AIR DATE:
EPISODE: Episode 11
Joining Tim Witherspoon and the panel is Christian ‘Coqqos’ Schembri. Proudly flying the flag for Maltese boxing. He has been named the ‘New Arturo Gatti’ due to his aggressive fighting style. He was involved in a trilogy slugfest against former Commonwealth Champion Scott Dixon, and also works as a promoter for some of his own shows.
Christian was as trained by British legend Henry Wharton (former British, Commonwealth, European champion and 3x World title challenger). Current UBO Intercontinental Champion and had an official meeting with the Prime Minister of Malta after winning the belt. He’s a fully vegan athlete with different restaurants naming dishes after him (vegan hamburger and a vegan sushi roll), an animal lover who adopted a horse and regularly speaks out against cruelty, and when not preparing for his own fights, he trains adults and children to help improve their fitness and self-confidence.
Featuring 2-time heavyweight champion Tim Witherspoon, our group of panelists are always prepared for another weekly roundup of boxing headlines, including updates about boxers from the past and current event news to share with the many fans out there that enjoy the great sport of Boxing!
Watch live on TalkinFight.com or YouTube.com/c/TalkinFight
#TalkinFight #Witherspoon #FridayNightPanel
Transcribed:
What up talking fight fans thanks for tuning in to another episode of the friday night panel? Unfortunately, we uh – it’s only me and cedric tonight, uh for the time being so we’re just gon na run you through some quick stuff about what’s going on in the world of boxing, and you know tonight is the beginning of a huge fight weekend.
We have lots of fights, lots of cards coming up and honestly cedric.
I’M super excited.
How are you, how are you this evening? Are you just geared up especially um, because we get to see them tonight instead of waiting a whole another night, because there’s uh big fights on tonight in my hometown of montreal archer defending his title against the strong competitor and marcus brown yeah and there’s lots of Other canadians on the card too, so, yes, yes, actually um the card.
The card actually uh we’re also featuring a maria eve de cara, uh and cynthia lozano fighting for the vacant international boxing federation world female super welter title also.
We have jen perlin, uh and francisco rivas fighting for the vacant wbo naval cruiser title.
So yes, this card in our hometown is looking pretty awesome.
Can’T wait to see this one.
I’M super excited guys, so you’ve got to tune in and watch this man.
It is tonight it’s uh, it’s underway in about an hour.
I believe it is a kickoff time and um yeah.
It’S it’s going to be gearing up to be easy man um.
We got benjamin the russian buncher who moved to montreal nearly a decade ago to begin his professional career career will finally get the chance to defend his titles in his adopted hometown.
He is 16.
You know 16 kos boxing’s only world champion with a 100 knockout rate.
Will defend his wbc and ivf light heavyweight titles against the 2012 us olympian, marcus brown tonight at the bell center in montreal brown, who stands with a record of 24, almost 16 knockouts who once held an interim world title, returned to the ring in april with a 10-Round decision dennis uh, he lost his interim belt in august of 2019 via a technical decision to john pascal, which came off the heels of his career best victory over badoo jack brown in his first bout outside the united states, hopes to stun better be.
Who is upwards of an 11-1 betting fave, so guys make sure you check this? One out tonight should be a good one.
Also also in this awesome awesome fight night weekend we have lewis ritzen is in the cards, man again uh.
This is a big pro bellum card.
I can’t wait to uh get this one underway.
Uh.
There’S lots of people lots of people on this on this card as well.
Uh cedric! I don’t know if you’re, if you’re familiar with this card at all, that’s um.
That’S the uk card on saturday right.
Yes, yes, uh saturday december, the 18th lewis ritzen um.
I can’t even pronounce it guys last name: christian uh uh anyway, lewis, lewis um.
He he always puts up a a great fight, um great fight for the crowd.
So um.
I’M not familiar with his opponent, but i’m sure it’s going to be an action-packed fight.
Definitely, yes, it should be an action-packed fight.
You know, you know the way it is man.
It’S it’s.
It’S going to be an action-packed card and it’s in association with the promoter.
Phil jeffries and uh sees local hero.
Lewis ritzen meet his opponent three-way world champion ricky burns, take on emilio dominguez as well: uh unbeaten, thomas patrick ward, uh, face leonardo, padilla and plus mark dixon joe laws, joe mafuza adam cope mark giron, alex farrell, jordan flynn and ewan mckenzie are all in action.
Big card guys, if you’re, you know not doing much going on during the afternoon, because i believe this is an early start time for this one uh, it’s 2 p.
m.
Eastern standard time, then we move on to parker chisora parker chizora.
This is another 2 p.
m.
Eastern standard time card so guys you’re going to have to pick the card you’re going to want to watch december 18th.
Joseph parker, 29 2 with 21 akos faces off against brit, derek juzora, who’s 32 and 11, with 23 kos in a rematch of their 12-round war.
