This thoughtful Aston cruiserweight is a fan of Roy and Floyd and listens more than he speaks.
Age: 29
Division: Cruiserweight
From: Aston, West Midlands
Record: 4-0, 2 KOs
Trained by: Spencer McCracken
When and why you started boxing?
“About seven years ago, I had my first fight in the amateurs. Why? Well, the short version of this is my dad was a boxer back in the day, and at my grandad’s house my dad used to have trophies all over the walls everywhere. I just liked the feeling of going in the room and seeing the trophies and said ‘I’d love to have this so my kids can feel like that, looking at me…’ – and we took a chance, started boxing and turned out to be okay at it!”
Favourite all-time fighter?
“Oh, there’s not only one! I’d have to have two: Roy Jones Jr. and Floyd Mayweather Jr.”
Best fight you’ve ever seen?
“Maybe Shawn Porter and Errol Spence. I really love that fight and it was a fight I was looking forward to for a long time.”
Personal career highlight?
“It would have to be my debut, because I never expected to be there or to even get to that stage. It was just a roll of the dice and look how it went ended up.”
Your toughest opponent?
“Toughest opponent would have to be a guy called Zach Williams. We fought three times in the amateurs. He beat me the first time, I beat him the other two.”
Your best and worst attributes as a boxer?
“My best attribute would probably be my movement for my size. The worst, I think sometimes I lack a bit of discipline. I like to get involved, when sometimes I probably shouldn’t!”
Training tip?
“Be a sponge. Listen to as many people as you can. Don’t think one person is gonna have all the answers, and you never know where you might get information from – so just be open to everything.”
Favourite meal inside and outside of camp?
“That’s a tough one! Inside camp would probably have to be salmon pasta. I think that’s probably my favourite meal. Outside of camp? Anything you can get from Five Guys! Straight after every fight. I’m straight to Five Guys! For that week [after], I’m everywhere, anything out of a brown bag!”
Best friend in boxing?
“I’d probably say one of my friends, Shawn O’Sullivan. Yeah, he’s helped me get through a lot. We train together a lot and when I’m in the ring and he’s there, I can hear his voice over everybody.”
Which other athlete would you like to be and why?
“Probably Ronaldo. Cristiano Ronaldo, because, well, who wouldn’t want to be Cristiano Ronaldo? He’s the biggest person in the world and to be his age and still compete at the highest level and look the way he does? That’s amazing to me.”
Last film or TV show that you saw?
“The last TV show I saw was Married at First Sight, when one of my closest friends was on the program, so it’ll have to be that.”
Who would play you in a film of your life?
“Probably The Rock. Same physique [laughs]. Probably The Rock.”
Have you ever been star struck by anybody?
“Nah. I think the one time I would have been was when Mayweather came to Birmingham. But because of the size difference, I thought, I’ll just stay home. I didn’t want to see him. I said, “Oh, because I’m so much bigger than him, I’d rather just see him on the cameras…” But nah, never.”
Person you’d least like to be stuck in a lift with?
“Oh, it would probably have to be one of my managers at work. Like, you could ask him one question and he’ll go on for a good three hours. So it’d have to be him.”
Last time you cried?
“I’m not really much of a crier, but it probably would have been when I had my daughter. That’s an emotional moment.”
The best advice you’ve ever received?
“No matter how you feel, just keep going. When I got into boxing, I tried to set goals and we had certain things that we wanted to tick off the list. Dave [Lovell] always used to say “it’s not going to be a straight road. You’re not going to like half of it, but just keep going, stay on the course and finish the job, no matter what is, whether it’s training, whether you in the ring, just make sure you stay the course…’”
If your house was burning down, what three items would you grab?
”Probably my Haringey Cup gold medal, my car keys and… hmm, probably just those two, I don’t need three!”
Something not many people know about you?
“I’m one of 12 [children] in the family.” What’s the split? “Six boys and six girls.” Where are you in the 12? “I’m the youngest boy, so I’m about fourth, I think… or fifth? There’s too many, I have to count to get the answer!”
If you could be stranded on a desert island with anybody, who would it be?
“It’d have to be my best friend, Rogan.”
What is top of your bucket list?
“I just want to be successful and give my kids a great opportunity. That’s it. I just want to make life as easy for them as possible.”
