Adam Haniver [00:00:22]:
Okay. Date is... What are we? The 9th of July. And I have on a very special guest. I've got Dirty Derry Matthews in. How you doing, mate? You well?

Derry Mathews [00:00:39]:
All good, mate, all good. Everything's good.

Adam Haniver [00:00:41]:
Thanks for coming on, mate. As we mentioned a couple of minutes ago, I've seen a lot of videos and a lot of podcasts, interviews with you about your pro career and you know, going through your amateur days and then onto your successes as a pro. But I'd like to talk to you more about your coaching. I'd like to talk to you about Derry Matthews Gym, Marybone and kind of really get under why you're having so much success at the moment and doing so well, not just in the ring, but performance wise, but in the community as well. So we can, we can dig into that. So I'm just going to lead off with this question at the start, mate. So coaching, why have you got into coaching?

Derry Mathews [00:01:24]:
I just, I felt that I always wanted to be a coach, even from when I was in school. I left school and then I went on to do a qualification as a personal trainer when I was 17. So I've always understood the meaning of training, why you train and stuff. And then when I was still involved in boxing, Georgie Vaughan asked me to help him out as a number two. Even when, you know, back then, before then I'd already been England Boxing level one, level two coach for numerous years. I always wanted to keep involved in the sport and put something back into the sport that's been good to me.

Adam Haniver [00:02:05]:
Got other coaches? No, just, just flicking through, but John Cullen, Peter Spencer, Darren Beach. Is that right? And a few others, yeah.

Derry Mathews [00:02:12]:
Darren's a top referee we've got, Peter McCormick. Don't know what you remember, Peter, he was a higher side.

Adam Haniver [00:02:20]:
Okay.

Derry Mathews [00:02:20]:
He trained Sam Maxwell from the start, before Sam went to Soli, Pete's had a loads of years out the game and then we're lucky enough we went and got him, we found and we got him and then we've got Connor Ball there, who's just in the middle of us doing his badge now Darren Beach has come to us. He's a referee and judge as well and his wife Liz as well. She's a part of this, part of the team. So another James Maui. So we've got a good group and it's not about ego for me. And it's always been if the boxer is the most important person.

Adam Haniver [00:03:02]:
And I remember you saying something in your level three about planning that you really kind of be able to sit down and really plan your season, what's going on. But you've still got quite a few coaches there to plan with, haven't you? So how does that work with the whole team? How do you sort of sit down and plan things and you know who's doing what, who's going to what tournaments.

Derry Mathews [00:03:22]:
So our coaches. And we've got Fazel as well. I miss Hazel off the list of the coaches. So our coaches are happy with me in general to discuss what goes. I'll be honest, I'll go to every single tournament, every box club. I've got a wife who lets me so I can go. But in my office there I've got like I'll have everything planned out for the season and I'll go bump, bump days ago when he had these are going there and even when I haven't come up with Tony Channel. Come on. Yeah, that's well prepped in this. And when they start camp, when they finish, when they need to sparring, I have everything in place for them and with which coaches. I say what coaches are available. And then they'll book them with the work, holidays and everything. So. Well, I'm lucky really because I couldn't do it all on my own.

Adam Haniver [00:04:14]:
I mean, yeah, I agree what you're saying, but also the planning part is. Is part of the hardest part, isn't it? You know what they say, when the boxers are working you're resting and when they're resting you're working. So in other words, when they're resting and not working out now you're in the gym planning, prepping and making sure these things happen and everything's in place.

Derry Mathews [00:04:32]:
Yeah. And as well and we have a matchmaker who's a coach, John Collins, and he's a good coach, but he's an unbelievable matchmaker. So I'll go in the office now and do a list and say these need bouts or we need sparring and tomorrow they'll have bouts or sparring booked in. So we're all on. I think the planning thing, if it's done properly, where we have a development group on under 10 bouts. I work like that Open class shoots like the NABCs. This year I've got nine in them. We're gonna put nine in the. In the NABCs in October. And we're gonna go up to Scotland Sparring, the national team in August. They've invited us up there. So we've got everything planned. We might fly out to Malta. Last season we went to London. Spent some time down at Limehouse with Mark.

Adam Haniver [00:05:31]:
Yeah.

