AIR DATE:
EPISODE: Episode 52
Joined in the Talkin Fight studio is Nathan Quarless for a live interview with Mike and Cedric on Knuckle Up.
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
#TalkinFight #KnuckleUp #NathanQuarless
#LiveInterview
Transcribed:
[, Music ]: what up talking fight fans thanks for tuning in to today’s episode of knuckle up with yours, truly mike orr, and today my special guest nathan corliss, welcome.
Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to come and join us today and uh.
You know chat it up with me.
Uh big fan, definitely like watching.
You do work in the ring man and uh.
I can’t wait to see you back in there, but unfortunately, an injury is gon na is gon na.
Stop that for a little while, we’ll talk all about that but um.
Definitely i want to get the fans uh, knowing who you are man and how did it all start? How did you get into boxing? What age were you yeah nice one for that inviting me on? I appreciate it: um yeah, i i started boxing when i was about 12 i’d say, but it’s always been in the family.
Obviously, with my uncle noel um and my dad, you know he he got me into the box and i’ve always loved boxing and grew up watching the likes of joe frazier ali um, joe lewis.
You know on videotapes and i’ve always loved the sport, so i think it was inevitable really that i would end up being a boxer um and just one day my dad said you know, you’ve got to get off.
You got to get off the xbox and stuff.
I chose boxing and it went from there really yeah.
That’S awesome, you know what it’s it’s it’s a good thing.
You did put down the xbox right, [, Laughter, ], um, yeah, your uncle.
Your uncle had a pretty a pretty good uh pro career.
Did you feel pressured to to get into boxing because of it or was it? Was it just always a passion because it was in your family and there was no pressure on me to get into boxing it was.
I chose the sport um i’ve.
I’Ve done.
I played football, i had to go running um and then it was just you know, try boxing and then it went from there really there’s no pressure on me to to go on and be a professional to even fight.
It was just to get me off.
Get me out of the house – and you know, do some sports and get a bit of discipline um, and yet it went from there and i started getting better and obviously i felt i had a real natural talent for it.
And then i you know just kept progressing in the amateurs and i was always fighting lads.
You were a lot more experienced on me.
You know i only had 19 fights as an amateur right and i achieved you know quite a bit.
I beat a lot of top lads and jewelry time as an amateur, and you know i end up turning i’m throwing, i feel, like you know, if it wasn’t for me, dad pushing me and stuff, i wouldn’t wouldn’t be at the in the position.
I was in now right so is your dad is.
Is your dad a big part of your training? Uh yeah he’s he’s always been a big part of saying him, but um i’d say in lockdown.
I told him to get his coaching badge so now he’s he’s a part of the team he’s um he’s the second man in the corner.
Basically, okay, okay, uh, who’s, who’s, who’s, your head trainer, it’s tommy smith; he also tommy, since it was an amateur.
Oh okay.
Yes, and now you you were at the abc right at the salisbury abc, i started off in the golden gloves and then we we left and then joined the the salisbury and then 2012.
and you were there.
You were their first uh fighter to go pro correct.
Yeah first fighter the gopro with them as as a club.
Obviously, there’s been a a lot of other fighters.
Who’Ve turned pro in the past from the sully, but he never actually turned over with them.
I was the first one yeah.
How did that feel when uh, when, when, when that happened yeah you know it was you know just it was a proud moment for me.
You know, as you know, there’s a lot of decent pros have come out of that gym and me being the one to to set it all alight for the solitude up there.
You know pro stable, it was, it was great and i um you know i wish them all the best as well for whatever future plans, they have right what um? What are some of your short-term goals? Well, i know you just got injured, you tore.
You know why don’t you just tell us about it.
I know we’re talking off-camera your last fight.
You won it uh you’re now 11-0.
I correct um yeah yeah.
So saturday night, i boxed in the m s arena on the liam smith on the card fantastic night.
Other than me, rupturing me me tending in the bicep in the third round, and you know i’m going to be out of action.
Probably till about march and tiger try and quickly get me updated in the next two weeks, um and then it’s three four months rehabilitate um, you know rehab, so i’m gon na i’m gon na be staying in the gym and and doing everything i can to stay Fit obviously, just not being able to throw me left hand yeah, but you know i mean me plan is march 2023 gutted, but you know what these things happen in the sport and you’ve just got ta you know stay mentally strong as well.
