Berry v Ali: There’s a major storm brewing

Nyall Berry…looking to sparkle in his big test next month

IN the recent deluge of high profile dust-ups an absolute dynamite clash has slipped under the radar.

And make no mistake, the collision of Chelmsley Wood’s Nyall Berry and Razor Ali will be a barnstormer. It’s a potential thriller.

It is, the Birmingham bomber insists, exactly what he needs. As the 25-year-old excitedly put it: “This is a big fight.”

The pair meet at Sheffield’s Park Community Arena on December 7 for the IBO super-bantam continental title. But the bauble up for grabs plays second fiddle to the quality of the contest.

Berry, a real sawn-off banger, has lost only one of 12. The 25-year-old Eastside fighter was on course for very big things, then talented Italian Francesco De Rosa burst his bubble for the IBF European crown with an eighth round stoppage.

Berry has since bounced back in typical Berry style with a chilling first round KO. That wasn’t enough to mend reputational damage caused by the De Rosa loss, beating Razor will be.

That’s because he’s a hard man immersed and nearly drowned in a sea of tragedy and violence since childhood.

As a six-year-old in Iran, he was the only survivor of a car crash that killed seven family member and left him severely burned. As a teenager, he was sucked into a world of gangland criminality.

“I was part of gangs, fighting for drugs, money, strength, and I was witness to many things I didn’t want to see,” Razor told the Mirror.

As a London based pro, the 27-year-old – real name Alireza Ghadiri – is unbeaten in 10 and has the kind of background that makes back page headlines.

Berry has to be at his best to beat him. And Nyall insists he’s a very different fighter than the one who came out guns blazing against De Rosa – and paid the price. No jabs, just sledgehammer shots that night.

“I haven’t seen much of Ali,” he admitted. “I saw his last fight and it was an OK performance. He got the guy out of there, but he struggled in the first round.

“For my last fight, I was training for someone who was a step down. This fight is different, it’s what I need.”

Initially, Berry was devastated and heartbroken by the De Rosa defeat. Five months on, he considers it a blessing.

“One hundred per cent I believe I’m a better fighter because of it,” he said, “there’s no doubt about it. I won’t complain, I’m ready. I’ve learned so much from it.

“If I’d beaten De Rosa I would’ve continued as I was before, not thinking. Now the reasons why I lost are ticking in my brain. I’m training hard but smart. For De Rosa, physically I took too much out of my body.

“I’ve got a greater boxing IQ. Every time I got in the ring relaxed and calm, I knocked them out early. When I looked for the knockout, it was more laboured.

“One hundred per cent the loss was a blessing.”

Berry agrees the fans are in for fireworks.

“It’s going to be one of those nights,” he told me. “It’s going to be fight of the night, without a doubt, and I want to put on a dominant performance.”

So does Razor Ali – and that makes for a dramatic battle.