AIR DATE:
EPISODE: Episode 41
Joining Mike and Cedric in the studio is Calum Jordan French, a British amateur boxer. He is currently an active member of the GB Boxing podium squad, having represented Great Britain in four WSB fights.
Watch Knuckle Up’s Mike Orr and Cedric Benn, who always discuss up-and-coming young, hungry, and (usually) undefeated boxers during his live daily show at 4pm EST (9pm UK) on TalkinFight.com or YouTube.com/c/TalkinFight
https://talkinfight.com/calum-french-live-interview-knuckle-up-with-mike-and-cedric-talkin-fight/
#TalkinFight #KnuckleUp #CalumFrench
@calumfrench_
Transcribed:
[, Music ], hello, boxing fans around the world.
Thank you once again joining us here on talk and fight for another episode of knuckle up.
Today we have a very special guest in the den with cedric ben young man out of team gb’s uh ranks now he’s pro he’s here to talk about his career and how he’s got how he’s doing? Quite frankly, how are you doing? Oh, it looks like he’s frozen you there, kelly, oh no, oh, no, refresh refresh the page um but yeah.
We have calum french um, uk boxer.
Doing very very well in this query.
He’S wan na know right now: um, but um.
You know his skill level shows shows a higher level than that and um.
Hopefully he can hop on here to elaborate a little bit more on on his professional career.
He’S one and all right now had uh had a tough, tough, debut against um, get to his opponent’s name here: roostin fat um who callum french.
He clearly won the match um, and that was his uh.
That was his pro debut and here he is perfect.
Welcome to the show, welcome to the show um champ um.
Well, you know, take us, take us back to the beginning.
How did you first get involved in the sport and why uh it’s a good story? Actually it happened.
I started in this kitchen right here um.
I don’t know if it was air in the us, but there was a series on on telly in the uk called the contender series with uh sylvester stallone and uh sugary leonard, yes, yeah yeah.
You just watched that they just they saw what had like albe mora in um alfonso gomez, peter manfredo.
So maybe brother used to watch that in the living room and uh after the after the main fights at the end.
We used to come in the kitchen here and uh.
We didn’t have two pairs of gloves only had one pair of gloves, so we used to have to use one glove each one of my mom’s slippers each and we used to come in the kitchen, yeah and then and fight in the kitchen, and i used to Ask them i used to say: can you take us up with a little boxing club, 20 years old and then he took us up? I was only nine at the time you had to be tempted to start.
So when i went into the local boxing club, i lied about the age.
I said.
Oh, i said i’m ten and then because i wanted, if i wanted a box so much and they said uh yesterday’s my date of birth and i just went completely done.
I didn’t even think that anything like that, so i got the date of birth wrong in any way anybody lying on it.
I went.
I i’m nine.
He went way if anyone asks in the gym make sure you tell them you’re ten and then went from there start.
Today i started at a club called high fell.
I went to a boxing club uh.
I had me first five or six fights for them and then i moved to berkeley boxing club where me korea took off a bit.
I am, i started winning national titles for berkeley and won a few junior national titles and books for my country.
After that wait, wait, wait.
Wait you kind of you’re kind of skipping your head.
How much between you first coming into the gym and like having your your actual first match.
I i saw like i said i was nine when i started and you have to be 11, the box.
So when i went in the gym, when i was nine and i trained for two years in the gym before i had my first boat when i was 11.
and uh won my first boat, and i remember that experience, it was in a working man’s club uh.
I don’t know if you know much about white men’s clubs over here in the uk, but they just stay well.
The old blokes go for a piss off.
Basically i got you, i think that’s you’re good.
I remember you, you allowed a smoke inside then as well.
So when you come in at the box, it was like the full room was just filled with small.
It was like yeah, you smoked a 20 bucks, a lamb butler before you got in the box.
You know what i mean, but eh aye aye yeah.
That was my first experience of air actually actual contests in that nice yeah.
Like i say, i moved after a couple of years that i felt i wasn’t getting that many fights there, so i moved to the amateur boxing club and don’t know if you guys know much about berkeley, but it’s one of the most successful clubs in the country.
Um, most national champions train the most national champions, most team members on team gb.
So i started boxing a birthday and won me: first, junior national title and and then went from there boxed from the country a few times as a junior and all the way through the senior okay well might have cut off a bit.
Just the champ was just talking about his uh international success.
Um is some of his competitions.
He had at uh at the international level.
It’S actually funny.
I was just gon na ask him about that, because i have his uh.
I got his highlights on on my other laptop over here.
I was gon na.
