‘POOCHI’ Q&A
Journeyman Lewis van Poetsch tells Matt Christie he’s feeling the strain after 100 ghts
We talk to one of British boxing’s most colourful characters, Lewis van Poetsch
ON February 2, Lewis van Poetsch waxed his handlebar moustache and went out and won every round of his four against Scott Hillman to take his record to 8-91-1. Here we speak to “Poochi” about reaching the 100-fight milestone (the day before he lost his 101st bout), about the complexities of being a journeyman and the origins of one of the finest tashes in British boxing.
You already have four fights scheduled for the next month or so. That’s a heck of a schedule…
It’s all just normal for me now. I’ve got a reputation, a bit like Kristian Laight, “Mr Reliable”. You ask me to fight and I’ll say yes and I’ll turn up and I’ll fight. I’m used to that now. It’s what I do. There was a video from the Floyd Mayweather Gym where they congratulated me on 100 fights. Some boxers were taking the p**s out of my losses and none of them could believe my record because you don’t get guys like me over there.
Travelling here, there and everywhere must be a drain.
Being on the motorway bores the s**t out of me. And then there’s the fatigue. After travelling that far you’re naturally tired and then you have to have a fight at the end of it. That isn’t easy to do every week. By the end of last year after all the fights I’d had I was out on my feet. I had it in my head I wanted to get to 99 fights by the end of 2018 and it was hard work by the end.
What goes through your mind in the changing room just before a fight?
The away changing room is a funny place to be but I quite like it. There’s no scrutiny there, no pressure, you’re just left to get on with it. I have a laugh in there, I’m chilled out and that suits my character. The way I see it is that no one in the crowd is there to see me fight. Hardly anyone knows who I am. Boxing crowds are different these days, they’re not there to see boxing they’re there to see one fighter, one friend. And that is not me. The only people who know me are the likes of yourselves who are there to report on the fight. I like that in a way, I just get on with it.
Do you worry about damaging your health along the way?
Of course, it’s always at the back of your mind. I always said if I felt it was affecting me, I would walk away. But I don’t take many punches these days, you develop those skills with experience. But yes, of course, the dangers of the sport are always there, in my
‘THE AWAY CHANGING ROOM IS A FUNNY PLACE, I LIKE IT’
mind. If anything happens to a boxer, I’ll be the first one on social media talking about the dangers of the sport. But I love the sport.
And do you really love it, 100 fights in?
I absolutely love it. I can talk to you, or anyone for that matter, about boxing all day long. It’s all I watch, all I read about. The training is now a chore for me, the cutting weight and all that. Especially when I’m fighting at the weekend I get tired of it dominating everything. My trainer Rich [Farnan] will tell you I’m a bit of a slacker at the training.
So you won’t be going for 200 fights then?
F**k that.
You say that now, but it could soon come around.
True. Never say never I suppose, but in my head 200 seems so far away. It took me a long time to get to 100 because I haven’t always fought so regularly. And now, my body is hurting, it does take it out of you. I’ve always said I’ll stop by the time I’m 30 [he’s 29 this year] and that’s what I intend to do. Also, I won’t be fighting as much this year. I’ve got so many weddings and stag dos coming up that I’m going to. It’s a funny age for that isn’t it? Everyone is getting married and settling down. Not me, though – I can’t reiterate that enough!
You always come across like you’re having the time of your life. But is there a darker side to this business that gets you down?
I am generally really happy. Of course, I have my moments like anyone else, but I’m happy-go-lucky nearly all the time. Always happy. I pride myself on my manners whether I’m buying a cup of coffee or talking to an opponent in the ring after a fight. I’m not confrontational at all and things don’t get me down.
And your moustache is a big part of that character. What was the thinking behind it?
Well, I had a big massive beard a couple of years ago and Halloween was rolling round and, as ever, I’d left it too late to sort out a costume. The year before me and my mate just put on a suit, put a bit of fake blood on our shirts and went as the Kray twins. I put the glasses on and I was Ronnie. It wasn’t the best. So on this particular year I was working in a barber’s shop and I looked at my reflection. I noticed my moustache was pretty overgrown so I asked for some wax to style it. I quite liked it. I thought, ‘F**k it, I can shave my beard off and go as [Charles] Bronson.’ They shaved my beard off and I saw my reflection again. It was uncanny. I was just like Bronson!