability to take the fight.
Josh Warrington has proved time and time again that he’s a good fighter, he's boxed ata very high level.He’s lost two on the spin, but he’s boxed two difficult opponents in Luis Alberto Lopez and Leigh Wood. I thought he was boxing really well against Leigh Wood.
So, if you’re going to fight for an IBF belt, it should really be coming in off the back of a winning performance.
I’ve seen him in close quarters, and he looks like he’s still got a little bit left in the tank. I saw him sparring Zelfa Barrett at Collyhurst and Moston and I like what I saw. They were really going at each other, which is what you want to see when you’ve got two fighters sparring.
I think he deserves a shot at a world title. If he beats Cacace, then maybe he’ll get it quite quickly.
When you step up a weight class, what’s the biggest challenge to overcome?
It's just having self-belief in yourself that you can do it. That’s what I had throughout my entire career, they used to say: “Ricky Hatton. He's got a great style to watch, he's a good body puncher, he's excited, he sells loads of tickets.He's fighting some good fighters in Ben Tackie, Ray Oliveira, but once he gets up to that elite class, he'sgoing to be found wanting.” And I wasn't.
I believed in me; you know what I mean?I had self-belief in and that's the thing. I started blasting absolutely everyone they put in front of me.
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