SYDNEY, Australia – Tyler Blizzard’s preparations for Sam Goodman have been strengthened by the influence of his new trainer Ross Morganstein.
Blizzard and Goodman fight on Wednesday in an all-Australian featherweight contest that represents not only the chief support to Tim Tszyu-Anthony Velazquez at the TikTok Entertainment Centre in Sydney, but a rematch of the memorable fight they had as amateurs.
On that occasion it was Blizzard who emerged with victory, but after 10 professional fights – 11 fewer than Goodman – he anticipates Goodman presenting his toughest test.
Aged 27 both are also perhaps at their physical peaks, but Blizzard, who started working with Morganstein shortly before the unanimous decision he earned over Rocky Ogden in June, is widely recognised as the significant underdog.
If in June he was finally becoming settled with a professional trainer, Goodman was preparing to challenge the WBA featherweight champion Nick Ball, and narrowly recorded his first defeat.
The day might yet come when Goodman reflects that he should have taken a kinder match-up after losing for the first time, but Blizzard expects him to have emerged an improved fighter from competing for the first time at the highest level, and therefore considers Morganstein capable of proving his greatest asset when they fight.
“He brings a calmness,” Blizzard told BoxingScene. “He brings a breath of fresh air to this training camp. He’s composed; he’s calm. Everything he does, I believe, is with a purpose. He doesn’t train too many people. He flies under the radar, and he’s just great to be around and brings a different concept and different look to boxing. I don’t want to get too much into it, but I’m sure we’re coming prepared. We’re coming with a really good game plan for this fight.
“Just having him around me to study, and the things that he brings, it’s been great. I’m really enjoying boxing again. I’ve had trainers in the past, but it just hasn’t worked out, and that’s life. To have found Ross, just before the Rocky Ogden fight – it’s been a blessing. There’s nothing he says to me I don’t trust. If he tells me something, I follow through with it and it works, so I’m excited.
“I’ve been training hard. He’s been a massive help and support out here [in Bangkok, Thailand]. We’re coming prepared.
“For the last four fights I hadn’t had a trainer. I’ve been out here learning a little bit off everyone; going to different gyms; sparring. This time is the first time that I’ve had a solid trainer in place helping me and guiding me for this fight.
“Early on in my career I’ve been through a couple of trainers and it didn’t work out. When I stepped up this year to a number of different fights, I knew in the back of my head that I had to either move back to Australia and get a coach or continue to try and find someone around here that can help me, but in a way that works for myself and him, and I’m sure I’ve found that. We’re going to see all the things that we’ve been working on on Wednesday night.
“Sam’s a great fighter. He’s got great footwork; great timing; great speed; great chin; he’s got the whole package. I’m under no illusions on how hard this fight is going to be, and that’s why I’ve prepared the way I have. I’m coming to win this fight.
“He’s flawless in just about everything he does. Me and Ross – we’ve got a game plan and we’ll showcase that on Wednesday.”
Living and training in Thailand’s capital perhaps undermines Blizzard’s attempts to build his profile where it most matters at a time when the Australian fight scene is thriving, but he considers himself a considerably more focused fighter away from the distractions he encountered where he used to call home.
“Every time I go there’s family dinners; there’s catching up with friends,” he explained. “You don’t have any distractions out here. It’s just eat, sleep, train, repeat. I look at that and think ‘That’s how you’re gonna get better’. That’s why I’ve been here for almost two years.
“Mainly the weather and the training conditions over here. There’s a lot more time to concentrate; focus on recovery; food; weight loss, etcetera. It’s just a lot easier over here to do those things. That’s the biggest reason why I’m out here. I love the culture and I love the training conditions.
“There was talks of me fighting on December 6 [on the undercard of Jai Opetaia-Huseyin Cinkara] but we couldn’t agree on the opponent and things were getting late in the piece. When the Sam Goodman fight come up it was a great opportunity and it was a no brainer to take that fight. I’ve been very vocal about fighting the best, and I want to test myself; see exactly where I’m at and go from there.
“I have friends out here, but I sacrifice a lot. I live away from my family; my good friends and sponsors and stuff are back home. It has its ups and downs, but I’m here for a reason. I sacrifice so much to be in this position.
“We fought a long time ago in the amateurs, but that was talk to try and get this fight. We didn’t expect to get it so early on in my career, and now we’ve got it, that doesn’t matter. I believe Sam’s going to be my hardest fight to date. He brings double the amount of fights; triple the experience, and I know what I’ve got myself into.
“We were just young adults then. We went to the world championships together; he was at 56kgs and I was at 52. Right before the Commonwealth Games trials they cut my division and I had to step up to 56. We fought there and I won on a unanimous decision. Like I said, that’s in the past. This is 10 years later. He’s improved; I’ve improved. Let’s see.
“From watching and reading on things, I think he’s gonna come the best version of Sam Goodman that we’ve seen. That excites me, because that’s what I want – I wanna be tested. I wanna see; I wanna know if I’m at that level. He’s coming off the lost to Nick Ball where, arguably, he had a very tight fight there. He’s coming in 100 per cent.
“I didn’t think he won the fight, but it was a close fight. Whether you won by one round or whether you lost by one round you still lost the fight. I know there was a few ums and ahs with the scoring but the overall look of the fight – he didn’t win, but he put an unbelievably good performance in against Nick Ball, the featherweight champion.”
