Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Meet the boxer who’s making a big impact
Coach has world title aspirations for protégé
B o x i n g ’s next heavyweight superstar is a 6ft 6in, 18-stone manmountain who doesn’t eat meat and has swapped life in the Democratic Republic of Congo for the tranquillity of Greengairs.
No, this isn’t the plot for the next instalment in the Rocky series – rather the assertion of Airdrie-based boxing coach Billy Nelson.
That’s how highly the trainer who guided Ricky Burns to his first world title regards Martin Ilunga, the 25-year-old pescatarian with dynamite in his fists who is using Airdrie as the launch pad of his quest to become a boxing champion.
Martin arrived in June after signing to the Nelson stable and maintained his unblemished record on Saturday night by stopping Dominic Akinlade in the first round of their bout in Manchester.
The seeds for Ilunga’s career have already been planted and the unbeaten fighter believes Monklands is the perfect place to see it blossom.
He told the Advertiser: “I have really settled here.
“I enjoy it in Greengairs; it is very quiet and I have a nice flat so I feel at home.
“The weather is a bit different but I don’t mind it.
“There are nice people and I love going to the gym and working hard.”
He continued: “I am learning all the time and Billy is a great coach for me.
“I’m spending time in the gym and my performance levels are improving.
“We prepared very well for my fight in Manchester on Saturday and everything went as planned.
“We took our time with our preparations and worked hard for the result we achieved.
“I am confident that working with Billy can help me challenge to become a world champion.
“Every boxer wants that so I need to work hard and do what God asks me to do.”
Billy agreed the pair make a good team and continued: “Martin is the most natural fighter I’ve ever seen and he will be a world champion one day.
“He’s got the size, physique and speed. He’s like lightning.
“He has a phenomenal talent and a fantastic boxing brain to go with it.
“That combination will take him a long way and we are hoping that by the end of 2018 we have a date arranged for a world title fight.
“Martin will have a big promoter behind him soon and the ball will start rolling on that.”
It’s a bold prediction from Billy, even more so if you take into account Martin’s dietary habits.
The 18-stone heavyweight explained: “I don’t eat meat.
“To be honest, I don’t eat too often and tend to focus more on my training.
“I eat a lot of fish, rice and vegetables when I eat and get all my food from an African shop called Solly’s in the west end of Glasgow.”
An incredulous Billy added: “Martin is just a bit of a freak I suppose!
“I really don’t know how he has amassed his muscle and for his size he eats very little.
“Having so much ability and a great work-rate makes up for it and all the other boys in the gym recognise that.
“They all really like him too; Martin is a very friendly guy and everyone in the gym has a lot of time for him.
“We all know he’ll go on to achieve great things.”