Derry Mathews [00:05:31]:
And a couple of the clubs. So you've got. I think preparation is the key to everything really. And this season and again I'll stay back. The level three in my eyes, there's so many things. Periodisation and stuff. It's okay what you're saying. I used to just say, we'll do this, we'll do that. And then once Ivan put in front of me on the paper, I was like, we need this in the gym. And started with level team. We had three national champions on our level three. And we had three national champions.

Adam Haniver [00:06:06]:
So would you say the periodisation is one of those things, One of the main things that you guys have taken from the level three?

Derry Mathews [00:06:12]:
Yeah.

Adam Haniver [00:06:12]:
That's kind of been instrumental in your success?

Derry Mathews [00:06:15]:
Yeah. That massively. And then different boxer styles. Every boxer's is different.

Adam Haniver [00:06:25]:
Yeah.

Derry Mathews [00:06:27]:
I worked on some stuff with southpaws as well with Ivan, which I liked how everyone seems to step the foot across, but he uses the eyes and just different learning. Yeah. Periodisation, programming, setting everything in place and he sent me an excellent running program as well for the lads. And I try things as well. I don't know everything. No coach does know everything. And I like to listen and. And learn off of the coaches. I'll go. I'll go on holiday with my wife and kids and I'll go find a boxing club and I'll go sit and watch and learn and just like. And just want to take it in.

Adam Haniver [00:07:10]:
So what are those gaps there, mate? So at the moment no one's a finished article, are we? Where do you think your coaching gaps are? So what do you sort of need to get better at yourself.

Derry Mathews [00:07:25]:
Again? It's just like I don't think any coach needs to get, and again I think a boxer makes a good coach. Yeah, yeah sure it's the boxer.

Adam Haniver [00:07:43]:
So yeah, bad boxer. You've got a bad boxer, it makes you look like a bad coach. Yeah.

Derry Mathews [00:07:48]:
Yeah. And I think the other boxers in the gym bring the best out of each other.

Adam Haniver [00:07:57]:
So what might a normal session. So if I walk into your gym right now you're in the gym, aren't you? So if I walk it what I see a normal sort of evening session and I know there's different sessions that you run, but does it kind of look like on the floor?

Derry Mathews [00:08:10]:
So tonight. Tonight's actually unconditional. But I'll go to a normal boxing night. In season time. So. So say within six weeks out before championship starts. We'll do we have a track outside. We'll go for three threes. Track work. Three minutes track work. If the lads have a run in the morning a lot of them do the run in the morning. We have a group chat or a coach will meet them on the track. They end up being the gym. If you haven't random warm up. Warm up and we'll do a team shadow and we'll go with a round team shadow about keeping the shape head movement, hand coordination. Then we'll work with. We might go partner work. A lot of partner work and being first and third double the attack up two phase attacks, leaving the exit with the head. How you leave the exit where. Where your head position should be. Might finish with some bags: heavy bag work. Or we'll just drill on. Sometimes we'll drill on the bags. We have a whistle or a hand whistle and every. Every time you hear it we put a combination in and a bit of game, bit of fun as well. Whoever you're gonna add the bag lasting and then we'll finish with a circuit and a skip off.

Adam Haniver [00:09:44]:
What about sparring though? How often they sort of open sparring.

Derry Mathews [00:09:48]:
Yeah. I don't again I'm not a believer in heavy sparring. Yeah I think the fight's too hard. Like the lads who like Luke in the ABAs, we just done a load of tech sparring with some of our lads, obviously we went as far Tony Chalmers lads. We went to Scotland but then closer to the fight we're just doing a bit of tech sparring with some of our other lads, keeping them fresh turning every 30 seconds with him keeping them on, on point, making sure there's not much heavy contact.

Adam Haniver [00:10:28]:
And just before we swapped over here, because we had a bit of a technical issue. Didn't you? We've actually missed a bit of Tony. So I'll edit this back in. So I'm just going to ask you seven question. I asked you about Tony. So Tony Challoner, massive influence in your amateur career. Wasn't he growing up? So now what do you actually see from Tony that you use in your own coaching? I mean you've mentioned there about, you know, you're a believer in the technical aspects. Not just hard sparring. There's anything else at all.

