“In the build-up to this fight I was going to bed nervous every night” – Caoimhin Agyarko looks back on career-best win against Troy Williamson

By Shaun Brown


โ€œMy bodyโ€™s in agony but thatโ€™s to be expected.โ€

Caoimhin Agyarko was just trying to get his day going when answering a call from Boxing News. After a career-boosting victory on Saturday night (December 2), the Northern Irishman reviewed his performance against Troy Williamson in Belfast and told us all about battling nerves in the build-up and revealed the title he feels he can now go on and challenge for.


BN: Reflecting on your win against Troy Williamson, what did you think of your performance?

CA: I havenโ€™t watched it back yet, but I think in the moment and at the time I felt like I was boxing very well. Personally, I thought the first six rounds were really easy to be honest. A lot of people said I lost maybe one of the early rounds; the third or fourth. It was easier than expected during the first six. The seventh and eighth were a bit tough and then I coasted the last two. That was probably my best performance to date. I showed a little bit of everything. I traded with him when I had to, I out-jabbed him, I used my feints, I used my footwork, I out-boxed him when I had to, so there was a bit of everything on Saturday night.

BN:ย The fight was hyped up and rightly so. Did you feel any pre-fight nerves?

CA: I donโ€™t get nervous for fights which is very insane. I normally have to make myself nervous in the changing rooms.

BN:ย How do you go about making yourself nervous?

CA: I just go through scenarios that could happen in the fight. Sometimes negative scenarios like, if I get caught with a certain shot, what would I do? It makes me nervous. I envision getting caught or clipped or put down. That makes me nervous. Having nerves is a good thing because youโ€™re a bit sharper and zoned in. In the build-up to this fight, for the last eight or nine weeks, I was going to bed nervous every single night. And I was like, โ€œFuck, this is new to me.โ€ I thought on the night I would be very, very nervous. But the whole fight week, and then the fight night, I wasnโ€™t nervous one bit. I thought walking out to that crowd, eight thousand Irish fans screaming my name, Iโ€™d be nervous, but I wasnโ€™t nervous one bit. I relished the moment and took it in which I was glad about because I knew how to deal with my emotions then. It wasnโ€™t like I was having to deal with my emotions while being nervous as well.

BN: What did you think of Troy Williamson as an opponent?

CA: Iโ€™ve always rated him as a good fighter. I didnโ€™t really feel his power; it didnโ€™t affect me. I definitely felt his pressure. Heโ€™s a front-foot fighter, very non-stop coming forward, and [he] didnโ€™t take a step back. Heโ€™s a very good fighter and has still got a lot left to give. Heโ€™s always going to be in exciting fights with his style. It was never anything personal [between us]. People were trying to build it up as something personal. I always said it was never personal, this is business to me. He surprised me in stages because I expected him to press the action earlier in the fight and he didnโ€™t really. I thought he would have been non-stop from the first bell and wasnโ€™t. He gave me a bit of breathing room [in] the first two rounds but yeah, I rate Troy.

BN: Just as the final bell rang you seemed to let out a release of emotion knowing youโ€™d won. Winning that fight obviously meant a lot.

CA: Definitely. That fight meant a lot to me [but] not because there was a lot of pressure on my shoulders. A lot of people were saying this was a make-or-break fight for Caoimhin Agyarko which I didnโ€™t understand. I was 13-0, I only just turned 27 last Wednesday. Very young and not many fights. For people to say it was make-or-break when Iโ€™ve never taken a loss was very strange to me. So, people were adding pressure to my shoulders by saying Iโ€™m going to fold under the pressure against Troy, heโ€™s too good, heโ€™s fought at a better level blah-blah-blah, Iโ€™ve never proven myself… this, that and the other. There was a lot of doubters. It was back home in Belfast, there was a lot of pressure on my shoulders, and I did feel that for the first time ever. It was good to let out that bit of tension which Iโ€™ve been holding in the for the last eight weeks. It was a good release. When I walked back to my changing room I said to my coach, โ€œThank fuck thatโ€™s over. We got it done and proved everybody wrong.โ€

BN: Youโ€™ve now beaten a former British champion, so is the plan now to improve on that and face someone even better next time out?

CA: My main goal is activity. I’ve just come off a tough fight and a good win for me; a great name. But I obviously want to keep progressing and keep putting good names on the record and testing myself. Iโ€™ll sit down with my manager next week and assess whatโ€™s next and what route we want to go down.

BN: So, what do you do now for the rest of 2023? Are you going to get time to enjoy Christmas?

CA: Enjoy Christmas, definitely. That was a long camp. Iโ€™ve been away from my friends and family since the start of August. I made a lot of sacrifices in camp. I missed my birthday, I missed friendโ€™s birthdays, I missed certain things that I would like to have attended. I was away from my girlfriend, too. So, I want to enjoy Christmas with my friends and family and then Iโ€™ll be heading back to camp end of January. Iโ€™ll still train over Christmas but will be back to camp January and weโ€™ll then plan for a big 2024.

BN: Would you like a shot at the European title? You mentioned sitting down with your own team, but you must have your own ambitions.

CA: Definitely. Iโ€™ve said you canโ€™t skip levels in boxing. My plan in 2023 was to aim for the European title but again inactivity and injuries kept me out of the ring, so it wasnโ€™t possible. I had surgery at the start of the year. I think Iโ€™m in a good position to go and challenge for a European title; get myself into position for a European title and then on to world honours.

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