THE real Joe Guest-Bourne – rather than the heavyweight who laboured in his pro debut – gave fans a glimpse of what he is really all about on Saturday night.
At the Holiday Inn, Birmingham Airport, the boxer – a product of Edwin Cleary’s Leamington gym – kept opponent Phil Williams on the end of a slide rule jab.
He opened the throttle in the fourth and final round for a whitewash 40-36 decision.
That display was a far cry from March’s first fight draw with Cristian Awaka. For Bristol’s experienced Williams, he was lighter at 18st, sharper and faster.
There is much more to come from Big Joe, Cleary pledged. At the weekend, he showed the athleticism that brought him success as a rugby player and powerlifter.
“Everyone talks about his jab,” Edwin said. “I sparred his dad when he was boxing and he had it. It must be genetics.
“He has the same relaxed jab as (former world champ) James Toney and he is super-strong. It’s the kind of jab you’d teach a young kid, nice and relaxed. He’s been sparring Frazer Clarke (who fights for the British heavyweight title on October 25) and Frazer says there’s no one faster than Joe.”
Williams has lost more than he has won, but the man’s tough and knows all the old pro tricks.
“I didn’t want a stoppage,” Cleary said, “although in the last round Joe did try to knock him out.”
Joe joins a domestic heavyweight division busier and more crowded than it’s ever been, but Cleary believes he can make his mark.
“The weight has been coming down, he just needs some time spent with him,” Edwin said.
“When I was boxing there were eight heavyweights in the British rankings, now there are 67 heavyweights in this country, which is fantastic, and I put that down to AJ because he made it sexy again.
“People talk about Joe’s limited amateur career but he had more of an amateur career than Fabio Wardley. I think he can do something.”
Edwin hopes to have the 27-year-old fighting again next month.