In may of 2021.
, you guys are not gon na want to miss this one.
That’S for sure it’s going to be a huge battle.
Um also the co-main event.
Uh, i believe, is carlos gongora is fighting for the international boxing organization’s world super middle title against leon.
Richards is on that card as well.
Also in action on that same card, you guys are not going to want to miss.
Alan babich is on that against david spilmont uh, that’s going to be a great great uh heavyweight belt man.
You know babbage is coming off that nasty win uh just not too long ago.
Actually, so we get to see him in action again.
I’M super excited for this card, guys so you’re going to have to do you want to see at the time because we got them two cards that are going off at the same time, also in action tomorrow we have feared former world champion light heavyweight sensation, gilberto Zerdo ramirez, who is 42-0 with 28 knockouts of mexico uh, will welcome the holiday season by taking cuba’s yuniski the monster gonzalez who’s 21-3, with 17 kos for the wba light heavyweight title eliminator on saturday december 18th from the a t and t center in san antonio Texas, the winner of this title eliminator, will secure the mandatory challenge to the wba light heavyweight world championship a highly desired position for the fighters that are often avoided in the highly protected light heavy division.
This 12-round main event will be streamed, live on the zone, guys.
So you’re not going to want to miss that in the co-main event we have three-time world champion superbad estrada 21-0 with eight kos.
This girl is bad.
Let me tell you: she will defend her new wba minimum world minimum wage world title in a 10-round fight against the fierce undefeated maria santozo who’s 9-0, with five kos of guatemala city.
It’S going to be great man.
I can’t wait to see this also.
We have uh lamont roach jr 21 one and one with nine kos will face off against former world champion renee uh alberto who’s, 32 and 10, with 21 kos in a 10 round fight for the vacant.
Naba super feather championship, so that is another big card.
That’S going on guys also whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa.
We got ta, give us a chance to break that.
I can’t remember the first garden.
You know man, there’s lots to get out.
Sorry guys.
We got guests, we got to get it out there, but yes, but yes, also also another card going on man.
We have david morrell jr, who is quickly becoming the fan favorite at the armory in his new hometown in minneapolis and he’ll.
Look to continue his rise up the super middleweight division by taking on the always tough altenz fox on december 18th uh.
This is this is another good card.
Guys i’ve been talking about this kid um david morrell jr for some time he’s one of these up-and-coming prospects.
He’S definitely got to be on the lookout for um he’s 5-0 right now.
He’S looking to take on a guy who is very you know, very skilled in the ring.
Fox is 28 2-1, and this is for the wba world super middle title.
This is another card that is um.
That’S got a lot of prospects on it, man, a lot of guys that i have actually you know profiled over the year of doing my show.
We also have uh jose valenzuela is in action against austin dooley uh valenzuela is 10-0 looking to improve to 11-0.
Also, we have alberto pulo versus uh, sean owens, uh and pulo he’s 19-0 man – and you know this card is filled with a bunch of these young hungry up-and-coming guys that i have – and you know that i profile on my show daily so guys.
This is a huge fight weekend and honestly, i’m just going to mention it.
I know it’s, i know it’s a joke man.
We got jake paul, tyrone, woodley too one day, one hour, 36 minutes and 58 seconds from now [ Laughter ].
So i thought i’d get that out there, man and just let everybody know what it is, but we have a guest in the house tonight.
Christian, thank you for joining us.
Man welcome to talk and fight to the friday night panel.
How are you this evening, sir? My pleasure well over here it’s uh late at night.
It’S like a half one in the morning – oh my god, wow yeah.
Thank you for staying up.
Thank you for staying up nice to meet you too christian nice to meet you nice to meet you guys, yeah! So we got that we got these wonderful fights coming up christian.
Are you excited for any of these big cards? Um, i’m gon na watch for sure the joseph parker versus zoro once because uh, i i’m quite interested in lauren richards as well right.
Wait! I really like his style of fighting is really technical.
The main event is going to be a war for sure and uh the the problem card.
I didn’t follow it that much, but i’m quite interested as well and the zurdor ramirez one, because i really like i really like the way he fights better beef as well.
I think that’s going to be a great matchup, but there will be a uh better, be a brown um.
He because, but their beard is coming to take your head off all night long yeah he’s technical but he’s very brutal, he’s very strong right and then you have brown who’s, a silky skilled technician.
You know, but he’s tough as well very tough and he keeps on fighting at the last minute.
So that’s going to be a good fight for sure.
Well, you know what, let’s let’s talk about you since you’re our guest this evening, um tell us a little bit about yourself uh what what you do and how you do it well, my well, i’m a pro boxer.
I’Ve had 30 fights.
Now i turned pro september 2015 on a week and a half notice, because i didn’t have an amateur background.