Derry Mathews [00:10:59]:
Yeah, like the calmness of them. Not ever, like nothing ever bothered him. Nothing at all ever bothers him. Even like, he got on the wrong end of the decision somewhere. Okay. Look, our day'll come, little things like that. And then like you, you might see me at shows and I never have a top with coach on. I mean I just wear my normal clothes and everyone goes how can you never wear it. I went, everyone knows I'm a coach. Like people don't get it. Loads of our coaches go are you going to wear that coaches top and I won't wear one. No. I mean people know we're coaches. It's not about us. It's as long as the kids are in the best uniform that I'll do me. And that's little things like that Tony go to a show and it wouldn't bother him.

Adam Haniver [00:12:03]:
And the other thing about Tony as well, which probably some people don't know what a voice the man can sing.

Derry Mathews [00:12:09]:
Yeah. Qatar piano.

Adam Haniver [00:12:13]:
He's a dark horse, isn't he.

Derry Mathews [00:12:15]:
He is, he can do it all. You know he can do it all. He's a top joiner as well.

Adam Haniver [00:12:21]:
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, absolutely. And that left hook as well was something special. The challenger left hook. What about you mate? Can you hold a tBAbas.

Derry Mathews [00:12:35]:
What's that yourself?

Adam Haniver [00:12:37]:
Have you got like a tune yourself? Can you. Can you bang out a few songs yourself?

Derry Mathews [00:12:41]:
No, I'm. I'm crap. I can't sing. Jenno's a good singer.

Adam Haniver [00:12:45]:
Oh yeah.

Derry Mathews [00:12:46]:
Jenno's the singer on the Christmas nights out.

Adam Haniver [00:12:51]:
After a couple of brandies.

Derry Mathews [00:12:52]:
That's it.

Adam Haniver [00:12:54]:
So I Also know that you guys have done a lot of work with, with Charlotte Gilly, MBE now isn't she as well? You've done a lot of work with Charlotte Gilly, haven't you? Yeah, with Maverick Stars. Are you still continuing working with Maverick Stars?

Derry Mathews [00:13:10]:
I speak to Charlie. Well it's actually funny, last week she texted me so we haven't spoke for weeks or months and we used to speak every single day. We're just both being busy. I think she's trying to be a professional paddle player at the moment by looking at her social media. But I want to be back in touch with her. She's a great woman, done so much for the sport. Not just my club, most of the clubs in Liverpool, most of the clubs in Britain and she supports us and hopefully long may continue.

Adam Haniver [00:13:42]:
Yeah we've had funding supported through her for working with kids in schools as well. You know the outreach she has for boxing in communities is. It's quite incredible, isn't it? So you know it's, it's great to see that happen and I'm sure it will continue to happen. So what about the community stuff? What sort of things do you do? So we all know about how well you're getting on performance wise. So what about the community stuff?

Derry Mathews [00:14:06]:
Yeah, so I'd run a men's mental health class Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 12 o' clock, all free, people can come and do it. I work for an organisation called New Beginnings so if anyone's out there in Liverpool they're welcome to call in. And then like homeless stuff. We work with the homeless. You know this is more of like a drop in centre where I mean I'm here all day every day so if anyone needs to come in for a cup of tea or a chat, I'm here to help. And then yes, we just, we do loads. There's like, there's so much community stuff we do. Putting on Christmas nights like last year we fed 500 kids in the city, made sure they all got toys. You know it was struggling. Whose families are struggling? We put a pantomime on for them, put on a big hotel and we've done a big fun fair outside. So you know you've got to look after, if you can, you've got to look after your people around you.

Adam Haniver [00:15:08]:
Oh man, that is absolutely incredible. So you know you support the community, the community supports you, it's kind of reciprocal in it.

Derry Mathews [00:15:14]:
Yeah. 100.

Adam Haniver [00:15:16]:
So what about the plans for the summer then? Are you guys shutting down for a while? Are you constantly, constantly on the go no.

Derry Mathews [00:15:22]:
So we've got Manchester Box Club two weeks. Then we've got the Baron Box Club. Then we've got the Home Counties with Ashley Sexton. He runs that one. We've got that one. And then we have got NABCs then. Oh, no developments then the NABC. So the seniors, the seniors and youth now just doing the strength work. No cardio, no punching, just a bit of strength work, bit of fun in the gym and keep in the routine really.

Adam Haniver [00:15:56]:
So you guys, it is a sort of 365 season now, isn't it? Yeah, no longer that kind of follow the football season.