Ask him about that um so, hopefully comes back in a couple of minutes, like i said he’s that pardon me graham, i was just curious whether he went to the olympics was he part, the uh, the olympic team that went uh, no um, oh here he is Where was it, where did i get up to there? You just started to get onto the international senior competitions at the international scene, yeah.
So i am.
I won my first senior national championship, uh, which put us number one in england in like the men’s category.
In the seniors and then broke onto the international scene and and then won me first few tournaments for jb, i went unbeaten for quite a while for jb uh 35 fights.
I went on a 35 fight.
Unbeaten win streak um, which was halted in 2017 by a man called yuri shestak from the ukraine in the european semi-finals.
They have a strong ukraine as a strong amateur team right.
So yeah, that’s uh.
I was a tough bloatware.
I boxed him earlier on the air.
I boxed him in the stranger tournament in bulgaria and i beat him and then the rematch was in the european semi-finals in ukraine in his hometown and he beat us on a three-two split, which i thought i wouldn’t like.
But it’s on youtube.
You have a watch of it, it’s a good fight, it’s a close fight like, but it was one of them because either way yeah when you, when you lose when you lose a split decision in the other person’s hometown, you know you know you basically kind of Won but uh, oh yeah, you’ve got to swallow it i got out.
I got out the ring because uh the baby say over here in england.
They cover the european championships in the world championships.
So when i got out the ring the baby bbc came up, it was with a mic and they were like callum.
You are hard done by there.
Was it because uh were the judges on his side because it was in his hometown, and i thought to myself: he wants me to just see.
Oh, i got robbed.
I got robbed this that, but i just swallowed it and said: listen.
He was the better kid on the night and, and he got the nod yeah i mean if he can scream and robbery and that people just say it was a close fight.
It could have went either way.
You know what i mean.
You’Ve got to take the air got ta roll with the punches in these amateurs.
You don’t get any decisions going your way in there in that eastern europe exactly exactly um, i usually usually when i’m talking to a boxer i have.
I have two laptops set up on my other laptop here.
I have uh, i usually have the boxers highlights on so i got.
I was watching your your pro debut before now.
I have this fight with uh enrico la cruz uh.
This was in the the finals finals, it doesn’t say where but um that was in lithuania.
That was me last amateur tournament before turning pro and it was called the soccercast tournament involved in lithuania and la cruz.
Actually, that was the third time i’d boxed him and i boxed him in a few earlier.
International competitions, uh beaten three times so he’s probably hates me uh, but he he’s a good fighter.
He’S inexperienced fighters.
Yeah he’s beat the two olympics him and he has meddled like, but he’s he’s got that he’s got that amateur experience and he was a decent fighter, nice, nice and then speaking of the olympics.
I know team gb is loaded like they like last olympics.
You guys were either in the finals or in you know, silver or bronze in almost all all the finals matches um, but i know it’s tough, just just getting on to the team, especially in your weight class um.
So that was that that was just a situation where you know you could have went, but, like you and um, i forget which one of the mccormick brothers was in your weight class.
But basically either one of you guys could have went correct, yeah, yeah, so um from after the rio olympics in 2016.
I was the number one at 60 kilos.
So i was the number one at 60.
.
Luke was the number one at 64.
and pat was the number one at 69.
, and so, as we drew closer to this 2020 olympics, i had it in my head.
I was going at 60 and luke was going to 64.
.
I was going 69, but the year before the olympics, the uh ie back deciding to change the weights around.
Oh, yes, yes, dude, agenda equality.
Two weights had to get taken out of men’s, to add two weights to the women’s, so 60 kilos was one of them weights, so my weight got taken out, which meant i had to move up to 63, which was already occupied by loot like luke luke was At 64.
, so he um he um.
He had like random points in that that way already, so it would have been hard to knock him off that spot at 63 kilo.
So i didn’t get it.
I didn’t get a chance to go to the olympics.
I was meant to go over as a sparring partner to help luke and that prepare, but i caught covered uh a couple of weeks before i meant to go so i was just like that far.
It just wasn’t meant to be that you all for me like.
Well, this could be kind of like a um sort of a blessing in disguise because, like normally when guys come out of the olympics, especially when they they put up a good showing like the mccormick brothers did, you know everyone knows who they are, so they already Have a target on their back in your situation like me personally, i do i do my best to keep up with all the top boxes pro and amateur.
You know you you kind of slipped under the ranks under my radar, so i didn’t hear about you, but so i’m saying that might work in your favor as right.
Not too many people know about you going into the pro ranks.
I might might think you know.
