60-SECOND INTERVIEW
Paul Wheeler talks to a fanboy with gloves
‘I’M JUST A FANBOY WITH GLOVES! THE HIGHLIGHT SO FAR WOULD BE HAVING DINNER WITH GROVES’ Jack Hughes
When and why you started boxing:
When I was younger I used to hate boxing. But my friends wanted to watch the Ricky Hatton-floyd Mayweather fight [in December 2007], so I watched it with them and just fell in love. A couple of weeks later I was at Ruislip ABC. I started boxing properly on my 16th birthday.
Favourite all-time fighter:
Ricky Hatton. His style was amazing, and he’s down to earth.
Best fight you’ve seen:
Live, it’d be Ryan Crawford-karl Wheeler. On TV, Amir Khan-marcos Maidana stands out.
Personal career highlight:
Winning the under seven bouts championships as an amateur was a big thing for me, as was turning pro.
Toughest opponent:
Jiyan Oguz. He used to box for Finchley ABC, and now he boxes for Islington BC. He was the first person to ever rock me.
Best and worst attributes as a boxer:
My main strength is how hard I train. My weakness is that I’ve only had 13 fights in total – amateur and pro.
Training tip:
Always give your best – no less.
Favourite meal/restaurant:
A burger from Five Guys or GBK.
Best friends in boxing:
Byron Cox. When I started as a pro, he started as an amateur. He came from the streets and has turned his whole life around. He’s won a London title and has been selected to box for England. He’ll be a world champion one day.
Other sportsman you would like to be: My dream is to win the WWE Intercontinental title!
Last film/tv show you saw:
[Animated sitcom] Bob’s Burgers.
Who would play you in a film of your life:
Joseph Gordon-levitt. He’s one of my favourite actors, and we’re both good-looking too!
Have you ever been starstruck:
Every bloody day! I’m just a fanboy with gloves! The highlight so far would be having dinner with George Groves.
Last time you cried:
After my last fight [in July], when I beat Sergey Tasimov, who’d beaten me on my pro debut eight months previously.
Best advice received:
‘You can have a day off tomorrow, but you can’t have a round off today.’ That was from my amateur coach, Terry Hobbs.
Something not many people know about you:
I got scouted for Watford FC when I was around 14 or 15, but they said I was too small to be a goalkeeper.
‘I GOT SCOUTED FOR WATFORD FC, BUT THEY SAID I WAS TOO SMALL TO BE A GOALKEEPER’