That’S all right.
Do you uh, do you feel pressure at all to uh come through with that that first stoppage or you just don’t let that bother you at all when you’re in the brain, and you know what it does obviously have a good light.
I would like to stoppage.
I thought it was going to get on the weekend and then obviously i i tore the bicep and i had them down in the second round, with a good shot and it was towards the end of the second and then in the third round.
The bicep thing happened and then i just i couldn’t really set the shots off right, so i was just doing enough to win the rounds and you know i caught with some still caught him, some nice shots and to be fair to him.
You know we took the shots well and then you know, i think you know it was just one of those things.
I don’t feel any pressure because end of the day you know when you, when you move up in these levels, you don’t tend to see as many knockouts in right when, when the fighters reach a certain level, not saying that they don’t, people can always have an Equalizer and that’s not to say i don’t have power because i do have power.
Oh definitely, you know boxing ability, you know is is, is you know, that’s that’s the arty ever should not box properly.
So i feel like people can underestimate me and he can do that all day once you know, but when we get in there and you know they’re not able to land the shots on me, not able to land the power punches and i’m boxing that’s off.
I think you know a lot of the time it’s gon na.
You know it’ll come down to that and that you know people quit um or you get laid stock, which is you know right right, honestly, uh.
When i watch you fight um, you do have a very, very intelligent.
Like ring iq uh, you know it shows that you’ve had a lot of a lot of skills taught to you throughout your amateur career and stuff.
So the fact that you don’t have a stoppage.
You know it it doesn’t really matter because, honestly, i love watching you out boxes guys and to be honest and you’re coming through with these victories every time and congratulations for saturday’s win with that bicep um.
Where do you see yourself in the next two years? Where would you like to be at well, you know i’m i’m! I want to be pushing now for for big fights um.
You know whether that’s i’m gon na need a fight to come back in march after the injury and then from there.
You know i want to be pushing on for business, titles and stuff.
Now i feel like i’m ready to do it.
You know i don’t fear anyone in the division um.
You know.
I want to test myself against these big lads, because i think when, when i when i, when we step up on with all when we all meet, i think that’s.
When you’ll see the best version of me when i fight when i’m when i’m in the ring with someone um, you know you, you know, you’ve got to really perform against and there’s no disrespecting to me past opponents, and but sometimes i i find that i’m winning Fights in first gear um, and when i was i was up for this for this website.
The fight was really for best i’ve ever trained.
You know i was training like an absolute demon in the gym.
I was doing all my cardio.
I never cheated once on me, diet, and you know i’ve done everything that was asked of me um for this, for this michael webster fight and for whatever reason you know he um he couldn’t.
He couldn’t fight him.
You know i’ll wish him the best of luck on it and whatever he’s got wrong with him and and his recovery, but um you know once i get back uh fighting, you know i want to be pushing on now and i want to be looking for titles Myself right what uh? What do you think the biggest lesson uh you’ve learned in boxing? Is today um, you know you can you can never underestimate anyone? I think.
That’S you know it’s an old cliche, but yeah you.
Can you never underestimate anyone? You’Ve, you’ve always got to go in to these fights hundred percent right.
A hundred percent you’ve got ta, you can’t you can’t cheat you, you know i’ve done it.
I’Ve done it in the past.
You know you might not train, as i had in that session, and you know this year really for me has been a turning point in in my mentality as well um.
You know i’m on it constantly and i’m i’m always looking to better myself, and what can i do to get fitter? What can i do to get stronger? What what diet you know getting a nutritionist and getting a good stem conditioning coach and you know sparring, you know it’s all got it.
It’S all got to be right.
Isn’T it that’s right now so with the nutritionist, so you’ve now recently brought on the nutritionist and yogurt into your training.
It was since the amc collins fights, oh okay, and and how do you? How do you feel like um before you get in like is? Is it helping like? Does it give you more energy, or do you feel less sluggish and all yeah? It’S it’s more to do.
You know when you’re training – and you know when, when you’re really overloading on training and and you’re feeling tired – and you don’t want to you – don’t – want to go and do this session because your body’s, you know your body’s crying out really.
But since since um getting me a nutritionist, you know you’re able to you’re able to just do that a little bit extra.
