What next for Anthony Small?

With an alias of SRCJJ (Sugar Ray Clay Jones Jr) it’s immediately understandable why Anthony Small rubs some people up the wrong way. He has an unorthodox fighting style which some people like to compare to Prince Naseem, he’s extremely confident and cocky… oh and his mouth never stops working!

Personally I like him. I think Boxing needs some larger than life characters, in and out of the ring and I always find his fights entertaining. However, with any unorthodox style they become less effective he higher up the boxing ranks you go. This is something Naz discovered against the very balanced fighting style of Marco Antonio Barrera. Small has enjoyed a lot of success with 13 KO’s in 19 fights, and has only one loss on his record with a stoppage to Bradley Pryce – although there is some debate as to whether the fight should have been stopped, and Small was winning the earlier rounds of the fight.

Since that loss Small beat a very determined Mehrdud Takaloo, knocking him down in three different rounds before the fight was stopped. Last week he then TKO’d George Katsimpas in 8 difficult rounds. When Small was on his toes and concentrating, his punches and combinations were flowing well and he dominated the fight. However at times he seemed to sit back and allowed Katsimpas to take control, which resulted in a bloodied face (possibly from head collisions more than punches). However, when he stepped up a gear in round 8 he started landing heavy shots and floored Katsimpas with two accurate body blows.

After the fight, Anthony called out Ryan Rhodes which I think could be a likely next fight. He has also expressed an interest after the First Contender Series winner ‘The Latin Snake’ Sergio Mora, who recently suprised everyone by beating Vernon Forrest for the WBC light middle weight title. I’m not sure how their styles would work as they both have more of a counter punching style, and I don’t know how Small would last if the fight was to go 12 rounds. Apart from the single career loss, the closest I have seen Small to defeat was against another Contender Series fighter Walter Wright. Small dominated for most of the fight, but seemed to run out of gas in the later rounds and only just survived the final round where he was on the receiving end of some heavy shots to the head.

I think a fight with Sergio Mora is unlikely. Some people see the Latin Snake as undeserved holder of the WBC belt and he will have plenty of opponents who will see him as an easy target, so he has chance to get some big money fights in the US. I think for Small, Ryan Rhodes (ranked around 35th by the WBC) is a good option and a rematch against Bradley Pryce would definitely create interest if it could be made. I’d be also interested in a potential matchup with Jamie Moore, but I’m sure we’ll find out Small’s plans soon enough…

Author: admin
Posted in: Boxing News
Tags: Anthony Small, Bradley Pryce, George Katsimpas, Latin Snake, Marco Antonio Barrera, Sergio Mora, Small, SRCJJ, Sugar Ray Clay Jones Jr, Takaloo, The Contender