Might take you lightly, not knowing that uh, you know not knowing your skill level is is uh just as as high as as the top guys coming in um, so you know might work in your favor to sneak up on people.
Oh, i think he paused again.
Did you notice that did you notice that rey has asked a couple of questions here? Oh no, i don’t.
I didn’t have my thing on um: oh look, who it is anyway, uh ray’s asking who is tougher de la cruz or suffering omaha [, Music ] mike uh.
I was doing my best to uh hold it down and you held it.
You held it down brother.
You held it down, i was watching.
I was watching you held it down technical difficulties.
Well, you know, you know what it is technically worldwide.
Apparently yeah.
I know man there.
It is he’s [, Music ].
I do my best to keep up with it with the top boxers at the pro and the amateur level.
Um you kind of slipped through you know under my radar uh.
Just because, like i said i, you know, i knew all the guys from from team gb and you know just because at the olympics – and you know the big tournaments um so going into the pro level, the mccormick brothers.
You know they already have a target on their back, because everyone always already knows who they are.
What i’m saying with you, it might work in your favor, just kind of slipping under the radar people, not knowing who you are and might take you lightly, not knowing that your skill level is just as high as as those other guys right.
So it might might work in your favor to try to sneak up on them like that.
Well, i definitely made.
Obviously i went to all the um all the major tournaments in that that the the rest of the team went.
It was just obviously what happened with the weights when they changed the weight around that that that took away me opportunity to go to the olympics, but, like they say it was a blessing in disguise.
Today, it fueled the fire army belly, like as when i didn’t go to them olympics.
It was like right.
Why is the next step, i’m not standing on ceremony? What what what’s the next? What’S the next move and there the next move was there was to turn paul with there.
My true interest, we have a question in our chat from uh from ray from the uk, who also has his own podcast too.
His question is um, who was tougher between de la cruz and sofiane, umija, yeah, um, definitely sophia, and i boxed the cruise um three times and beaten three times.
I boxed sophian the once in the european union finals and sophian was one of the one of the best boxers i’ve ever been in the ring with to be honest, um olympic silver medalist and won uh countless um gold medals.
He won a world world gold medal.
Beating them lazaro alvarez in the final you know it was a very small, really yeah yeah, and can you say what can you say so i apologize for cutting you off um.
But what can you say like uh um, because you said he’s the best boxer you’ve been in there with like what what exactly about and was it the was it the speed? Was it just him being smart? Was it the power? What um, what exactly separated him for you to say that he was clearly the people and he’s judgment.
The distance he’s timing, he’s um he’s patience.
He was you you, he wouldn’t.
I was trying to draw him in and throw him in, but he wouldn’t he’d.
Never come, he would just do it and wait on you and count here and the speed of the counter he’s.
He he’s a very clever fighter, he’s um, let’s say he’s probably the best best box, i’ve ever boxed, not not the best.
I’Ve ever been in the room with like of air.
I’Ve been over to your shows.
Before uh, i went over there colorado in 2017 and 2018 okay and to train, obviously with team jb to train with the uh, the usa squad in their olympic training center and uh.
I don’t the first year i went.
I’Ve done a few rounds with duke duke reagan, yes, yeah very good fighter.
In the second year i went over.
I’Ve done some rounds with shakua and uh keyshawn davis as well.
So nice.
Oh, you got some good sparring in nice, nice, you see what i mean.
That’S what i mean.
These are the little things that uh that people don’t know like you know.
Nobody knows your name yet, but you’ve been in the ring sparring with the best guys you’ve competed at the highest level, yeah yeah, i’m.
I got my money on you, a lot of good advice, all the time and he’s got a lot of fighters and a lot of fighters there.
I think he’s taking a few of them pro as well.
Now, so good luck to all them lads there.
No doubt my mind they’ll be able to champ inside their terrific.
I wanted to ask fighters quick question from ray uh mike it’s a quick question from ray um rutherford.
Yes, you want to ask how good of a coach is graham rutherford, yeah yeah, oh cream’s, the man behind the magic man he indeed under the radar, so much korean, because i he doesn’t.
He doesn’t like the spotlight in that day, but um he’s he’s the best coach.
I’Ve ever worked with better.
Obviously, all the coaches knocked down the gb squad now that i’ve got a lot of time for them, they’re very, very good coaches and experienced international coaches, but then graham’s technical side in that and nothing really comes close to it.
To be honest, obviously, he’s trained all train mark dickinson and he’s trained all of us up there through leading up to going on gb from from when we’ve been kids – and it’s not like he was like hard were more good fighters.
He was given.
