AIR DATE:
EPISODE: Episode 32
Mike and Cedric interview Jerome Mandela Joseph Pampellone, a New Zealand professional boxer. Pampellone is the current IBF Australasian and New Zealand National Cruiserweight Champion.
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
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Transcribed:
[, Music ].
What up talking fight fans, thanks for tuning in to today’s episode of knuckle up featuring yours, truly mike orr and our special guest today, who is with us jerome the panther pampaloni, coming to join us in the studio to chop it up and tell us a little Bit about his background and what he plans to do in the future in this wonderful world of boxing jerome.
Thank you for joining us today.
Thanks for having me man appreciate that, yes, no worries man.
Honestly, i got ta.
Let the world know who you are.
That’S why i wanted to get you on the show, definitely you’re making some big waves over in the other side of the world, uh wow uh, coming off your last fight uh, you know great performance.
You ended up picking up two titles and wow.
Congratulations! Uh! Tell us how it all began.
What age did you start boxing? I started about nineteen twenty i was playing right before, and everyone knew boxing was the place to get foot so um my next door, neighbor like he used to live a couple of doors.
Next to me, and he had a little gym going one day i just kind of went over, i’ve been asked, so i can train with him and um i i was late.
I actually had to show up the first day.
Second day i was late.
He kept giving me chances and chances, and finally, i started training with him and enjoying the sport more.
He asked me if i wanted to fight, ended up having a fight and then it’s just i grew up playing rugby and i just fell in love with boxing straight away and just carried.
That’S that’s great man, so this friend was that friend isaac was it isaac? This friend yeah he’s the first person.
You guys were you guys, are schoolmates right, no, no isaac, it’s older than he used to look near me and that’s why i used to hear them punching the bags daily.
It’S the person.
You know you can’t you can’t beat them join them, so i went over that.
That’S great um, what kind of uh, what kind of amateur career did you have like? Was it long uh? When did you? When did you start? Actually, you know getting in the ring? What uh, what motivated you kind of all happened? It all just kind of happened.
You know i was just training in them because i was so new to this.
Wasn’T i wasn’t um, i didn’t.
I wasn’t as into it as i was with rugby.
He just kind of i trained for him for a while he said.
Can i have a fight? I was like yeah yeah.
Let’S have a fight had a couple [ __ ] off fights.
I was um.
I won my first about 10 fights.
There’S the ammo up.
I had about 50 amateur fight, oh wow.
I think my my first loss was um new zealand.
I went jose um.
I went there with about ten fights.
Just you know, as it just puts us in the ring for the experience and to show that’s.
The goal was to get better and better and better and eventually become a pro right.
I did.
I remember talking to him about it on on monday when he was on here, and he said that he doesn’t really care about the amateurs uh and and that whole game he doesn’t.
He doesn’t like the way it’s played.
He just he uses the amateurs as like.
A a learning experience for the guys that he wants to turn pro, so that’s pretty much what he did with you pretty much because from the get-go he said he very pros what we want to do and i’m you know i was.
As i said, i was still new and figures kind of you know.
I became good friends with zach in his family um we built.
We are great built, great trust with him.
You know – and i just just carried on loving the sport and just trust him was who was who was the motivation to the to go bro? What were some of the motivations to go pro? What was the motivations yeah to be to be a watch? Have you the goal and that’s um, and it just seems so possible at the moment, because we’ve got so many three other people in the top 15 in our stable, so there’s so close to um.
Having that that what we’re doing is is the right thing and all the hard work’s paying off.
Oh definitely uh.
Your stable is full of great talent.
You are one of them, uh, definitely uh.
I can see you having one of them world straps on your on your waistband in the future, and you know maybe in the near future, definitely with uh.
You know the way you performed in your last fight.
Uh run us through that man.
How how what was the prep like for your last fight um, you know what was your training camp like and uh? How did you feel going into it? I thought you know, training camp’s always the same.
