LEWIS VAN POETSCH campaigns as a professional boxer for the love of the sport. His attitude is infectious, energetic and far from what one might expect of a fighter with 60 losses to his name. Heโs a journeyman and during a fantastic chat about his unusual and eventful career, he also spoke about the gargantuan importance of journeymen and their role at the beating heart of British boxing.
โIn my opinion no one will ever understand it. People say to me โwhatโs a journeyman?โโ van Poetsch says, voicing a frustration that seems to have dogged him repeatedly. โSo I break it down for them and they say to me, โYeah but doesnโt the competitive side of you want to win?โ Iโm like, โYes but also itโs a job. If Iโm keeping the promoter happy, the prospect happy, the fans happy, I get to go in there and entertain the crowd, so Iโm happy. The promoters ticket-seller wins, heโs happy. Prospectโs happy. The fans are happy โcos their mateโs won. Everyoneโs happy. If I go in there and start knocking everyone outโฆโ
Letโs be clear. Van Poetsch can box. Many up and coming fighters can attest to that and heโs taken on some big names. While it may be confusing for the uninitiated to consider that a man who habitually loses most of his bouts is a good boxer, it definitely is the case. Consider the regularity with which van Poetsch fights, (sometimes at a rate of three bouts a month) compared to that of a prospect (more like a bout every three months). Consider the fact heโs fought at every weight from light-middle through to light-heavyweight, the fact he does so at short notice.
So, the role of a journeyman is not only a tough one, but a skilful one, as fighters on the road are forced to manoeuvre through tricky rounds against primed prospects, sometimes with only days in notice. As journeymen go though, โPoochiโ sets himself apart from the crowd. He says it started as a Halloween costume, but his Charles Bronson moustache soon became part of an interesting stylistic flourish. Van Poetsch enters the ring in an old-fashioned (bath) robe, a flat cap, and some retro boxing boots, to accompany the remarkable moustache he now always sports. He walks out to Little Richardโs 1955 hit, Tutti Frutti, works the crowd and loves every moment. He tells me, โThe crowd just started eating it up! It works for me. Itโs got a few headlines. Thatโs what boxing is at the end of the day, itโs entertaining.โ
Thatโs not the only thing that sets the Gloucestershire man apart from the crowd though, heโs also served as an active soldier in Afghanistan, come under fire, lost friends and survived. โI smashed my basic training,โ he tells Boxing News, citing it as a maturing experience. โThey got all the little kid stuff out me from being at school.โ After his training, Poochi explained, he was eager to get into the action. โI wanted to go to Afghanistan,โ he says, โso I joined the battalion that was going next and got straight out there.โ Thankfully he returned unscathed and says that his time in Afghanistan was โdefinitely a positive experienceโ.
โItโs something I can say Iโve done, and Iโm proud to say Iโve done, and Iโve got a medal to prove it. Iโve done my bit for my country. Iโm proud to say I went to Afghanistan with the Rifles and the British Army. Itโs a tough time out there, itโs hard work because youโre busy all the time and thereโs a constant threat. It wasnโt not a positive experience. It was a positive experience and something Iโm proud of.โ
Van Poetsch then has quite a story to tell, having served overseas before taking up the life of a professional fighter and juggling his boxing and his work as a barber is tough, he says: โBusy. I work full time and obviously I train full time as well. Itโs about the balance between work and rest. Itโs good though, I enjoy being a journeyman. Iโve fought all over the country and in different countries, itโs good.โ His storyโs not over yet though and while heโs a proud journeyman, no longer worrying about world titles, he definitely has ambitions within boxing and an infectious love of the sport.
โMy ultimate goal is to get to a hundred fights, unscathed, and then go from there really. I havenโt got an exit plan to leave from boxing anytime soon to be honest. I go through phases with boxing, one minute I f****** love it, next I canโt stand it. I hate training, I hate making weight, I hate the process of the fight night, I hate getting my hands wrapped. But I take a few weeks off, recharge my batteries and I canโt wait to do it again then. Itโs addictive. Itโs like a drug. Getting a bit of money for it too? Thatโs a bonus.โ