We were given to him when were like, like really young kids and he scoped sculpted, with styles and sculpted, with character and um yeah and who are today so like massive respect to him and their wall off to him, not just not just in the ring out.
The ring as well to use not know this but um.
I was working at a factory uh when i was about 18 and i got let go so.
Graham was a scrap man at the time, so graham gives a job waiting with him on the squat, and then i was practicing for my driving test.
I had your driving test coming up, so he was letting us drive the scrap barn round so the day before we test, it’s been pouring down the rain and basically the faster you get round the round the faster you get home so i’ll, be flying around round Around and uh it’s been poured over and there’s no tread on the tires.
I’Ve come off around about, and i’ve been sneaky in the scrap vine along the road completely lost control of it went flying off the road and loads of trees and completely wrought it off.
Oh, i i had to get towed away and everything, but and then i’ll pass me test.
The next year, [ Laughter, ], now they’ve been a pretty much noobs, eh, obviously the twins and mark they went down a different path.
Now, they’re training down and down in london, with ben davidson and but uh, i’m still a bitly with graham and cyrus patterson still ability as well.
So i think we’re staying there for now.
I i’ve been don’t change it.
If it’s not broken, that’s do you know how long they were scouting you before they wanted to sign yeah.
Yes, so much room had a m who’s management me career now, uh charlie simms he’s be.
He had been coming down sheffield since about 2018.
talking to us and asking like what the plans were and like saying saying what i’m going to be doing so.
He’S um, managing me, korea now and he’s the son of tony sims, the trainer from the mushroom gym.
Yeah uh so uh i either like that.
I say since 2018 i think i was in.
I was talking to charlie about wondering what i was doing.
I didn’t know whether i was turning pro i was here.
I wanted to go at the olympics.
That was the plan when i was at 60 kilo.
I was the number one there, so i was thinking i’m going to go to the olympics and then turn pro when 60 kilo were taken out.
It was like a crossroads.
I wasn’t really sure what i was doing and i know gb was quite key to keep us on for another cycle right.
It wouldn’t have left as much time to make a dent in the pro game.
So i just made the decision to turn over like nice.
Um, so so what are some of the short-term goals that uh you? You and the matchroom team have uh in in set in the next say six months to a year? What are you guys planning how many times you want to fight? Where are you gon na fight um? I want to be as active as possible.
Uh this year, like i want to be as busy as possible, and i see i think i’ve got four six rounders two eight round dozen two ten round doesn’t mean contract yeah.
That could be all that i can be moved quicker if needs be, and hopefully i want to be boxing for a title in the next 18 months – 18 months, two years uh but like let us say this year is about activity.
It’S about uh activity, consistency.
I want to be boxing as much as i can getting as much experience as i can in the pros, because it’s a different game and that you’ve got to learn the tricks and not completely different.
I learned a lot in my first fight now that it’s a tougher game than that, how much a game and you’ve got to prepare better you’ve got to you’ve got to be fit.
Are you going to be stronger to it’s more like a fight? I i heard someone saying not long ago, i’m gon na try boxing’s like a chess match and professional boxing’s war.
Basically, yes, yes, it is.
I was because my next question was was was going to ask you like.
What do you see is um is the biggest difference between the amateur and the pro level, but you just answered it right there.
You know you’re right because in in in three rounds it’s a high pace, but it’s high-paced chess match because you know there’s not too many knockouts.
You know we’re gon na hurry up and get some points and and not get hit um at the pro level.
You’Re right, it is work because it’s you know, you’re going even though you’re still in between four and six rounds right now, eventually you’re going to be spreading that spreading that out to more rounds.
So you got to be able to.
You know think your way through to the war, like you said, all right, um just going back to um, i’m a boxing coach myself.
So i appreciate hearing about other other good coaches like like grant rutherford um you mentioned before about you, know your different style, and this is something that that mike noticed too.
You know the different style that you have.
You know specifically.
You know like that that uh, that sneak uppercut, that you do, i mean everyone could throw a nice uppercut, but the way you do it, you know it’s different and um.
You know i’m assuming is that a? Is that a a? Is that a grand rutherford trick? Yeah? Yes, yes, yes or is it is that i obviously just thought working on everything in the gym.
Men we’ve been waiting on like we’re going to be inside the game, because, as an armored child was very, i was very long range.
I i didn’t really work much on the inside, but obviously you’ve got all of that in the pros and you’re going to have to box on you, even though, like i that’s probably still me um my best boxing ability is to box long, but yeah, i’m going To have to adapt and box on the inside sometimes as well, because, obviously you need to win the pros.
You’Ve got it.
You’Ve got to work inside and you’ve got it.