You know your body’s still tired, but you’ve got the energy to go and do it.
Whereas in the past you know you, you you’re sort of guessing with your food, where, when you’ve got someone on board, telling you what to eat and then um you know have this other caffeine chewy yours to get you through this sessions.
Just little things like that, you know adds up to a lot.
Was there anything that was introduced into your diet, that you’d never eaten before that uh that you were kind of surprised, um? No, what no you know, it’s all! It’S all basic foods! The only thing i would say was like um bringing like caffeine on us, like um, you know before before sessions when you’re tired um.
Obviously you have a lot of coffee and stuff anyway, but you know yeah having having quite a bit of caffeine just to to give you that little energy boost to get through this conditioning session to get through the spider session.
You know just little things like that.
You know the um, they don’t make a difference right.
I know you’ve sparked some um, some some good names um.
What what’s, what’s the best firing session that you’ve had and and who was it with uh i’d, probably say um, the most i enjoyed was being down and with hughie fiori, for i can’t remember what camp it was, but we was we was asked down.
I think i was two and all at the time as a pro, we were asked down for a full full training, income um and you know, being around them and being around pc fiori and and seeing how they train and how they spa.
You know at the time i was doing four rounds and just to look and see you know the type of fitness level that these top lads have got.
You know it, it doesn’t have inspired to you know to to get to that.
To get to that point, and then you know it showed in in for this camp for the website.
You know i was getting two ads two ads in for spa and i was doing ten rounds.
They were doing six or four each um and you know and you’re pushing on in the tenth round right and um.
You know that that was that was you know, brilliant for me as well, because you got you get yourself to this fitness level, and you see all the hard work you put in over the years getting to getting to that point right, um who, if he could Fight anybody right now like if your arm wasn’t hurt and you’re ready to book the next match.
Who would it be? Who would you call it yeah? I wouldn’t i wouldn’t say i’d call out to anyone.
It’S just anyone.
You know for the british title in the division if the british title was vacant and me and whoever got you know got put in there, i will i wouldn’t be bothered though it was in this division.
You know i feel like um.
I feel like i’m good enough to beat anyone, so i’m looking forward to you know next year and i i’ll get myself into these big fights because i’m more than ready to do it.
You know, i believe you are it’s.
It’S unfortunate that this you got this little hiccup in the way, and now you’re gon na have to wait till march um.
What what is it? What is it that you possess that you believe uh helps you be the best you can be and and the better man in the division – and you know i think, speed, uh unboxing ability.
I don’t think many.
Many of the lads in in my weight.
I’Ve got the the box in the book or the ring iq.
I’Ve got and you know a lot of them rely on the power um and i rely on you know boxing people and i’m being smart in the ring.
You know i don’t take many punches, i’m not taking many punches in in my career um in the eight band there was steve collins and a bailey to penny.
So you know, i think i think a lot of the.
I think a lot of people struggle to it to actually punches on me and um.
Once you get through the bat and know the rounds are going on, i think that’ll really frustrate people um.
What do you believe to be one of your weaknesses? If you have any and what are you doing to improve on it um, i i thought i’m not sure i could probably probably throw some.
I don’t know what never really thought about.
Just probably you know not knocking people out.
I probably yeah.
It’S it’s a wheat.
It’S i’ve not had one so i’ll, probably say that yeah, honestly, honestly, i don’t it doesn’t even matter that you haven’t knocked anybody out, because definitely you do outbox them and you do move you do move very agile.
Man for a cruiserweight yeah is.
Is there anything like? Do you work on stuff to help with that movement? Uh like? How are we no, i found it.
I actually found it quite hard in the gym to um.
You know when, when my dad will say you know, keep moving, keep moving.
Yeah keep moving that, but i’ve found the heart.
So i see trainer it’s more like it’s more like reactions, so it’s more like when a spa.
I i i’ll see like a little flick in the shoulder or then i i don’t know a certain punch is coming.
It’S more like your reactions and reading your opponent more than you know just coming in bobbing and weaving.
If you know what i mean yeah, definitely um say uh five, ten years: where do you see a receive yourself? Where would you like to be well? Hopefully you know on the world on the world stage, that’s that’s everyone’s dream and i think i’m good enough – and you know these next two years are vital.
For me, i’ve got a you know.
