Sam Maxwell: I beat the guy who beat Vasyl Lomachenko!

Sam Maxwell

How have you been enjoying the switch to pro boxing?

Iโ€™m really enjoying it. Iโ€™ve joined Derry [Mathews]โ€™ gym and George Vaughan is my coach, just learning every day and itโ€™s a great experience. Just trying to work on my style. George said he canโ€™t teach me how to box any better. He thinks heโ€™s going to get me hitting hard and I think my fights have shown that thatโ€™s working. Iโ€™ve been working on a few things and thatโ€™s coming off. Iโ€™m enjoying it.

You stopped your last two opponents, didnโ€™t you?

I think if I boxed my debut again [against Ibrar Riyaz] now Iโ€™d get the stoppage in that fight as well. Iโ€™m really enjoying my boxing.

Were you demoralised when you were an amateur?

Iโ€™d been on the [GB] squad for a long time. Iโ€™d been through some highs and lows. Iโ€™d 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 wasnโ€™t 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 itโ€™s just what I needed. Iโ€™m pushing on now, showing my level again, getting my form back.

Confidence plays a big part in how I perform. When Iโ€™m 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, โ€˜Hang on a minute, I beat him?โ€™

No, you donโ€™t look at it like that. I look at it like I feel Iโ€™m on a level with these lads and theyโ€™re all smashing it. Like Sean McGoldrick, Joshua Buatsi, Ekow Essuman. I trained with them every day and I feel like Iโ€™m at that level and itโ€™s good to see them doing so well.

Are there any names in particular on the horizon that youโ€™re working your way towards fighting?

Anyone with a title I think, thatโ€™s got to be my goal to go for. Theyโ€™re 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 itโ€™s Central Area, English or British, thatโ€™s where I want to be definitely by the end of next year. I think Iโ€™m capable of doing that.

Your old rival Vasyl Lomachenko was in action, obviously youโ€™ve done 10 rounds with him, what is it like to box him?

Heโ€™s got that many plans in his head. Heโ€™s just the most intelligent boxer Iโ€™ve ever boxed. He plans three or four moves ahead. Heโ€™ll do a feint, youโ€™ll see him do the feint and heโ€™s just judging what youโ€™re going to do. Later on in the fight you might have forgot about it but heโ€™ll do that feint again knowing what your reactionโ€™s going to be and heโ€™ll counter it.

Heโ€™s very accurate, his punches are very accurate. He doesnโ€™t waste any shots. He caught me with some good body shots as well. Heโ€™s 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 wellโ€ฆ

It wasnโ€™t 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

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