GUEST COLUMN
I’m over the moon at the success of my old sparring partner
“AJ’S” old sparring partner speaks
I’VE had hand surgery, bone fusion. I’ve had joints removed in the back of my hand and had them fused. That was a persistent injury, that went on for a long time. I’ve had two surgeries on that. Then I did my foot in 2012, I damaged the ligament in my right foot and I had surgery on that. That was just before the Olympics. I was sparring Tervel Pulev [the brother of Kubrat], who eliminated me in the Olympic qualifier. I wasn’t actually meant to spar but I ended up agreeing to spar. It was the last round, the last 10 seconds or something like that. That’s where I done that, and then I had surgery for that.
In 2016 I reinjured my foot. I hadn’t had any problems with it since the operation in 2012. I got back. From that point I won the ABAS, went to the Commonwealth Games and I was flying. I totally forgot about it. Then in May last year while I was boxing on the undercard of Anthony CrollaIsmael Barroso, it was only a round but something happened in the ring. With the adrenalin and all that I’m not really sure what happened. But I remember my foot was hurting after and it didn’t feel right. Basically it’s been trouble since then. It’s been an ongoing problem. I’ve been to see consultants, I’ve had injections in it, endless amounts of physio. It’s affected my training badly. I won’t do myself justice boxing basically with one leg. The training’s hard enough, never mind doing it injured. It’s a really complex injury and it’s one that most surgeons won’t touch.
I don’t think having to retire has hit me yet. I know I have no regrets because I’ve left the sport doing everything I can. I know I should have retired eight months ago but I strung it out and I’ve tried everything and hoped something would happen and I’d be okay. It was a weight off my shoulders but it’s odd. It’s still weird. Boxing is all I’ve done for 16 years basically. I was on GB for seven or eight years. I’ve got my coaching badges – I got them before I turned professional. I might get back in the gym at the turn of the year. But I want to take myself away from it.
I keep in touch with my GB teammates, like Kal Yafai, Anthony Joshua, Callum Smith, Scott Cardle, and it’s great to see what they’re doing, it’s fantastic. Joshua, I’m amazed by him. He’s unbelievable. Everything he touches turns to gold. There’s nothing he cannot do. He’s unbelievable.
When he first came on the GB squad, he was just a nice fella and he asked loads of questions. We sparred and he was asking for tips and stuff because he was a raw novice. He was asking for tips and advice. I’ll never forget it and now he is what he is.
I sparred with him a lot at the start, when he was building up to the European championships and the Worlds. I was still sparring him then. I sparred with him in his early pro career, around the seven-fight mark. Beyond that I never.
I remember there was a spell when I hadn’t sparred with him for a long time. It was when he won the silver in the Worlds. I sparred with him after that and he was unbelievable. I was there or thereabouts with him before then, and then when he came back after the Worlds, had a break and come back I remember sparring him and thinking, ‘ What’s happened to you?’ He was just a different person. He’s like a sponge. He picks things up real quick. That’s what I found. He gets taught something and then that’s it, he picks it up like that.
I remember when someone offered him 50 grand to turn pro. I was like, ‘It’s not bad that.’ Then he went to the Europeans, done alright there, then he went to the Worlds after that. I never went to that Worlds, that was the Olympic qualifying one. I remember being in the GB office and he beat Olympic champion Roberto Cammarelle and I was like, ‘ What’s going on here?’ It was mental, I couldn’t believe it. I’m over the moon for him. He deserves it. It is inspiring.