You’Ve got to stay busy, so i we’re just working on that test that you look overcut in the gym and when it comes inside, just let it go as soon as he’s inside got a punch first on the inside really like can’t let him get his weight Off first, so as soon as the inside, let him go yeah there was there was there was one combo specifically that i watched you throw and it was he countered him with that inside left and then you backed out and then threw the jab quick and then Wow, just that straight left drilled, the guy then like your ability to bounce back and come in was was really quick man.
It’S really fast.
What kind of drills do you do to work on that on on gaining that kind of speed to be able to close that distance so quickly, like that yeah and so with bernie being an amateur gym originally, when all the way through we’ve been drilled, these footwork Drills, so it’s been like since we’ve been like, since i’ve been like 12 12 years old we’ve been in and out on the feet fast feet, so i’ve been working on footwork we’ve worked on footwork for the past like 10 years or something in and out fast Feet in and out jump the distance and count i like fade and count if they encounter.
So i think that that that itself has just been drilled in it was over the year over the years and then [, Music, ] and just started getting great ingredients and green and is now like yeah, that’s a great great fundamentals from a great coach man.
That’S that’s really right good base.
You need a good base to be a champ, definitely solid base.
Yeah! That’S right! That’S right! Um! What um, okay, so for the people out there that don’t know really know who you are.
What would you say would represent your best performance in the ring so far what opponent a4, i’m not really sure.
If you watch um somebody wsv’s, not a box well and somebody wsb’s.
Obviously you can watch that pro debut, that’s a good performer.
Obviously, it’s not against a massive color, because i was boxing quite a high caliber of opponent in the amateurs and he wasn’t as high.
Obviously, when you start out in the pros you’re, not boxing at that high in the national level as an amateur but um yeah boxed in there, some major competitions all over the world against some of the top top lads and then in the lightweight division.
So you can probably find some of the fights.
Are there on youtube and yeah? You should stop it well, the one i was talking about before the blue, who ended the 35 winning winning streak and that’s on youtube in the uh european semi-finals uh, where i lost on a 3-2 split and that’s a good fight to watch as well.
So uh you can find uh find some bigger performances on youtube.
I think, like our friend, our friend, ray nachetta, is mentioning your aba final versus mcgrail in the liverpool great performance yeah, i that was a that was a that was a tough fight against peter i’m good friends with peter now.
So that was like my breakthrough onto the gb to get us onto the gb team, so i wasn’t on gb at the time and then that was my first senior and national title, and so i boxed p and the final pete.
I was already on jb at the time and uh.
I beat him in liverpool and it was a.
It was a tough fight but uh.
I say that got us onto the jb team and made his break under the international scene.
Nice, nice, nice.
Any plans on um you already traveled to north america for some great sparring, like you mentioned before, um any plans on on coming back for a training camp or anything like that.
I have, as you can see, i have a gym here that you can use too much.
Obviously, everyone knows the american gyms are the the best for the prosper, and so, if i get the opportunity to go over there, i will i’ll jump at the chance straight away, because i know it’s tough sparring over there and then you’ve got a plen plenty of Good pros, so it can only bring us on obviously, but the only way to come on in anything in any sport and anything you do is to be in there with people like who are either on the same level easier or a higher level, which brings you On so you you want to be pushing for that tough sparring.
All the time and usc is where the trustworthiness is, what um? What do you think? What do you think separates you from every other athlete in your weight class me like me.
Mindset me drive um, a lot of fighters have got the um.
They’Ve got the ability, but i haven’t got the dedication.
A lot of fighters have got the dedication, but they haven’t got the ability out.
I honestly believe i’ve got the full package and i’ve got the air got the ability and i think i’ve got the dedication to go with it.
I’Ve cranked it up even more since i left jb, then completely dedicated myself to the sport today.
Everything i do is just yeah towards, and how can i make myself better? How can i make myself stronger? How can i recover better from each session? You know what i mean: everything’s um everything’s geared towards like if i in training come everything’s geared towards the next session, helping you recover better for the next session.
How can i perform better and the next session you’re going to meet so just that that that dedication and the the the escape the skill set to go with it? Yeah um, you got a fight coming up in uh in march, um opponent, not yet determined or do you know, or are you not allowed to see it yet? No, i haven’t been to be honest with you.
I haven’t been given an opponent yet like last time.
Uh in the first fight, i didn’t get the opponent until like the last couple of weeks before the fight, but it doesn’t really matter too much to me because when you’re boxing, these international competitions for gb, like you go to the you, go the way in your Way – and you get the draw, so you don’t know who you’re fighting until a couple hours before you right.