We had um.
You said you took the fight on a week and a half notice what you said.
You took a fight on on a week and a half notice yeah.
My first bro fight 10 rounds, wow yeah and rounds first.
The story behind us well, basically we’re gon na we’re gon na fight, my my friend my teammate, and why you i was still fighting a license back then, because we didn’t have any amateurs and uh.
I used to train exactly as my pro teammate um.
The same way, but then he would fight like six eight ten rounds if he doesn’t knock them out and i will fight like four rounds of two minutes so uh my my friend pulled before out fight for medical reasons and uh.
The promoter asked my coach.
If i would take it – and i said yeah, why not and uh it was against the guy, he was a bit of a local legend, scott dixon.
It was a commonwealth jam here back in his days, but for the british nightline stuff and i stepped in and uh.
I went around with him so lost good decision, but yeah ended up fighting him another couple of times as well and one both times so go on my own back nice, nice, nice yeah.
That is, i haven’t heard of that.
First, pro fight 10 rounds right off the bat that that’s showing you know, you’re you’re, in shape all the time and um to be able to keep your composure.
You know most people will start, you know four rounds and then six and then eight and then ten and you you said you didn’t even have much of an amateur background that is wow.
I haven’t heard of that much of a jump like jump talk about jumping into the deep end, yeah, so um uh christian.
What uh? What like? What were some of your influences, uh to start training and start fighting like um? What age did you get into the ring at? I started boxing and kickboxing.
At the same time, when i was 20 years old, i was always into combat sports, because when i was young, my father is thinking the martial arts training, but then i drifted away from it.
Um because i started playing football soccer then started getting fed up of it.
When i was around 18 19 and i had started tapping into kickboxing and boxing in this at the offseason to stay fit, and then one summer i was uh like watching boxing watching.
I remember i was watching uh that uh cartoon anime, japanese anime street fighter and i said uh, you know i’m gon na try and i’m gon na turn my hand at it at first.
It was just stay in shape.
Then uh my coach, my kickboxing coach at the time asked me like you want to come over with us for the experience to sicily just to watch us to watch the fights i don’t know.
If i’m coming, i’m coming to fight, i’m not going to come yeah because i don’t want to drink like a month and a half but right okay, you can do like a semi-context one.
I don’t do semi-contact.
You know anyway, [ Laughter ].
I took this so i bought the tickets and everything and i applied to fight and a few weeks later my boxing coach asked me he was part of the same club as well.
There’S an amateur competition, competition um because back then there’s there only used to be like one amateur boxing show a year or two tops there’s one in october.
You want to come in.
Definitely i thought yeah.
Why not? So so! I started training in properly late june.
2012 and i had my first amateur boxing fight um, just in mid-october and a couple of kickboxing fights in november, and i just kicked off from there.
So do you still? Are you still actively kickboxing or you just just? No? No! No! No! That was another funny story.
Anyways i took a.
I was supposed to find a kickboxing fight, but my opponent didn’t show up so they got another opponent, the local guy and he told them.
But i want the box after he box and i said: okay, let’s do it and he was a veteran.
He had been fighting for longer than i was born, uh, so yeah.
I fought him and uh lost a split decision with a point um on one judge onto this card and won the other one and uh.
So then, i said: okay, i’m going to stick to boxing because apparently i’m going to be good at it.
So that’s awesome! So what are you? What are some of your influence? Uh like influences? Who, who do you look up to any role, models, coaches or boxers? That you that influence you to do it um well mike tyson.
Obviously, since uh since i was killed watching his fights with me and my dad used to stay up late to like watch his fights when he was doing his last comeback in italy and then you’ve got uh.
Of course i love muhammad ali he’s fearless.
I love watching as well um old fights of uh sergio martinez the i watched all the old school fights like the black and white ones, because uh you can pick a lot from them because they were very, very, very skilled, the modern day ones.
Then, of course, you would have to get your carnellos and devin hayne is very technical as well: giovanta davis uh! Well i like a lot of boxers, i’m looking at boxing like it’s my hobby, so i’m lucky to do my hobby as a job.
So that’s myself, yeah, definitely hobby is a job and then it’s no longer work.
Then it becomes fun.
That’S awesome! So what uh? What are your? So? What are some of some of your short-term goals? I know you’re coming off a fight back in on.
I believe it was november 11th uh.
You came up a unanimous decision, win uh what what are some of your short term goals, uh next six months to a year? Where do you see yourself? Where do you want to be? I want to take uh another fight or two for sure.
Then i want to get a crack at the regional, build from the one of the big four organizations um so booked.
We booked an arena on the 12th of march because i helped organize shows as well.
Um so then it depends if we get enough funds to uh get a title, but over here, because it cost the minimum like for one of the smaller like one of the smallest regional bills.