We always just train, and we i’ve had a new nutritionist on board, which has definitely helped shout out to mark.
He stuck with me for the last couple of fights, and i just felt with this nutrition behind me just made me feel pain.
We train same for each camp.
You know for for this, one um had to be a little bit heavier because so i was adjusting to that weight, but i felt real comfortable over what god best cam.
As you always say, every camera you thought was the best camp.
You train your hardest to put on that performance and show everyone why i feel i’m i deserve to be able for those two that uh so run us through uh the breakdown and how you finished them off in the last one um, i think i was i Was working the body a lot? I guess i seen an open opening that went on top and got him with with the hook and he went down.
I looked to my corner.
Isaac just gave me the nod, and i just went out there and pounced on like a panther right and just finished that job.
That was good.
That was good um, what’s up with any short-term goals, any long-term goals like where do you see yourself in say a year from now, two years from now? Where would you like to be um? Just stop [ __ ] fighting the [ __ ], really because i i started as a black heavyweight.
Well we’ve been giving this opportunity as a cruiserweight because um to fight dr patel he’s he’s just won again.
We’Ve been given an opportunity just an opportunity to fight him, so that’s why it’s kind of more in the cruiserweight vision and i feel that’s a possible that’s.
That is a fight that i can definitely at the moment.
My goal is my next fights, hopefully in um, australia, the end of october, soon to um, put on a good performance and win that fight and then especially step by step.
You just want to you always want to see the future and want to obviously be a champion.
That’S right! Um! I just you, know, train hard and just keep keep keep loving.
What i’m doing? Definitely you know i love watching.
You do what you do, man, it’s uh, it’s such a great show to watch when you get in there and do what you do best man um.
What’S the biggest lesson, do you think that you’ve learned in boxing to date and how has that lesson um? You know helped you grow as a fighter: [ Music, ], just respecting the sport and just being disciplined.
I can because um, you know, because there’s no, no shortcuts.
It’S a hurt game.
You know after i take the sport like, like united, take the sport so serious.
You know um, what do you believe to be one of your weaknesses and what are you doing to improve on it [ Laughter, ]? Is there any part of training that you don’t like? Is it like? The big the biggest one i’ve heard is is running is running one of yours, too yeah yeah, i’m not a fan, even though we did a lot of that in rugby.
It’S different because i don’t know sprints is not me.
I used to do that when i played hockey man.
I know what you’re talking about sprints.
Then hills not a fan, not a fan.
It’S not it’s not good for anybody, but it’s great for you yeah um.
So do you find it? What are the some of the differences that you find in training for rugby for, like some, some big match and training for for upcoming match in boxing? Are there a lot of differences between it, yeah for sure um? Now boxing i’m fighting a little more top level at right, very top level, so i was i’m not sure what it would be like for a top level, rugby player right b for boxing and i’m training him six days a week.
Sometimes i train on a saturday.
You know it’s just and you know it’s our individual sport, it’s all on.
You can’t rely on anyone else in many ways.
Yeah, do you remember uh? Do you remember the feeling that you got the first time you knocked somebody out and put them to sleep in the ring? [ Music ], yeah yeah? It was more of a shock, not really that you know.
I could do that.
You know just having that faith because much they have so much trust and faith in me.
It took me a while to um have that for myself right what um, what’s the biggest obstacle that you faced so far in boxing, because i know boxing’s, very political.
Sometimes it’s hard to get matches you know and all that kind of crap that goes on in the background that not people people haven’t.
You know the masters don’t know about like us, the people sitting and watching what’s the biggest obstacle that you face so far in your career, [, __, ], yeah obstacle, that’s a hard one um oh [, __ ], i’m not sure, but it was the biggest.
I don’t know really yeah.
No, yes, i guess there haven’t been.
Probably there probably hasn’t been a really big one, you’re, probably just small ones, right like i’m not being able to get a fight yeah, that’s enough small things like that.
Yeah! Definitely, there’s always this.
