‘I was missing out on a lot’
Olympic gold medallist Luke Campbell opens up about his London 2012 memories and his decision to retire from boxing
As the Tokyo 2020 Olympics draw to a close, many athletes will be heading home with a coveted medal in their possession. One person who knows all about the euphoria of victory for Team GB is boxer Luke Campbell. He won gold at London 2012 and became the first British boxer to win the title in his weight division since 1908.
Following his win, Luke, 33, was awarded an MBE by Her Majesty the Queen in 2013, something he calls the “icing on the cake”. But he recently made the difficult decision to retire from boxing to spend more time with his young family.
“I was missing out on so many moments before,”admits Luke – who shares sons Leo, 11, Lincoln, eight, and Levi, 10 months, with wife Lynsey.
Here, Luke opens up about his Olympic memories and hanging up his boxing gloves…
Hi Luke.What are your favourite memories from London 2012?
I’ll never forget being on the podium with my gold medal and crying and laughing at the same time. I was so confused.There’s nothing like it. Winning gold was definitely my career highlight.
How important was it that the games went ahead this year?
It was so important. I’ve been through the four-year cycle and I know the amount of work you put in to get there, so I just felt so sorry for the team when it didn’t go ahead last year. It had to happen this year.
You received an MBE in 2013. Tell us about that moment…
It was a very proud moment that
I got to share with my wife, mum and dad.That’s the last memory I have of me, my wife and my parents all being together as my dad wasn’t very well and passed away in 2017.
It’s lovely you have that memory. And the Queen awarded you your MBE…
That really was the icing on the cake. To receive it from the Queen was unbelievable. Not many people can say they’ve met the Queen. I didn’t expect her to say anything but she was asking me all about my training and tournaments I had coming up.
You recently announced you’re retiring from boxing...
I’m feeling good about it now, but I’ve had my fair share of going to bed
‘Winning gold was definitely my career highlight’
crying about it. It’s something I’ve done for 22 years and it’s who I am, but I’m loving being at home with my family and being able to take the boys to football and golf. I’ve missed out on so many moments up until now.
Had you been thinking about this for a long time?
I’d been planning my exit from boxing for the last 15 years. From a young lad I’ve known there are a lot of fighters who continue way longer than they should and they suffer mentally. I’ve always said to myself,“You can’t be one of those guys who needs to go to rehab because they’ve stopped boxing and started drinking or taking drugs or mentally going down a bad route.” Now I can concentrate on my family.
Was spending more time with your family a big factor in your decision?
It was the sole reason. I felt like I was wasting time on training camps that could have been spent with my family. I’m at the age now where I was feeling lonely when I was away because I wasn’t with Lynsey and the boys. I was missing out on the kids growing up.
Were you there for the kids’ births?
With Levi I was there for the full duration. With Leo I was in a training camp in France in preparation for the Olympics. I’d only been there for six hours and my coach came into my room and said,“Luke, your wife is going into labour,”and just walked out. It was a two-hour drive to the airport but I got on the first flight I could. I landed in Liverpool and had a two-hour drive and Lynsey gave birth when I was an hour away.
Can you see any of the boys following in your boxing footsteps?
Not really. I tried to get them in the gym and doing a bit of training but they’re just not interested. From a young age I’ve always thought if I can make all the sacrifices then my children don’t have to. Boxing is a hard sport and I think if I’ve done it, why do they have to do it? I just want them to enjoy whatever they do.You don’t need to be going off getting punched in the face and starving yourself to make weight.They’ve got a very different upbringing to what I had. My mum struggled to get dinner money for us for school every day. The boys are in a different position thanks to myself and Lynsey and the hard work we’ve put in. My goal as an amateur was to be Olympic champion and as a professional boxer it was to provide for my family. I’ve done both. Finally, what’s next for you following your retirement?
I’ve enjoyed commentating before so I think I could be good at that. I’ve also got my own gym in Hull called Coolhand Fit24, which I want to turn into a national chain, as well as a few other business plans, so I’m busy.