So let’s say: you’ve got the wbc, for example: you’ve got like mediterranean, then you’ve got the international intercontinentals, the mediterranean.
That would let you back like four or five thousand euros about, let’s say six or seven thousand dollars and there’s not that much money in the sport.
Over here and i got a bit of a family as well – i’ve got a young daughter now, so i don’t really want to stay out of my pocket like no, i guess not your best training camp and and and what reason like some people say they like To do more running during their during their training, camping, leading through a fight some people choose to whatever swim swim for their cardio.
I don’t i don’t.
I don’t like running that much i run but maximum around like six kilometers.
So that’s like i either run one four point: eight and six.
Four four, that’s about six seven is about four miles.
Yes, yes, yes, four miles or a bit more than two miles, then i like to do a lot of high intensity like bodyweight circuits, because when i tried lifting heavyweights it it doesn’t seem that i have anything left for boxing.
So i think my last camp was really good because finally, i’m learning not to overdo it and to hold back like the last two weeks: yeah you’re, understanding, you’re understanding your body better and what not to not to push too much and when to slow down.
Yes, yes, yes and uh sparring as well, um a lot of other.
It takes time for them to get to really know their body like.
That, though, is does it take time like that cedric yeah yeah i mean yeah and everyone’s everyone’s different.
You know everyone progresses at different levels, but uh, obviously christian.
He just jumped right into the deep end right off the bat, no amateur rounds off the best.
So he’s he’s used to he’s used to doing that used to working hard well, he played he played football.
So definitely knows how to run right.
Yeah, that’s that’s another thing.
I’Ve been developing.
I’M trying to use my skills a lot more because uh before i just used to want to go to world time.
Like i don’t mind, i always was mindful of my defense, like keeping my guard up and try to block and punch, but now i’m thinking a lot more setting more traps, slipping and rolling shots, a lot more, exactly because uh now i feel like if i’m getting Hit especially with stupid shots, it’s like i’m, allowing uh the other guy to score a goal with an open goal.
You know the less you get hit the longer you’ll last.
Your career will last right, yeah.
So christian.
What do you believe? Uh separates you from all the other fighters in your division.
Well, all the other fighters.
I think the best attribute that i have is my tank, because uh i can keep going on for as long as you want me um.
As long as you want to um.
I i recover very quickly, i’m quite smart and i learn very quickly as well.
So if you show me something i practice for a couple of days and i can keep doing it and i can apply it and and that’s something which has helped me a lot because uh as you guys, as i told you already, i don’t have any amateur Experience that much right, the semi-pro fights i used to have on license right, they’re, very basic.
You reach the ceiling very quickly because you face guys that like drink three times a week and train three times a week, so but then, when i turned pro and uh, i went to london to train.
For the first time i took like 10 beatings in a week and uh, i i had to like listen knuckle down and work on my skills more and then i started traveling more, the two timeouts you said you take 10 beatings a week, 10 meetings in a Week, yeah, no, it’s an exaggeration, but you know what i mean yeah.
I guess i thought i was very good, but i was out of my dip.
You got a reality check exactly so then i went to i’ve been on training camps in hungary and sweden, and i went to new york as well for three weeks and i went to york and england and uh.
Then, when i come back i’ll, i work on the skills i learned there and apply them in sparring and then eventually i started applying them in fights very quickly as well.
What uh, what what’s the name of your uh? What’S the name of the team that you fight for now or the gym that you train on uh, i train at fort fitness.
Ah, there is there’s the plug shows it’s the biggest gym in walter.
It’S got it well, it’s good everything.
I’Ve been there now since 2016 and i run the i run the boxing uh the boxing program.
I train kids, i i have some.
I have boxing guys as well, and i get some some uh amateur fighters up as well and then, during the day i do one-to-one training for boxing and boxing fitness.
Basically interesting.
How do you, how do you uh find that balance between um uh? You know making sure that you have enough time to train uh for your own fights and at the same time you know making enough time to.
You know, still pay your bills by uh training.
Other people uh well i’m lucky in that sense, because i can do my own hours, you know yes, so what i do usually is i wake up at 5, 00 or 5 15 in the morning.
So i have my first session at six yeah and uh.
If not before that it depends on the sessions and then i work from seven to eleven, then i would have a break between uh eleven and 1.
1.
30.
.
I have my second boxing session.
My i have my second session is usually boxing either at 11 30.
Starting or 1 30, then i continue my second part of the day, which would be uh between half three or half four to a half seven one day to saturday.
So i find i find the time and like today i had uh.
Today there was uh walter.
There was a huge fury, you know uh.
No.
I don’t think so.
Huey fury tyson.
Yes, oh yeah.
Yes, yes, yeah! Sorry, you got all crackly there.
I couldn’t hear you but yeah.
