Aaron Khalid

Back in 2008, following a loss to then WBC & WBO Middleweight Champion Kelly Pavlik, Cwmbran power puncher Gary Locket hung up his ring gloves, admitting he was “never a real lover of boxing”.   But more than a decade later, ‘The Rocket’ is yet to relinquish the mantle, imparting his years of wisdom on the next crop of ambitious pugilists. While he’s still most revered for his work within the ring, the poker-faced 43 year old also has a firm hand in the simmering Welsh MMA scene and delivers striking insight to a catalogue of contenders including UFC bantamweight Jack ‘Tank’ Shore (13-0-0), Bellator’s Lewis Long (17-6-0) and rising Cage Warriors prospect Oban Elliot (3-0-0). Unsurprisingly his influence has made an immediate impact, making him one of The Principality’s most sought after striking coaches.   MMA UK: Following your 2008 world title loss to Kelly Pavlik, you admitted you were never a real lover of boxing. What kept you coming back all this time?   GL: There’s a lot of politics with boxing isn’t there? There’s lots of things that can upset you, lots of goings-on that can really turn your head and make you fall out of love with the sport. I think I fell out with the sport maybe 2002-2003. (There were) fight’s I should’ve got that I never got, promises that were made that never came through. So, you fall out of love but you keep your hand in because, obviously, I was good at it and I was a natural puncher so I always got results. And I earned pretty well, even in the non-title fights. In the end, I got a little bit out of it when I won the WBU which was, don’t get me wrong when you look back, it was a nothing title. It was like how the IBO is rated now. But those WBU fights were quite big money fights. I was earning 25-35 (thousand) for them.   MMA UK: How did you initially get involved in MMA?   GARY LOCKETT:  Many moons ago I was coaching in a gym in Pontyclun called Fight Academy Wales and I noticed Lewis Long, who’s now with Bellator, looking keen after I did a session with one of his friends. His friend said, “You need to go with Gary because you’ll learn so much just in one session”. So Lewis tried it out and that was it! I think Lew and myself have been working together for about 7-8 years now.   MMA UK: Did you follow MMA on TV beforehand?   GL: Not really, I mean I watched the original UFC’s, the first, second and third with Royce Gracie and got quite into The Ultimate Fighter back in about 2004-2005. People like Caol Uno, Matt Hughes, all those kinda guys. Randy Couture! I read Chuck Lidell’s book, so I’ve been there or thereabouts but I don’t follow it wholeheartedly like an MMA enthusiast would.   MMA UK: Did you have a favourite fighter or anyone you particularly admired?   GL: I think there’s quite a few, I mean Fedor was an absolute beast, wasn’t he? But he just seemed to go past it overnight. I really used to like Matt Hughes but there are so many good ones around now.   MMA UK: You’ve said before how you were left waiting by the phone a lot in your career, that fight’s you deserved didn’t come your way. It’s quite a common criticism in boxing. How do you think the UFC’s system of unified rankings and authoritarian swing in matchmaking would have affected your career had it been applied to boxing at the time you were fighting? Do you like boxing’s free-market system?   GL: I think the system in boxing allows for a lot more champions. If that (the UFC’s) system had been the same with me, I would’ve never fought for a world title. That’s just being realistic. People say that’s being painfully truthful but I’m a realist. I was a European class fighter, with good power, maybe world-class power but my overall skills weren’t as good. I think it would’ve affected me in a big way probably. Being a big puncher would’ve probably taken me somewhere though.   MMA UK: One of the other notable boxing trainers to step over into MMA is former Manny Pacquiao coach Freddie Roach. When prompted in an interview in the run-up to George St-Pierre’s title win over Michael Bisping in 2017, Roach said he believed boxing promoters had ‘lost sight of entertaining the people’. Do you agree with that statement?   GL: I think he’s probably hit the nail on the head. The undercard often gets rushed. It’s not matchmaking anymore, especially in Britain. Say I request a southpaw (opponent) to see how my fighter gets on, then I might want someone who’s tough but ambitious, maybe one who’s lost a couple of times so they’re past it – that’s matchmaking! But just grabbing such and such who’s lost 100 times, that’s not matchmaking, that’s a booking agent! The matchmaking has gone out of the sport.   MMA UK: Aside from boxing you’ve acted as a personal trainer and now as a striking coach in MMA. To what extent is your enthusiasm for coaching driven by developing individuals as opposed to a love for the sport itself?   GL: It’s given me an added enthusiasm I’d say. For instance, when I went down to Copenhagen and I worked Jack Shore’s corner, I could see his dad ‘Shakey’ (Richard Shore) and his second coach Carl Parker, both rated me. They value me, they value my input. In boxing obviously my input is valued but to have my input valued in a different sport is especially rewarding for me, I really enjoy it.   Why they’d want me working in the corner I really don’t know because a lot of the time I don’t really know what’s going on. I mean, I know what’s going