How have you been enjoying the switch to pro boxing?
Iโm really enjoying it. Iโve joined Derry [Mathews]โ gym and George Vaughan is my coach, just learning every day and itโs a great experience. Just trying to work on my style. George said he canโt teach me how to box any better. He thinks heโs going to get me hitting hard and I think my fights have shown that thatโs working. Iโve been working on a few things and thatโs coming off. Iโm enjoying it.
You stopped your last two opponents, didnโt you?
I think if I boxed my debut again [against Ibrar Riyaz] now Iโd get the stoppage in that fight as well. Iโm really enjoying my boxing.
Were you demoralised when you were an amateur?
Iโd been on the [GB] squad for a long time. Iโd been through some highs and lows. Iโd had some really good times but by the end of it I knew I was out of the chance to go to the Olympics. My form was on a downer, I was stuck in a rut a little bit. I wasnโt pushing myself training. I just switched off. As soon as I turn pro, I rekindled that fire a little bit and I wanted to prove to everyone itโs just what I needed. Iโm pushing on now, showing my level again, getting my form back.
Confidence plays a big part in how I perform. When Iโm high in confidence I put on a good performance.
Josh Kelly is getting a bit of buzz after his first couple of pro fights, do you think to yourself, โHang on a minute, I beat him?โ
No, you donโt look at it like that. I look at it like I feel Iโm on a level with these lads and theyโre all smashing it. Like Sean McGoldrick, Joshua Buatsi, Ekow Essuman. I trained with them every day and I feel like Iโm at that level and itโs good to see them doing so well.
Are there any names in particular on the horizon that youโre working your way towards fighting?
Anyone with a title I think, thatโs got to be my goal to go for. Theyโre all big fights. The names could change anyway over the next few fights. I just want to know I want to get to a British title shot, or get to a title shot, whether itโs Central Area, English or British, thatโs where I want to be definitely by the end of next year. I think Iโm capable of doing that.
Your old rival Vasyl Lomachenko was in action, obviously youโve done 10 rounds with him, what is it like to box him?
Heโs got that many plans in his head. Heโs just the most intelligent boxer Iโve ever boxed. He plans three or four moves ahead. Heโll do a feint, youโll see him do the feint and heโs just judging what youโre going to do. Later on in the fight you might have forgot about it but heโll do that feint again knowing what your reactionโs going to be and heโll counter it.
Heโs very accurate, his punches are very accurate. He doesnโt waste any shots. He caught me with some good body shots as well. Heโs more like a correct hitter than a massive power puncher.
But enough about Lomachenko, the only guy to beat him [in the amateurs] Albert Selimov, I stopped him. I knocked him out.
I was ringside for that as wellโฆ
It wasnโt like he was beating me, it was a close fight and I stopped him. I could have won that on points.
Three back hands in a row and he got like a double cut. And I just pointed it out to the referee that he was cut [laughs]!
Watch Sam Maxwell box Vasyl Lomachenko here:
Video: World Series of Boxing