Yes, i know and his uncle peter fury and they came to see the gym last week on saturday, so uh, the guy who got them to malta.
Messaged me.
He said he asked me if i wanted to train with them.
Of course – and you know what about eight o’clock in the morning so uh – i had lessons, but i just moved them, and i did them later today.
You know quite lucky as well uh.
So when you were, when you went over to uh the uk uh you trained with um british legend, henry wharton right, yes, yes, yes, how was that experience? That was good.
It was very good.
Well, they say you know, they’re saying never meet your heroes, never applied to me, because every every good boxer that i looked up to that i met.
They were all like really really good people, and i lived in the gym for for three weeks and then he drove me down from york to stoke for the fight which i was uh, which i was uh taking part in which i was training with him for And he was a generally nice guy.
He came to montana.
I still call him from time to time and i i was going to move there with my wife, but then kovit got in the way, and now we have a young daughter.
So i’m not really gon na move very compared soon.
You know um.
How did how did kovat affect uh the your career uh? You know it’s it’s affected, so many people in so many different ways.
Uh again, the only thing.
The only thing that affected me was uh, the notice for fights, mostly because i i’ve i’ve still had six fights these last these last two years, so this year and the year before us that i still had six fights because uh what the rules in malta weren’t That strict uh, the lockdowns, the only um so last last year i had a fight in england in march, then we organized two shows with limited capacity in july and then again in october.
Then this year we’re gon na host an indoor event in march, but the the the on the saturday and the thursday the thursday, the whole country closed down.
So then we held it in a gym instead because you could still hold it and it would know with no crowds and it’s better if we didn’t hold it, because i ended up losing that fight anyways.
But but it’s experience you know yeah, i’m better, for it.
Now, of course, and then we had another couple of shows uh with limited capacity, so the last one was 500 people and the one before in the summer was 300 people, so i could still get out.
You know.
That’S good, that’s good! It’S very hard to find opponents, though, because uh, let’s say, for example, england would have its own rules, italy would have its own rules and water.
We have the rules that to get into the country, you have to be double vaccinated and at least you have to have you’ve had to have it two weeks before, and certain jobs are recognized and other jabs are not so uh.
So so then you you like find a fighter from georgia.
He has his jabs.
His coach has his jabs, but it’s happened to us in the last show to my opponent.
He had his uh pfizer gems and his coach had the russian jab the sputnik, so they came over because they never mentioned which type of jabs they had.
His coach got healthy.
He wasn’t allowed in the country, it was the russian.
The the russian vaccine is not recognized by the country wow and uh yeah, so so they had to send them straight back and then at least they allowed my opponent, then because then my fight would have got cancelled, so they allowed your opponent, but not his coach Was he still able to to fight? Yes, because there was another opponent from poland, um of my teammate and then his coach over the corner? Interesting interesting, i mean he was never going to turn down to pay the enemies, so i guess god right.
I’Ve been abroad.
I’Ve been abroad three times and uh.
I want one of once the last time i would the last time when i was in england wharton henry wharton cornered me.
I mean it’s a very good guy to have in your corner of course, but it wasn’t my coach because my coach couldn’t make it because of covert.
You know it was just exploding, so i wouldn’t have never dreamt of turning on the fight.
You know something.
I’Ve heard so i’ve heard uh i’ve read in some articles and heard that uh you’re you’re being called the next or the new arturo gotti uh.
Have you heard that reference? Yes, i’ve heard it.
I’Ve heard it [ Music ].
What do you think about it? Very big jesus um he’s one of my favorite fighters as well.
I didn’t want to mention him earlier because i don’t want to mention all the cliche fighters.
It’S an interview, i’m going to bring him up yeah it’s it’s! I mean when i watch his fights.
I get goosebumps because of the amount of heart you used to show it’s crazy, but then again i know everybody says the same thing that i i have a lot of heart and uh.
I’Ve been through some fights that i know that a lot of people would have quit, but i i would never do it and i didn’t, but then again i also would like to think that i don’t take nearly as much punches right.
So, if, for for any any of the fans out there that are watching right now and who are going to watch this later on um, if, if they don’t know who you are, what what fight would you say would be the best to describe your style and Who you are in the ring uh? Which opponent would would they go and watch you fight? My last fight last summer with score addiction was a good fight.
My last fight this year so was four weeks ago.
It was it showed something which i never showed before, because it was very technical.
I fought a guy, he was a journeyman by all means necessary, i’m not gon na say i will upbeat the world peter, but he had been to the olympics in 2012 and uh in 2012.
I started boxing and i was managing to so you can see the difference in experience kind of or years boxing, because years boxing doesn’t decorate a good enough experience anyways, but i was managing to [ Music ] box with him.
Making setting up traps and making him fall for them, and i’m really proud of that.
