When and why you started boxing:
I was 15 when I started. My dad and grandad were both big boxing fans. They advised me to give it a try to keep me off the streets.
Favourite all-time fighter:
Iโve got to go with Floyd โMoneyโ Mayweather โ skills pay the bills.
Best fight you’ve seen:
I always like watching the Michael Gomez-Alex Arthur fight. Gomez dragged him into his kind of fight.
Personal career highlight:
I think that the best moments of my career are still to come.
Toughest opponent:
Zoltan Horvath [w pts 4 โ October 2014]. I didnโt train properly and wasnโt focused on the fight. I made it hard work for myself, as I was f***** after the first two rounds.
Best and worst attributes as a boxer:
My strength is my will to win. My weakness is that I love to have a fight when I should just stick to my boxing abilities.
Training tip:
Enjoy training and give it 100 per cent. Donโt cut corners โ youโll only be cheating yourself if you do. Iโve learned this from past experiences.
Favourite meal/restaurant:
Iโve got too many favourite restaurants to name, but I love a nice chicken tikka masala with all the sides โ rice, Peshwari naan, onion bhaji and poppadoms.
Best friends in boxing:
My trainer, Keith Walton, and my stablemates, Zahid Hussain and Ishmael Davis.
Other sportsman you would like to be:
Definitely a footballer. Thereโs no chance of that, though โ Iโve got two left feet!
Last film/TV show you saw:
[Soap opera] Coronation Street. Iโm a big โCorrieโ fan.
Who would play you in a film of your life:
Mark Wahlberg. Heโs a very good actor.
Have you ever been starstruck:
I canโt really recall ever being starstruck.
Last time you cried:
When my father passed away. It was a hard period for me as I was in prison at the time.
Best advice received:
โIf you donโt ask, the answer is always going to be no.โ In other words, if you donโt ask, you donโt get.
Worst rumour about yourself:
I donโt think Iโve heard any. Either way, my advice would be to ignore silly rumours.
Something not many people know about you:
I was a first dan black belt in karate when I was a kid. I thought I was Bruce Lee!