Derry Mathews [00:16:03]:
We're going to close. We've got a show December 7 and then from the 8 December till January we almost probably close and just keep the kids in who are in the Youth Championships in January.

Adam Haniver [00:16:19]:
So tell me about Luke Pryor. He's won those. He's won the seniors. Yeah, he goes on to the three Nations. What are you thinking? You thinking you know he can win these three nations?

Derry Mathews [00:16:31]:
Well, I'll be honest with you, he was. He went well a week before and me and Jenno are speaking about it and I went think of the fighters who've won an ABA title but that's it. The ones who go on to win a three nations title seems to get that little bit, become that little bit. That's my, that's my opinion to come out a little bit better. I think a lot of people have a bit more respect for them because like the, the boxer, so you box and you box again. And how many people have won an ABA title? And then been beat in the tri-nations and been beat by the person who beat them in the ABA final. I think this when England hosted at home the final but at the box each other again in the Trations and so I said to Jenny well about putting him in. He's got to go in if he wins them and if he does want to turn professional, it's better than the ABA title to better have the two of them. And he done it and he was a lot of lot of professional and promoters in the audience and he got two knockouts both in round two.

Adam Haniver [00:17:44]:
How is he doing that? How is he knocking people out as a 22, 23 bouter? How is he knocking top boys out? Why is that?

Derry Mathews [00:17:54]:
If you see Luke, he's never out of range. He's always in range. He's just. He's got this little lay back and he doesn't even hit you on the chin, he can hit you anywhere on the face. And he's done it, he's done a couple with body shots as well. So he's so heavy handed, he's a cutter. And if he takes his top off, a lot of people say he could do 63. He's like, there's no weight, there's nothing on him. But he just got this something about him. Just something a bit special. And that's why I think the promoters have been knocking on the door for him.

Adam Haniver [00:18:31]:
Yeah, I can imagine looking back the video after he won the ABAs, not the three nations. You've been interviewed by a chap and he said, you said that you didn't want to jump in the corner because parts of the tournament you hadn't been in the corner and you didn't want to, you know, why change it? And I thought my first thoughts were, that's really brave. As in, it wasn't about you, it was about him. And Jenno was in the corner, wasn't he? So tell me about that.

Derry Mathews [00:19:02]:
So me and Jenno, we're on the same page we're the same man. And the night of the semi finals, we had two skills bouts in Fleetwood and a normal bout. And I'm a boxing coach, so it was rather, we don't need me and Jenno with Luke. So I went to Fleetwood because it's kids in the gym boxing and these kids needed to box and they're in the gym just as much as Luke. So I said, okay, I'll go to Fleetwood. And Jenno went, it's the ABA semi final, I said, our kids need to box. And it worked. And we've got 10, I think we've got 10 coaches in the gym, so it helps. And then come finals night and then in elite finals, I should say ABA final night, we're in it. We were in there, and Jenno went, you ready? I went, I'm not going to do it. I'm going to sit in the crowd. And he's like, what you mean? I said, I'll sit in the crowds. You. It worked last week. Don't change it. And that's when I went, I'm going back to what I used to say about Tony Chandler. If it's not broke, don't fix it. And Jenno done all the corners for Luke right through the ABAs.

Adam Haniver [00:20:23]:
Oh, okay.

Derry Mathews [00:20:24]:
So Jenno was the corner man. That's what I'm saying. It's not like I've left Luke, Jenno was on top with Luke right through the abs. So for instance, if we go to a show and we've got five lads on, we'll flip a coin. If I, if I go first, I'll go first, Jenno go second, I'll go third, Jenno 4 and I'll go fifth. So in the ABAs we had. I think we have five on the ABA finals, right. And it worked out that I went with Brandon and went with someone else and he got Luke. So we just don't change it. It works.

Adam Haniver [00:20:58]:
Okay, so he's got all these good boys. I mean getting out of Merseyside and Cheshire is one thing in itself.

Derry Mathews [00:21:06]:
Yeah.

Adam Haniver [00:21:06]:
Winning an ABA title is another thing. Winning the three nations is another thing all together, isn't it? So what. Okay, so here's my question. Why is he winning? Why has he achieved so much success?