Actually, so that one i have, i have a lot of good fights if you just type my name on youtube who so malta is the country that you’re from correct? Yes, exactly? Who is the who’s the best boxer to ever come out of malta right there? Okay, i like thinking.
I like thinking all right.
If you think, if you think it can be right exactly that’s it real quick can you.
I know you.
You briefly spoke on it before but um, just because i don’t know i like to i like to inquire about.
You know the boxing scene in different countries.
So can you just from the amateur level, how was the amateur scene in malta and then right now the the amateurs is getting bigger because uh there’s a guy called patrick shearer and he’s modi’s australian, and he was the amateur boxing girl, malta and he’s very well To do he’s a very successful businessman and he’s investing in it.
Oh, the amateurs are [ Music ], the the the small guys like teenagers, 14, 15 13.
.
They have the opportunities to go on the training, camp and they’re fully paid by the federation and by the way the athletes are fully paid.
No, not the training, the amateur training, the training camp, okay, so the flight’s in the accommodation.
Then they just have to take their spending money with them: okay, okay, okay and because so when, when i started 10 years ago, there was only my coach, steve martin um scott dixon and maybe another guy or two who had been abroad to train and fight.
So there wasn’t that level of experience, um gotten from proper lineage.
You know yeah from people who know who know what boxing is and now um as froze there’s a guy.
Ah, so no let me rephrase that the the best guy, currently the most successful guy to come out of malta is adam lamus, because he’s been in australia and he’s won regional titles in australia.
He spent two or three years their training and uh.
These won some good regional titles, the ones which i aspire to win and one was, i want to become a police european champion before i retire um.
So that’s my long-term goal and uh but yeah.
So there’s him: hey there moose me i’ve traveled a lot as well.
Hayden had a good damage.
Her career he’s been around europe training as well, apart from australia and right now he’s in the usa he’s in savannah.
I don’t know where that is exactly somewhere in the south: south georgia, maybe yeah yeah, exactly he’s training, atlanta, there’s my coach, steve and so basically there’s a lot of fighters.
Who’Ve been abroad training and have experience now so the younger guys they have better coaching than getting them up and if there’s anything to say about the maltese that we’re hard workers and we have heart.
So i can see, like my my little my little cousin, my cousin’s son, actually he’s 15 and the hand speed.
He says he has a technique is unbelievable.
When i started training, he wanted to come train as well, and so now he’s on training.
Since he’s been six years old and he’s been to poland, not training camps he’s been to italy, so you will start seeing some one school fighters coming out of the show.
You guys are just you guys, have been biting your time, just waiting to unleash all of malta out of the world of boxing right and now they’re having more competitions as well right so like they’re having at least six or seven competitions uh a year.
So really the boxing game in malta has really picked up over the last couple of years.
Oh, it is, it is i’m like if it’s not the biggest, it’s not the biggest sport, but it’s either the second or the third biggest, even like i had a fight against another local guy.
Was there were 3 000 people who came out to watch us and the whole country is like half a million? It was in 2018.
It was the most spectated sport on the island wow, oh yeah.
It exploded quite quite a lot.
So so, with with that, now you guys being as like more of a boxing mecca than you were before what were some of the biggest challenges you faced early in your career uh in boxing in malta? Well, financially! This is the main thing because until you start making a bit more money from the fights and until you get some good sponsors um, it’s it’s even harder, because i used to work at the post office back then so i used to have to work full-time hours.
40 hours a week plus part-time job in the evening on saturday, and then i used to train twice a day from one day to saturday as well, so it was hard then i started doing some.
Then i started coaching a little bit: um beginners and for fitness like fitness, guys yeah, but i still used to have like wake up at half four or uh.
Go to the gym.
Go to work, go to the gym again myself and train all the people in the evening, so it was a slog and uh apart from apart from personal finances like that, because then the one you’re making from your job you have to and the little money make From boxing you’re investing it back in boxing yeah, the the other thing would be the lack of finances involved and boxing in general uh.
You know he, you know the small whole shows in the uk and the usa as well, which are not televised you’re, not the big television, there’s, hundreds of them there’s tons of them around the world that go on that.
We don’t get to see it’s unfortunate, but yes exactly so the fighters many times have to finance their opponent through ticket sales and when you have to finance your opponent through ticket sales, like i do presently as well um, it’s uh it’s hard to get a certain Level of opponents, because there’s only so much you can see you can sell, you know right.
I mean i’ve sold about five thousand.
I said on average, four thousand euros worth of tickets, every fight and five thousand and out of ten i take my commission and i’m like the biggest or the second biggest ticket seller on the island and there’s still that so much that the opponent can take from His money to get a good enough opponent for you on the night, so that’s another challenge which i still face today.
So when i want to take my bigger fights, then all the time i go abroad and i’ll be awake, yeah yeah, which is which sucks.
But it’s it makes the money, it’s the way, you’re going to make the world well.