You know boxing, there’s always something you know: it’s a crazy sport, there’s always something happening, guys, there’s a date for fight and there’s like this yeah there’s small things like i pinpoint one, but it’s a roller coaster for sure right.
So many ups and downs, you kind of just got stuck with it and just trust the process.
Do you find? Do you find it harder harder or easier to get fights? Now that your record is climbing and – and you know after your last win – are the fights coming at you or are you finding it hard to find opponents now um? Now i’ve got um.
I’Ve signed with dean lonerga with him he’s an australian promoter so um he um he’s my job um.
Sorry, it’s isaac’s job and elena’s job they’re, my managers, they they find the fights for me and with he’s always one step ahead of the ball.
He’S always looking past the neck past past the opponent, but he’s always looking into the f looking into the future to see what’s next, you know my focus is just take fight fight, my fight and i’m just as i said, from isaac and the team’s opinion and Yeah, what’s it so you work with isaac full-time as well right, yeah! What’S it what’s up? What’S up, that’s all! That’S cute, because um he’s my mate timo is my mate right.
You know when it’s time to work it’s time to work when it’s time to train this time train you know, but either way he’s along well right on right on um any any uh future matches over in the states.
England.
Anything like that.
Are you looking towards that? Are you looking to conquer australia, the first big goal for me and then hopefully i’ll overcome the next goals for me of winning and winning and winning well in england and america? That’S that’ll be crazy.
Awesome because we’ve had david go over there, america, he was offered first fighter to go over to america to fight as a pro.
So it’s just it’s awesome to see it’s it’s all possible yeah.
Definitely, definitely, and you know what you’re you’re stable you guys.
I i was saying it earlier that it’s just you guys have this style man and i’m calling it the peach style.
It’S that peach style box scene that come forward, no nonsense, ready to take your head off, but calculated and technical.
So it’s it’s a good style! Man, it’s doing you very well uh what um! What’S it what’s like a day a day of training? How does the day start for you you’re up early? Is it work gym, run through it yeah when camp? Let’S wake up run in the morning and go to work, come home, go to training at night, come home, be a dad start, be a dad and a husband to be and then start start their um.
That’S the daily that’s the daily routine in camp in camp, i’m always running in the morning.
When i’m not in camp.
I don’t run into the moon.
It’S pretty much.
Just work, training, family rest.
Do it again! That’S it! Man eat sleep.
Boxing, hey eat, sleeping boxing.
That’S great um, any any plans to uh get your son or daughter or either you got two yeah okay.
He loves.
He loves watching that.
He loves storing that so he’s around the option.
Boxing at home, there’s gloves everywhere i’ll bring him to the gym now and then, but he’s still young, so there’s sponges, there’s sponges at that age though so you can, you could be surprised on what they can actually retain.
I started teaching my kid young too and uh i taught him.
I taught him some muay thai and yeah.
It worked out really well.
He did well with it so yeah.
You teach him young teacher.
What um? What let me see here how to word this um? I totally got off track, so i kind of lost my thought there for a second um.
What what is it that separates you uh from everybody else that stands in front of you? What separates you? That makes you the great athlete you are a good question.
Uh um, i think my will to win and make my family and people around me.
Perhaps real.
That’S something! That’S real! That gives me that great you know i just want.
I want to be living.
I want to make everyone proud man that means so much to me.
So that’s! Okay! That’S it! That’S great cedric welcome uh! I know i know you’re running late brother, but uh yeah.
Welcome to the interview jerome.
This is cedric, cedric bennett, how you doing champ.
I was just before i had to jump on that to put on a watch a bit of your highlights here.
Watch you beating up this this uh your last opponent in maine, mr that nick charlie man, post guy um, i’m really liking your style man.
You know a lot, i say a lot, a lot of the the boxers from this generation they like to put they like to fight with their lead hand down, but not too many of them can do it properly.
You definitely could do it properly.
So i appreciate that that style of yours making sure, even though you keep your lead hand down, you still use your jab a lot to make sure to keep your opponent at that good distance.
