BEATING THE VERY BEST
America’s Khalil Coe knocked out the best boxer on the planet in his rst ever international competition. He speaks to Chris Walker
KHALIL COE entered last month’s Chemistry Cup in Germany as an unknown novice with basic experience. A rookie with just over 20 amateur contests, the New Jersey youngster was not expected to cause too much of a stir, but he left the tournament with his profile inflated as he produced the most stunning upset of 2018 as he stopped Cuban great, Julio La Cruz, in the final to collect the competition’s elite prize.
Cruz, one of the most decorated unpaid boxers with an Olympic gold medal and four World championship titles, endured a tough semi-final against Irishman, Joe Ward, but things got worse in the following round as a perfectly timed right hand from Coe robbed Cruz of his senses. Although he beat the count, the referee had seen enough and brought the contest to a close.
“People thought I was going there to be making up the numbers, I was going there to win,” boasted an understandably ecstatic Coe the day after his heroic exploits. “I knew he was the one I wanted to fight so I studied him non-stop in the build-up to the cup. My semi-final finished before his so I took a seat and watched every single move. I couldn’t wait to get in there with him. The finish came a lot sooner than I expected, but the plan was to set up for right hands and once that first one landed, that was all it needed.”
Coe’s passage to Germany has been a muted one with his standing in amateur boxing confined to regional and national success back in his homeland. A product of Jersey City, Coe’s relationship with boxing has not been straightforward. Dedication to his craft has been varied due to familiar nuisances, causing frustration. Periods of inactivity poured doubt on Coe’s initial obsession, but with his status elevated following the Cruz hammering, the 21-year-old has an unobstructed view at what the next two years look like.
“I couldn’t get fights as a kid so sometimes I wouldn’t bother. The only time I could get regular fights is when the national tournaments used to be on because you’d have kids all over the place going in those. I’d enter the tournaments and win them and so far I’ve been champion of my country two times, and if you keep doing well then you get invited along to the national team. There’s always been a belief in me that I could do well in this sport and now I’m concentrating on getting that Olympic gold. Tokyo is all I want to think about and I need 2020 to get here now because I’m going to be so ready for those games,” he said.
A seismic shock due to La Cruz’s lengthy run of dominance, even more surprising is that the German event was the first time Coe had even boxed in an international event. It was his inaugural taste of foreign opposition, and it is the only time he has ever left America. Claiming the scalp of Cruz in only his 25th bout is impressive, but Coe’s lack of accolades, especially compared to his Cuban counterpart, meant little. Khalil announced himself in grand style to followers of amateur boxing.
“My first time going anywhere, the most I’ve probably travelled before that was to a tournament or something, but if I want to be the best then I have to put myself forward for chances like this. They all know who I am now so now they going to see me as a big target, but I’m working far too hard to let this slip and I’m only going to get better. I’ve just beat the best fighter in the world in one round, but I want to do even better than that,” he said.
“I want more experience so that when I go to bigger tournaments against other nations, I’m going to be ready to take everything they put in front of me.”
‘I STUDIED HIM NONSTOP. I WATCHED EVERY MOVE’