It is what it is.
It’S books, it’s boxing um.
Where would you where would you like to see, or what do you think uh needs to happen to boxing in malta to be where you, you believe it should be um they need to enforce.
They need to invest more in the amateurs, okay, so that they get.
They get proper schooling and they need to travel um.
Then they need to go to more regional competitions in europe so that they get more experience from under fighters and sparring.
You cannot just stick them to the euros or the worlds.
Just like that and expect some success to come out of it yeah it starts from the ground up the kids.
They got to get the juniors involved at the international level, not wait.
Nobody nobody’s born running, you know, everybody starts crawling and walking and another thing which needs to be done.
There needs to be more amateur boxing competitions yeah over here, but again, there’s a limited amount of boxers and at the moment, it’s hard to get to get uh people on the island again because they have to be vaccinated right and under 16.
In most countries, they’re they’re not vaccinated, so we cannot come in and there needs to be at lea a standardized approach to coaching because right now, there’s no there’s no test that you have to pass to become a coach, so uh um um in the corner.
Sorry, any anybody could just be in the corner as long as he pays like fifty dollars sixty dollars.
Yes, you can pay your way into the corner.
Everybody like everybody, can uh everybody can open up his own gym his own boxing jump.
What that you cannot really stop that, because if you want to open up a gym and hang punching bags and say you’re, a boxing coach, you can’t do it, but i believe there should be a good test set up by a good coach um, if not even From the island, let’s say: you’re bringing someone from italy from the uk um to show how things need to be done and if the culture is applying for the license cannot throw a proper jab cannot throw a proper left hook.
Then listen, i’m sorry! You cannot be in the corner, yeah yeah, you can’t even demonstrate it, but you want to tell somebody else how to go and win a fight.
Exactly i’ve known guys that spent a year hanging around and the gentleman that the coach needed someone to hold the pants.
They weren’t even training themselves the coach needed someone to to hold the beds.
Then after a year he decides to open up his own gym because he has a little bit of money.
Then, after a few months, you start getting people up for fights and then you see kids and like young men, all right come on he’s getting tired, keep going forward, i’m like dude what the [ __ ], i’m so excuse my language, yeah yeah yeah, i’m, like He’S not getting tired he’s getting [ __ ], brained, yeah yeah, i get it.
I get it fully um! So you you mentor kids.
Now you’ve got some amateur fighters that you’re coaching and stuff um.
How did you get into that and uh yeah like? How did you fall into that, while still training, because it’s got to be hard yeah before it used to be hard as well? Because it used to be harder? Because i used to get amateur amateurs on the on the undercard on the same car that i’m fighting.
So having to coach and fight at the same night, it’s hard, so i don’t do that anymore because you don’t get proper time to concentrate on yourself.
Um i mean you just got you have to make time for it.
You know i started.
I started only coaching for fitness to make some extra money because uh at the post office, i only used to make the equivalent of like a thousand dollars a month and it doesn’t get you that far yeah.
But then, when you start, i always like to teach proper boxing the way i knew and the way i knew now, um, not just let people hit the bags for fun because uh like if you train with me and you’re, hitting the back like a [ __ ], it’s no! It’S a bad advert for me as well.
You know, so, even if you’re doing it for fitness, i’m still going to teach you how to throw how to step into the jab how to turn them to the cross.
You know right and then some people started asking listen.
Can i spark and as far as elegance yeah get some headgear and the mouthpiece? Why not move around with you and stuff and then they just start getting uh started getting more interested.
Can i fight sure i’ll give you a fight, so you almost you almost like kind of stumbled into it.
You started off just doing it for money and then it just kind of accumulated from there, and now you have your own fighters that you represent exactly, but i don’t have that many fighters, though, because the gym that i am in um, it’s it’s a fitness gym.
Predominantly and i take care of the boxing area and i have boxing classes every day and then i have some boxing fitness classes as well, but uh.
I maybe have like a couple of fighters here and there or two three.
Sometimes i have four at the time and then so i think i’m sparring in other gyms and stuff like that, but in the future i want to have my own boxing gym as well like a small one where you have some bags under the boxing ring so That i can concentrate more on bringing up amateurs because that’s my passion.
Apart from fighting myself, i like uh, watching and helping other fighters right so when you’re, when you’re ready to retire and hang it up and uh yeah and not anytime you’re, just gon na contin.
Not anytime soon, but when you’re ready to retire and hang it up, you’re just gon na you’re gon na stick with coaching and and uh.
You know: yeah yeah mentor a whole new era of maltese boxers.
I mean as long as as long as it’s always financially viable.
I will always do it.
You know right, but uh, i’m trying to get into some other things as well, just so that i can dedicate more to more time to amateur boxers.
You know start giving them longer classes, so they can work on the different drills daily, which will make them better boxers.