That’S why this guy couldn’t really do nothing to you at all and uh anyways yeah.
I really appreciate that stuff.
Thank you for that.
I’M not sure where you guys were in the interview, but one of the ask whatever you want brother um, one of the the main questions i apologize if you at this already mike, but in your transition from the amateurs to the pros.
What um? What did you see was the? What was your main difference that you had to transition to some people? You know they’re not used to the you know.
Obviously, no headgear, that’s the number one thing, but um little things like either on offense.
They don’t have a good enough jab or maybe the defense they realize, with no headgear and smaller gloves.
How much more defense is important.
What what do you think was the biggest transition for you from the amateurs to approve? I don’t think it was huge thing because when i started boxing isaac always told me, he wanted me to be approached the goal, so i felt he like that he um trained us as a pro right through our amateur when we were fighting, we weren’t looking for The point she was teaching us to go in there and her opponent.
I thought that’s you know i thought yeah the pro.
I was always with the program.
That’S right.
I i forgot that uh, mr peach.
I missed the interview on monday, but i understand he doesn’t really mess with the amateurs he gets right to the point, we’re in the hurt business and uh.
I really respect that.
I really respect that.
Definitely in the hurt business.
That’S that’s exactly honestly i’ll tell you, like, like andre, said yesterday, he’s very intimidating when you’re when you’re talking to him face to face.
I could see that already in the interview man, he seems like a very intense guy so but he seems like seems he seems like he knows how to have a good time, but he seems like he’s all business.
Is that what he’s like he’s? Like all business? All the time yeah you just got ta get to know him yeah with that with that being, oh, my bad.
My bad go ahead.
Go ahead! Go ahead! Um with that being said.
As far as the her business, i was just talking about your the good job that you have.
What do you like to use that job to set it up with? As far as you know, we was talking about, you know you guys fight to hurt.
What is your favorite punch to come at your opponent with for that uh for the kill shot? I guess you could see straight right, but um it will be the straight right after the jab just just something basic.
Well, i’m the general is repeating the motion repeating the fundamentals over and over again, so it’s like so it comes natural, so it comes.
Naturally you have to think about it right, yeah for sure you keep asking giving you some time.
There give me some seat time.
Brother, what um any plans on um i know is one of your questions.
You’Re gon na ask later mike any plans on uh either, maybe not having a fight but uh a training camp over in in canada.
We got, i got a few facilities.
Obviously i got i’ve got a facility for use right here, but um and uh just anytime you’re you’re, you know want to do one of your training camps.
Any of the the petrie boxing stable want to do their their uh.
Their uh peach table come to winter.
Is that what you’re saying yeah yeah yeah i got them, i got them.
I got them yeah for sure, i’d, love to man, they’ll, be there i’m right beside right.
Beside the the michigan border to all the the the cronkite gym and all the big sparring.
You know tough sparring, you can get over there too, and i can get all the best guys in canada over here.
Just for your sparring too, so we’ll take care of you we’ll take care of you yeah, look forward to it look forward to it me too.
I’M definitely making the trip up to windsor for that one uh back to your career, any um.
What’S the plans? What’S the anything scheduled coming up, hopefully um end of october in australia and just go from there early world tour might as well start the world tour.
Well, first he’s going to take out jaya, patilla right, you take out jail.
Patia, oh i’ve been given that an opportunity and that’s that’s the of the pathway, i’m looking i’m looking.
Oh, i like that.
I like that yo i’m in your corner, for that one.
I i got you on that, one thanks jerome, you want to be loved and you want to be feared in your career um, i’m fed from fear by my opponents and loved by the support.
Yeah great answer great answer: that’s probably the best answer that somebody said to that question.
Oh man, yeah.
Definitely i got ta.
I got ta.
Ask you the nickname, the panther? How did you get it? Who gave it to you? Let’S hear the story.
Um someone someone at the gym kind of just brought it up randomly.