Derry Mathews [00:21:21]:
I think it's being around good people, good fighters, good coaches and a good atmosphere in the gym brings, brings the best out of anyone. A happy fighter is a dangerous fighter. And at the moment we seem to have all the main youths and all the main seniors in Liverpool. We've got some top kids, some, some top class kids. And we went the weekend to Hull. One of our youth. 75 kilo. It's actually Jenno's son Sonny Jennings boxed Ollie Mail. Everyone knows Ollie Mail. Number one for England. Won every national title. Wins every national title every season. We got beat at 3.2 split in Hull and we got, and we got a warning in the last round. So you know, and little things like that. We've got, we've got loads of top class shoots and a load of top class seniors and I'm looking forward to the season already.

Adam Haniver [00:22:21]:
I was watching back the, I was watching back the ABA final, elite final, NAC final, whatever we call it now. And he stops the lad in the second, I think it was. Yeah, stops the lad in the second. And I find it, I find him really interesting to watch as a boxer because he looks really heavy handed and if I'm honest, you know, it looks quite raw still. You know, like he's around, still around 20 bouts. It's not quite smooth but what he is effective. Do you know what I mean? It doesn't look as polished as it might be in, in a while but he's bloody effective that boy. So how, how have we got, how have you got him from being, you know, still sort of in a novice category if you will to going so far, what are the sort of technical or the tactical things that you've been developing with him.

Derry Mathews [00:23:08]:
I mean since I've done my level three with Ivan and me and Jenna and again every box is not just every boxer can't be coached the same. You go see it and gyms and you know I could go to a club show in Liverpool and you can put a different kit on but I can tell you what club he's been. I just. You just know styles for clubs and everyone about boxes are all individual, everyone's different and you don't want to change much on fighters, just tweak them a bit. Rotation, head movement where they need to be being positioned. I learned all of this on the level three if I'm honest with Ivan and that opened me eyes to do the sides of the boxing and the other side of the coaching world like you know everyone has a certain thing you can do and know we've got to get the best out of what Luke, Luke Pryor can do. And we felt we did. We had him in top class sparring as far as up in the Solly. Tony Chalmers, Lewis Molyneux and we were. We were up there sparring. We went to Scotland, sparring, Wales. We sparred up and down, I've got a load of lads in our gym where we just. We do a lot of tech and a lot of drilling every night.

Adam Haniver [00:24:23]:
Yes. You guys are constantly on the go all the time, aren't you?

Derry Mathews [00:24:26]:
Yeah. I'll show you, for instance out this is just what we've got. So the box cups, that's one. And then they don't stop. So yeah. So for instance a camp wise one would be like week one so you can see with the sunlight week one what, what they've got to do the dates week two. So week one I'll be working on conditioning bags, running circuits. Week two working on sparring, pads, tech and speed work. Week three tech ring position, sparring, hill sprints. Week four speed work, ladders, bags, pads and fast sprints. Just like basic stuff really.

Adam Haniver [00:25:14]:
Yeah. You've got to buy yourself a big bugger of a whiteboard don't you for these things. Yeah. Well I'd same as our gym and dice as well. Just whiteboards everywhere. Just information. Otherwise it will just. You just drop it out of your head and they don't know what's going on. Cool. Right. Who is that in the gym? Just someone working out.

Derry Mathews [00:25:30]:
Yeah, someone working out. So I told him not to hit the bag. He doesn't hit hard anyway.

Adam Haniver [00:25:38]:
So Derry mate if anybody wants to join your boxing club, mate, they want to get themselves down to Marybone Dairy Matthews Boxing Clubs. How can they get hold of you?

Derry Mathews [00:25:46]:
Yeah, just get us on social medias and everything. Derry Matthews 23 on Twitter and Instagram is Derry Matthews1. And Facebook's just Derry Matthews. So we can chat to us. And I always get back to everyone, but it's a day late or anything, but I always reach out to people.

Adam Haniver [00:26:05]:
Top man. Top man. Listen, mate, thanks very much for your time. Really appreciate it. Congratulations and all your success, mate. And have another, I will say have another good season, but there's no longer seasons, it's just continuation after, competition after competition.

Derry Mathews [00:26:20]:
We're gonna close December and then because it's just ran. Ours has just run through. We went to Midlands one, we went to whole one. There's Box Cup after Box Cup.

Adam Haniver [00:26:31]:
Hopefully I'll see you soon, mate.

Derry Mathews [00:26:34]:
Cheers, Top man. Cheers, mate.

Adam Haniver [00:26:36]:
All the best, mate. Cheers, Derry.