You know about about the coaching how um, because you mentioned before, of course, you notice how other other coaches don’t really have the experience, but try to try to train fighters as if they do have the experience.
How did you pick your coach and how um you know, obviously after you’re done, fighting you’re gon na want to uh open your own gym and do your own thing too, so how you know for any up-and-coming coaches? How do you you know? What suggestions would you have for them as far as getting knowledge, and how did you pick your coach too to make sure you got the right one uh, i kind of stumbled on somebody, my sister she used to kickbox at the gym that i went to and I went there because my sister used to go there and i was lucky that the jamaa went through.
They thought proper technique tried to teach proper technique, both in kickboxing and boxing and the younger coach.
He was still fighting and he used to make us.
He still is he used to make us train like a proper fighter and he was training with scott dixon, the guy i thought from my first pro fight and who had been boxing in britain for a very long time for him.
So he had a good way.
A good way of teaching and uh, so i kind of got, got it from that as well.
I’Ve been, i was at university as well: i’m studying physical education so uh, i that that helps a lot with the way how to interact with people yeah, of course, and if i have any advice for a new upcoming fighters on how to choose their coach, it Would be to go to someone who knows their stuff because it’s not an easy game at the end of day? Yes, it’s gloves.
Yes and amateurs is more punched boring, because this still is punching and two the advice i would give to [ Music ] to coaches to even up and coming coaches.
I am an up-and-coming coach is to always be open-minded and try to soak in as much information as possible, because you might think you will you.
You might think that you’re learning something which you’re not going to use – or this is something that’s useless.
But then you end up in a situation.
You say, ah that guy that they told me to do this this and this and it applies now yeah yeah yeah.
That’S it’s a great story, man! I i love it.
You’Re you’re, a coach you’re, you’re mentoring, these young kids, man you’re, trying to help get malta off the you know like off the ground and and up in this boxing world, and it’s it’s it’s great man.
It’S you’ve done a lot for the sport already in your country and uh yo.
We can’t wait to see you in the ring again when, when do you think, that’s gon na happen, uh 12th march, the latest? Maybe earlier i don’t know um, it depends if something worthwhile comes up from abroad and i will take it.
But if not our 512th of marshall that we’re organizing um over here in waltham there yeah uh one last question: i don’t want to keep you too long, because i know it’s late in the morning over there man.
I know it’s probably like almost two but um.
You want to be loved.
Do you want to be feared in your career? What do you want to be known, loved or feared, yeah, loved or feared, feared by my opponents loved by the fans? Great answer, great answer, love.
It love it.
Um uh stick around we’re.
Just gon na sign off here man we’re at that hour mark uh.
What a great interview thank you for joining us: um knuckle up fans and talking fight fans around the world.
Thanks for tuning in to this wonderful friday night panel, with myself and cedric ben and our wonderful maltese pro christian coming through for the interview, thank you again for taking the time out of your busy schedule, man.
I know it’s late and uh late in the morning.
There so honestly, just thank you from uh.
All of us here talk and fight for joining us.
We definitely love to have you back uh again to uh to talk.
Hopefully, after you know, yeah definitely definitely we’ll let you know uh any any up, up-and-coming fighters that you know that you want to want us to know about.
Just let us know and and we’ll provide time for them to get on here.
So we can get them out there to the world.
Just like we’re getting you out to the world now and we got.
We have a sunday show called knockout of the week so hopefully you’ll get on there yeah.
Hopefully, hopefully we get to see you in the dark another week, but yes, taco fight fans thanks for tuning in to another episode of the friday night panel uh, yes, what a wonderful guest we have this evening.
Thank you, uh guys.
You know what it is.
Man we’re doing watching, live, talking, fight tomorrow, we’ll let you know what fight we’ll be watching and don’t forget to tune in sunday, 4 p.
m.
Eastern standard time for our knuckle up knockout of the week, you know what it is man different day, different knockout you’re gon na want to don’t want to miss that man christian, give me your social media if you’re.
If anybody wants to follow you yeah emmanuel uh plug your social media right now.
Let everybody know where they can reach you and find you.
Yes, i’m on instagram and i’m on facebook as well.
Instagram is uh.
My nickname um, followed by christian and uh facebook.
I’M just a christian to us can be, which is money, so they follow me.
They can follow me over there, so yeah, that’s it.
You’Ve heard it here guys.
This is where you can follow christian um one one last question before i sign off, because because i forgot to ask it, how did you get the nickname? It’S my family, nickname it’s a family, nickname yeah! I come from a family of fighters, modern durango, i’m really crazy.
Guys in my family, hey yeah, stick around for a minute christian, we’re just gon na sign off thanks for tuning in taco fight fans.
You know what it is.
Man we’ll see you next week same time, same channel different topics, we’ll see you, then peace,
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