You should bring the pepper and everyone yeah, the pepper.
That was my last name yeah about the steak, that’s how it starts, and it just sticks with you, especially when you fight that way, and you keep it up.
Man, like you, know what i’m saying you fight that way like not not too much in a rush like i said, i keep repeating myself, but i love the way you use that jab keeping it low to draw the opponent in or you’re still popping it in A spaceman and boom with that right hand across.
Oh, you just barely messed them with that one, my bad i’m in the middle of watching your fight.
At the same time, i’m coming in jerome, so you’re you’re.
Currently what the the ibf and nzpbc cruiser champion yep.
That’S at the moment, yeah what uh tell us what it was like man to win.
One of the straps like we first put the strap on.
Oh, i was.
It was crazy.
It was a cool feeling.
You know it was just.
It was kind of like a relief, because i i just that’s what i was thinking to where i want to be, and the stepping stone in a way of like.
What’S it goals – and you know i just that was my first um follow as well.
But what people don’t know is half of my fights have been cruiserweight right and like heavyweight so um, it’s just getting it’s um yeah.
It was amazing to confirm that you’re you’re naturally light heavyweight, but your first title was that cruiserweight yeah yeah wow.
That’S that’s.
Definitely not something that you hear every day that someone moves up and wins their first title in a higher weight class.
You know i’m saying that’s definitely something that um that you don’t hear too often so much respect for that.
Much respect, for that did you fight.
Did you find it hard to to gain that weight and stay strong? I didn’t i’m kind of still still figuring out with my nutrition going to blow up so i’m slow.
So i want to keep to you know.
I want to keep to a weight where i’m able to to take on that those bigger opponents right yeah, because you’re you’re.
What were you six feet tall? I believe right, yeah, well, yeah i’ll see you, but you got a hell of a reach too, though you got like a 75 inch reach.
I’Ve got a long reached two yeah [ Laughter ].
Where do you feel more comfortable at light, heavyweight or cruiserweight? Well, wherever the money’s at wherever the money’s at for my weight wise, you know wait.
So, that’s that’s a that’s a pro okay, so i feel i feel strong at like everywhere and i feel strong at um being a cruiserweight, so i’m still just getting used to the weight as a cruiserweight.
Well, we have david light in the gym and that’s top 15 in the world, and i’m constantly inspiring him and jerome when you’re uh when you’re ready to retire and hang it up and uh.
You know look back.
What do you want to be remembered for first world champion someone that done what he loved um that that’s good, any any future plans to obviously you’re still in the middle of your career now, but you have any um plans for the future.
What you’re gon na do, after you’re retired have you started anything any businesses or anything like that? Um? No, not at the moment, i’m just at the moment.
I’M my little plumber.
I’Ve nearly got my qualification and the goal was to oversee this boxer.
But after just just about training, camp and stuff, like that um, you guys have a wide, stable, just wondering about sparring.
Do you guys do you have to like travel to to other gyms for sparring or because i know you guys got enough guys in the gym? We were talking to andre yesterday and he said you guys get some good work in so so do you is it? You mainly keep it in-house for sparring, or do you have to like travel a lot mainly a lot of sparring with each other a lot aspiring with some there’s some some inside the gym? That’S for sure, yeah we’re all friends but yeah yeah we’re all trying to really but now and then we get up other people coming, but our mains, my main inspiring partner, is definitely on drinking yeah.
He said he said you guys uh, you guys got it pretty hard.
Man got any good stories.
I know you got a juicy story in there for sure.
Is there? Is there a time where you guys went real hard real hard? Well, what we do we try to do is we we do that now now and then, so it was kind of technical, more of a technical bar not to try and kill each other two rounds, [ Laughter, ].
Every time we try to tell each other come on guys, i guess it’s the you know the competitive natural fighting.
That’S between us yeah.
You know that natural competition comes out man.
What happens when you got two alphas together? Man put them in the ring.
That’S what happens right now, but it is seriously, though it is good that you guys don’t have to um.
