Jon Pegg’s New York fight week notebook
Jon and Louie are working in the shadows of NY’s famous landmarks
JON Pegg and Louie Counihan, of Birmingham’s Eastside gym, are living every fight fan’s dream.
They’re in New York. It’s no holiday for the pair – on Friday, July 11, they are part of a world title fight at a truly legendary venue. Madison Square Garden beckons.
The pair are key members of female boxing legend Savannah Marshall’s team for her forthcoming world title bid.
They’ll be in Savannah Marshall’s corner for the Hartlepool boxer’s world super-middleweight clash with Shadasia Green.
While tasting the Big Apple, Jon has agreed to keep readers posted through a diary of the week.
Not long now….Savannah Marshall walks into the media spotlight
TUESDAY
Public workout day arrives it’s at the World Trade Center.
Me and Louie decide to check it before we go there and jump on the subway for the first time. Walking around the monument to 9.11 is eerie but also hugely impressive. After an hour’s walk looking at everything around the monument we decide to head back and meet the team.
A brief rest and then on to the public workout. The shopping arena it’s in is huge and packed full of fans. Two giant blow up effigies of Taylor and Serrano (on the same bill) dominate the proceedings and add to the carnival atmosphere.
There’s even two live fights on the public workout and everybody is really getting into it. Savannah does her workout without pads as she wants to give nothing away to the opposition. The promoter wants pads but the boxer’s happiness is paramount, so we go with what she wants. Before leaving we bump into Steve Bunce who tells us his digs are nowhere near as fancy as ours, but who cares? He’s covering history at The Garden. Also had a great chat with Matchroom’s Anthony Leavers, haven’t seen him since he left to work here seven years ago, but easily slip into gear chatting about old times.
The glitz and glamour…media day proved a suitably lavish production
WEDNESDAY
Media day. The hotel is starting to get really busy now and seeing the likes of Stephen Smith meeting his brother Beefy in the lobby, Kerry Kayes arriving, Dalton Smith, ref Mark Lyson, Board official Suzanne Potts all adds to the fact we are getting closer to the fight.
Met up with mad Team Scotney on the morning and brother Michael persuades me to go to a New York barbers. Having done my own hair with clippers for about 20 years, this was a new experience and the whole “hot towels, cutthroat razor etc” was interesting. So was the bill - 60 quid for a haircut when you’ve got no hair hurts!
Took a walk with Louie to the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square to watch the Hamza Sheeraz public workout. Bumped into gentleman Andy Lee who gave me some interesting info concerning some big shows in Birmingham, wished the team well and headed out.
Onto media day and as a team we went across to the theatre in Madison Square Garden and everybody was there, from Jake Paul to the fighters’ teams. It was crazy and, as Louie said, probably the best press conference he’s ever been to. Savannah handled it like a pro. While everybody else glammed up and went like it was a fashion show, Sav rocked up in a pair of shorts and a don’t give a damn attitude. Light work out on pads after with Louie. Her weight is in the perfect place, she really is ready to go.