WINNING RUN
Calum French might just be the best boxer you’ve never heard of
HHow did it go on Saturday (in the World Series of boxing)?
It went well. I thought I was going to be boxing [Sofiane Oumiha] the Olympic silver medallist but it turned out it wasn’t him. I mentally prepared myself to be boxing him. But it went well. It must have been the number two I boxed. He was still a good kid. He was boxing with his hands down a bit so trying to draw us into a bit of a fight. I just needed to make sure I was in range before I let my shots go. I enjoyed it.
Was he very different to what you were expecting?
No, he’s the same type of boxer. He tries to draw you in. Has his hands low, boxes quite long. Likes to box off the back foot, likes to make his opponent come to him. Just had to stick to the tactics and do enough to win.
When was the last time you lost?
It was 2012. 34 fights on the bounce now [that he’s won].
Who was the last person who beat you?
Archie Sharp, in the Boys Clubs finals. I avenged that loss the year after in the Boys Club finals. So it was good to get that one back.
As well as the ABAS, the GBS, what else have you won?
The Strandja, the Chemistry Cup, the Tammer tournament, the three WSB [bouts]. I haven’t been beat as a senior. It’s 15-0 for GB.
Do you have the longest winning run on the GB squad at the moment?
I think so… Hopefully I carry this form on into the Europeans.
Who’s the best guy you’ve fought internationally?
I’ve boxed the Rio Olympic bronze medallist from Mongolia, [Dorjnyambuugiin] Otgondalai, I boxed him in my first fight for GB. I got the win over him. Shiva Thapa from India, he’s a good lad. And that [Otar] Eranosyan from Georgia, the guy that got the silver in the Europeans. They’re probably my best wins internationally so far.
Have you found it easy to adapt?
I found boxing them they’re quite a lot sharper, faster on their feet and that. So you need to match them with sharpness but mostly I found that internationally it’s just a lot tougher, it’s a lot rougher and tougher rather than technically better. I thought the technical side of it was not so much hard to adapt to but you’ve got to adapt to how tough the fights are. The Eastern European countries, they’re not quite technically as good as us, I don’t think, they’re just tough and they try and grab you into the fight.