At the same time, you don’t have to travel to other gyms for sparring that much because at the same time you don’t want your your future opponents to see what you’re doing and stuff like that or see your improvement once in a while.
Of course you want to go to other gyms, just you know just to get a different look um, especially whatever.
If you’re fighting for a world title you want, you don’t want to try to get exactly the look that you’re looking for, but but overall yeah.
Overall, you know keeping it in-house, you know, keep keep keeping it away from your opponents and just getting better while your opponent’s not seeing it.
That’S that’s perfect right yeah, but the overall call we inspire each other, but then when it leads up to connects it up, we go around.
You know.
Yes, yeah you got ta, you don’t want to get too comfortable exactly yeah same thing.
We do here.
Yeah makes sense, perfect sense.
I got ta, ask you this.
Is there any? What do you like the most about about training? What’S? What’S your favorite thing to do my favorite yeah yeah sparring, it’s going to be all right! Every sport, every athlete in every sport is going to say, like the best part of practice, is scrimmaging or just playing the sport, hey.
No, no! No! No i’ve heard different answers.
I’Ve heard different answers, but that’s a good one, all right spreading it all right come on.
That shows the heart of a true, a true fighter.
That’S the best fighter.
Of course they don’t really care about.
They don’t care about the other stuff because yeah everybody just let me get in there and punch that guy in the face.
That’S awesome.
Man he’s boxing man much respect to pete’s boxing yeah man yo.
That’S that’s why we had to do you guys this week, man.
I you know, i felt it was ever since stumbling on to mia and mia putting me on to your stable, and you know the way you guys, train and and the way you guys are so tight-knit as a family and friends and stable mates, and you guys Support each other, it’s it’s awesome man.
I think i think what you guys are doing is great and i think the world needs to know and needs to see the fighters that are coming out of peach boxing, because you know what you guys are all undefeated.
You guys are all undefeated, you know stacking up belts left and right.
You know it’s just it’s a matter of time before that that entire stable burst onto the international scene – and i just wanted to be part of that wave man, because you know what you guys are great and i love watching you fight.
I think you’re very talented and uh.
I can’t wait to see you get in the ring and knock somebody down again.
Thank you.
Did you sorry? I know you have something scheduled yeah man.
What’S that cedric? Is there something scheduled? I know i asked before, but i forgot, i forgot what was said you got.
Ta know this is hoping end of october.
This should be something scheduled to all the fans out there.
I will remind you of this and i will find some way to put uh put it out there for you guys to watch man, that’s for sure, uh jerome, i’m not gon na.
Keep you too much longer.
I know it’s early in the morning.
You got kids, you got things to do it’s during the week so uh, you know what i would just want to.
Thank you very much for coming and joining us today.
Here, man taking the time to talk to us – and you know, shed a little light on who you actually are man and and uh yeah.
It was a pleasure yeah, yeah, easy man appreciate your support.
Man mia said from from beginning um.
She met you that you guys just we appreciate it.
Man yo much love and respect.
You know we’re here to support you.
We’Re gon na follow your career for the rest of it man.
You know we’re that’s what we’re here for uh we’ll push you any time.
We’D love to have you back whenever you, whenever you can to honestly.
You know just give us updates on what’s going on in your career, we’ll definitely i’ll be following it, but it’ll be good to talk about it, but yeah man uh.
So, stick around uh just uh, let’s sign off here and then we can uh talk to you after but first of all let everybody know where they can find you on social media.
So they can follow you and uh.
You know! Watch you progress, yeah, so um on instagram all right! Well talk to fight fans thanks for tuning in to today’s special episode knuckle up featuring myself, mike orr and my man center ben with today’s special guest jerome, the panther pampaloni.
You know what it is.
Man we’ll see you tomorrow with the continuation of peach boxing week and we have david the great white light with us tomorrow.
Make sure you join us four p.
m: eastern standard time.
You know what it is, it’s a grandma car say a knuckle up.
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