The the tournament starts anyway.
So i’m used to not knowing who i’m fighting and just adapting well on the day, but obviously we’ll probably have a a couple of weeks to er to have a look at the opponent when when we get it through and then agreeable father motor game plan.
For but the other game plan for the big win mike – and i also have a sunday show called knockout of the week so hopefully you’ll be on there with your after your next performance, yeah man, i’m thinking so i’m thinking.
So i think it’s going to be a nice fancy.
One very very highlight reel: ask me yeah that counter uppercut man that counter uppercut would be a nice pretty one.
That’S always a pretty one, because the minute you step out of the way he just falls i’ll be looking for that now, [ Laughter, ], definitely um tell them.
Do you want to be loved or you want to be feared in your career uh? It doesn’t really matter to me, you know me and as long as i as long as i just be myself and and get in the ring and get the wins, you can love, as he in fear is you you can think what you want about.
Is you yeah, bro uh, we’ll get him back in a second man i had because i had technical difficulties myself couldn’t even get on what other um.
What other stats? Can you tell us about callum um yo? Let me tell you, let me tell you a little bit, let me let me refresh everybody.
Yes, please yo calum callum was a european bronze medalist in 2017 and he enjoyed a 35 fight winning streak from 2012 to 2017.
For oh we’re just going over how, for five years you were dominant, i mean 35 fight, win streak dominant, yes and uh, we’re just letting the letting the audience know again how dominant you were in your amateur career.
If they don’t know who you are just take us through that zone, because you know most people, most people can’t just fathom having going through a single boxing match itself but like, and not only did you go through a 35 winning streak, but it’s 35 wins at A high level, not just regular club, shows so can you just obviously physically it’s one thing, but you know: can you just talk to us like mentally, like how how much of a zone were you in to be able to stay? You know that that that focus for that yeah yeah just um it was, i think, winning’s a habit uh.
I think once you get it, it is once you get into it in your mindset in the winning mindset.
It’S it’s very tough to get out of it, and and when you it’s a, it was a tough one as well, because when you’re winning a lot, you lose the like.
Not the love, love for winning.
But now, when you, when you, when you you come to lose, you realize how much, how much you loved winning like when you when you won a few on the bounce like you’re winning, it’s like! Yes, yes, when you lose, you think how good was winning, how i want to get back to the winning ways and that that that’s what um it made us realize how much i loved winning when i got took that loss in the in the europeans and yeah, Which it was a tough one to swallow, but you’ve got to you’ve, got to take them defeated and make them make you stronger and you’ve got to feel forward and feel feel, let’s say feel for one push on from it make sure you learn from every defeat And because that’s where the lessons are in the defeats, i say when you’re winning all the time, there’s not as many lessons in it right when you start losing, you start realizing, that’s where the lessons are and that’s where you grow.
Your growth comes from you, your defeats in your in the lessons.
What’S uh, what’s what do you think the greatest lesson that you’ve learned from any of your losses is um? Oh, that is a good question.
Uh, just like i say just just to not take it.
For for granted, because when you, when you win all the time, i don’t i don’t know, if you i don’t know if i was taking it for granted and then when i lost that’s when you realized, so it’s you you’ve got to keep your mind in that Winning winning mindset you’ve got to you.
You’Ve got to keep, i don’t know like, i can’t think back now, but i i don’t know if i’ve slapped off in training in a little bit or if i you know something like that happened, i don’t think i would have played, because i i’m not that Type of kid you know i mean i, i put everything in every training camp for each fight and both like thinking about, i might have like little things i might have missed leading up to it and which might mean as a i get to get the loss.
But yeah not like i say, that’s where you learn from it in it yeah true um, with um with when it comes to your career.
I know it’s going to be a long one you’re just starting out now.
I know you have no thoughts of it, but eventually, when you’re ready to hang up the gloves um.
What do you want to be remembered for in the sport? What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind um? I think i just want to be remembered for like boxing like not never talking anyone boxing everyone and being in some classic fights being in some tough fights, uh being a world champion that that is the main goal i want.
I want to be world champion and just let us hear just boxing everyone boxing the best, not dumping.
Anyone like.
Obviously you say these days because there’s so many governing bodies a lot of you, you get away with boxing easier fights and stuff, but i want to be one of them where now i’ll be game to fight anyone, keena’s mustang, to fight anyone, and i think that’s How you want to be, i think, that’s where, like you determine who the best is right, yeah right, like with all the politics going on in boxing what are like some of the some of the biggest challenges that you’ve faced so far in your career that have Been like you know, kind of politically upheld and, or you know like how the politics affected you the most.
What what’s the word? What’S been the worst so far? Oh, did we freeze? Oh, it might have froze again.
Maybe maybe the question was too serious the powers that be don’t want him to answer that yeah.
I know i know you know the boxing world’s like listen mike.
You can’t be asking that kind of stuff leave the politics out of the game.
People well we’ll get him back in a minute, we’ll find out what the answer to that question is and what it was is.
What is the greatest challenge that he’s faced today, uh with all the politics in boxing and uh, what kind of political [ __ ] have they put him through or um stopped him from doing that? No, i’m! I’M just guessing right now, because he’s early in this query, he hasn’t really faced any of that stuff.
Yet where i think it’s gon na affect him is later on, when he’s probably about uh uh, you know 12 13 fights in and he’s getting ready for to.
For a championship and then and then and then people realize who they’re up against they’re, not they’re not going to be too willing to get in the ring with uh with mr french and that’s where you’re going to find find problems, go ahead.
Ask him mike now he’s back yes, so um greatest challenge that you faced um, you know political or non-political have have you been stopped from fighting certain people? Have people been stopped from fighting you like just run us through some of the politic [ __ ] in boxing yeah, definitely um the biggest um political decision that was made in my career, therefore like that was the biggest effect on my career.
So, as i was explaining to um ben and that before uh, when i was training for the olympics, i was four years old from the olympics.
I was the number one at 60 kilo for for four years and i was the number one at 60.
.
Luke was the number one at 64.
and pat was the number one at 69.
and but the year before the olympics, they took 60 kilo out.
So i had to move up into 64 right 63 kilo, the merge 64 160 together to make 63 and but obviously luke was closer to that weight and was established already at that weight.
So it meant i couldn’t go the olympics, which had been a dream of mine since i’ve been nine years old and like since, since i walked into that gym.
Since i lied about the age when i was nine years old against my gym.
All i thought about was the olympic site, obviously uh long-term goals, and that would turn pro after the olympics, but because the olympics was me first school, that’s all i’d ever thought about.
I want to go to the olympics.
I want a medal at the olympics and then gopro and so having that taken away from his uh like the year before the olympics and being being so close to getting it and then having it ripped away from his end.
That was, it was a tough one to swallow, but you know like a lot of connection.
It’S it’s it’s the witching hour! That’S why it’s the witching hour! Folks, that’s where that’s where everybody just got home from work and everybody’s on the internet, all at once: [, Music, ], basically yeah! I think we’ll get him back here in a second uh.
We’Re gon na we’re gon na.
Ask him a couple more questions.
I’M gon na wrap up because i know he’s uh he’s a very busy man and uh.
You know he’s got probably fight camp starting in a week or so so yeah.
I got ta get going a couple minutes here, myself, yeah, so uh yeah, we’ll ask you a couple more questions.
As soon as we get them back and uh and yeah we’ll go from there.
Man did, he say: did he have a name? Oh no.
There was no name for his next opponent: uh, no, not yet not yet, and he doesn’t care.
You know he’s just going to get in there and do what he does best and that smash people out man honestly, you know the great uh the kid the kid’s.
Actually, a really good boxer man he’s got great ring iq can’t wait to see him back in the ring there.
He is yes callum we’re really we’re gon na we’re gon na.
Not keep you too much longer because i know you’re such a busy man and i know you got this fight coming up in a month that you got to prep for and and you know you can only talk so long because you know you got to get You got to get some sleep.
I know it’s probably what 10 11 o’clock over there right now so um.
Honestly, i wanted to ask um: was such a highly decorated amateur career? What was it like? Um uh, balancing your like academic um, you know uh goals and your academic career uh with boxing.
How was it hard to do both and not predict? No, no, no, not particularly like, obviously, that i was um i used to have to run before school.
So i used to do me running before school, go to school and go to the gym after school, so it wasn’t too bad and i ended up getting me.
Gts season didn’t do too bad at school like but um.
I was just.
I obviously missed out on a lot uh growing up now with obviously ali me.
It’S not going out and you missed out on your youth a bit, but that’s like one of the sacrifices you’ve.
You’Ve got to be uh willing, willing to make, and it didn’t really bother us that much to be honest, i i’ve been lucky enough to have the gym to go to like a lot of people around my my area and that they didn’t have gyms and that To go to and didn’t have boxing gloves to be in and they’ve ended up going down the wrong path of drugs and alcohol and on yeah that ended up like like so some have ended up dead and aliens.
You know what i mean so yeah like i.
I see them sacrifices of sacrificing you for a bit.
They were perfect because i had somewhere to go.
I had like a like a salvage point.
You know what i mean i i i had somewhere to turn to and then yeah about to see how.
How were you uh, you know with all the distractions and stuff like that, how how were you able to stay focused and not get caught up in um in those distractions? But you know you kind of said it just you know.
Just thinking about your goals and and the boxing gym that helped you stay focused um was it? Was there anything else? Obviously your coach was it was.
It was a great uh inspiration outside of the ring too so was it? Was it those two main things like just just knowing that you had a gym to go to and a coach that had your back inside and out of the ring, i’m assuming that was there were the main things that helped you stay stay focused.
I i was the drive to win the national titles as well, because when i’m, when i moved to berkeley from the first club yeah, all them were already national champions and i was singing for like national national champion.
These are the best in the country like i.
I want to be, i want to be doing what they’re doing so, it’s the competitive side of us now, i’m a very competitive person, so i was saying when i got there, they were all national champions already.
I was thinking i wan na.
I want a piece of that cake.
You know what i mean, so it was that driving as i i was thinking when we meets, were going out with the drinking that i was like i’m not even asked about that.
I want to be a national champion.
Well, i want to do what the lads in the gym are doing.
I want to be boxing for england.
You know i want to be both the europeans, the worlds i want an osmo gun on the drink me just want to be chump.
I just want to be the champ honestly, you know that’s recipe for success.
Man i mean you need a lot of willpower.
You need to be able to uh stay, focused and definitely you’re showing that man, especially with you, know the the highly decorated amateur career that you’ve had been.
You know uh what seven 17 national tournaments or something like that 14 golds and then you know a 35 fight five-year win streak.
Like that’s that’s dedication, man, that’s that’s pure dedication and uh.
Honestly, i can’t wait to watch the rest of your pro career.
It’S gon na be great man seriously.
I think he froze again, but uh we’ll get him back in a second.
So we can.
We can actually say bye to him.
Yeah yeah yeah, we’ll get him back just to close it out.
Yeah man, that’s good man.
I’M great uh great that great that thanks for putting me on to him, yeah and uh and and ray and ray shout out to yes, yeah great.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Bring us on to calum french man.
It’S been a slice yeah and ray thanks for coming on uh on tuesday man to join us uh.
In the meantime, when we’re waiting for him to get back, oh there, he is perfect there.
He is thanks a lot yeah! That’S awesome! Great great answer! Everybody! Everybody! On the uh on the comments is loving the answers.
Man um, it’s great um.
I guess we won’t keep you too much longer man.
We know you’re busy uh when when, when you find out your opponent uh, you know shoot us a message.
Let us know so.
We can help advertise and and promote and push, and let the people know who you are around the world because definitely guys that are watching around the world right now, talent, french, be on the lookout for this kid man.
He is definitely a force to be reckoned with in this pro division.
Man uh go check out.
We will drop his first fight in the comments man on a link, so you guys can see you don’t even have to search for it.
How about that and uh calaman uh personally, i just want to thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come and join us here.
Um honestly, we’d love to have you back either.
You know before or after your next fight.
So we can uh, you know talk to the fans and let them know how you’re doing and everything, of course me anytime.
Thank you thank you for having us on and it’s a it’s a pleasure to to be on.
There speak news nice, one in case uh in case anybody uh is not following you, yet let people know where they can follow you on social media or twitter instagram.
So they can follow your career too.
I i followers at calum french underscore on their instagram twitter.
Callum french on facebook, uh linkedin as well, callum french and follow it.
Follow us in your career.
It’S gon na be a big.
It’S gon na be a good one.
Oh it’s definitely going to be a good one.
I got great feelings about this.
I can’t i can’t wait till you come back on a sunday for that knockout of the week award with that uh nasty inside uppercut man, i’m predicting people going to sleep right now, definitely definitely be looking for that.
One though yeah definitely definitely i.
I can’t wait to see it.
It’S gon na be great uh callum just stick around after we uh sign off man, so we can thank you personally, uh to all knuckle up fans that are watching thanks for tuning in uh.
Sorry that i was late with my technical difficulties today, guys but yo cedric, you held it down like a champ.
That’S right, yeah guys! You know what it is tomorrow.
Hannah hansen in the studio, 1 p.
m.
Eastern standard time, plus we got female friday at four plus.
The friday night panel we got lots going on so guys make sure you come check the channel tomorrow.
If you haven’t yet go to tacofit.
com hit that subscribe and set those reminders and we’ll see you tomorrow same time same channel new prospect see ya peace.
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