British title, you know i’ll, be the fair.
I think.
Don’T quote me on it, but i think it’ll be the first british champion from liverpool in the cruiserweight division.
So you know that that that would be amazing as well um and then you know go from there.
You know the the path you know.
British european.
You know be some where level opponents, and then you know who knows world titles and and whatnot, but you know what my main focus now is.
Just you know get yourself to that.
It’S that british side going on right um, if um, okay, for anybody out there who doesn’t know who you are, which uh, which of your 11 wins would you say, was the best display of uh of your skill set, i would say, um.
I would probably say the steve collins fight.
You know that was my first real test right and you know a lot of you know not everyone thought i was gon na come out of that.
You know with the win and there’s a few news articles saying it’s gon na be an easy win for collins um.
You know and had i had that and he started the start of the fight okay in the first round and then after that, after that, first round i completely took over, i consoled the pace: uh yeah, you know, jabba’s kept jabbing and my skill set was really Was shown in that fight, i ireland hate a few times and then i would say, that’s probably me best fight and then probably after that would be ken catherine um, but mainly because of how i beat him.
It was a.
It was a shutout and you know i don’t think he landed the punch on me um and he’s um he’s a a brilliant opponent.
No for the lads starting off.
He can cause an upset against anybody.
I think, after the fight with me, he went on and won two fights on the bounce by in the house, so he was a, i would say he was in the f in the fourth round fights anyway.
He was therefore one that could have easily went wrong.
All right, [, Music ], can you run us through a day of training camp uh like as, as you were, coming up or see? Let’S just say, your hardest training camp run us through your door was this.
I would say it was this camp.
Obviously it was, it was me first supposed to be at a ten round fight and so uh.
I usually train about 12 o’clock boxing.
So sometimes, without a run in the morning then go boxing then go seven conditioning in the night and then we would more than likely spa on a monday wednesday, friday um do some conditioning night after the monday session.
Tuesday would be boxing and cardio, and we introduced a rolling session in the night, which was um 10 rounds three minute rounds.
You had to hit 800 meters every round with a minute rest, so that that was ground that i was two to three sessions a day.
Um six days a week, wow damn so that was tough and aspire numbers.
I think i’ve done four ten rounds bars and a couple, a few eights and then after at the beginning of camp, we we’ve done a few sixes right, but yet this this camp is therefore the artist.
Is there any part of the camp that you hated doing and probably the problems? To be honest, it sounds pretty rough man, 800 meters you had to reach at every round.
Yes, that’s going to be.
That was tough yeah.
That was there.
That was meant.
That was more, that that was your mentally er, your mental stuff, more than uh.
Well, the physical part of it was obviously hard right, but the mental side of it as well was was just it was growing yeah.
That sounds.
That sounds real.
I don’t.
I don’t envy you at that point: man holy crow, um yeah.
If, if uh you walk away from the sport tomorrow, what would you want to be remembered for um? I would just say, probably the collins fight it was me first headliner um.
I boxed a photo block box, brilliant and you know i’m beating on that opponent, like steve collins, jr.
The way i beat him.
I think i beat him seven rounds to one um.
That was a doesn’t really get the credit it deserves in the in.
In the boxing world um, but i would probably say that yeah all right so um when you’re ready to retire and and hang it up, um any plans to teach you know uh pass it forward.
Um, i would probably go into into culture yeah and we’ll probably go into culture um, not sure if it would be amateur or bro right um, but i would definitely go into it.
I think i love the sport too much not to right um.
If you could, you know, give advice to any of the young kids coming up um, you know what would it be yeah um, you know just got ta work on your skill, set, try and keep you try and keep the egos aside and train hard and and Wear hard because you know you have all the talent in the world and my dad always says, and if you don’t train hard enough, you know in the end it might not have the beginning.
But in the end you know hardware how easy to beat talent.
If you’ve got both, then you should go on to do great things right um, do you want to be loved or do you want to be feared? I even all you know, i’m just i don’t it doesn’t really.
I don’t really think about that side of it.
I just want to go in and do me job and get the wins and keep winning until until i get to the to the level that i think i should be a right with boxing.
You know, boxing being you know, pegged as having so much politics and bull crap, going on behind the scenes.
What’S uh, what’s the biggest obstacle, uh that’s been put in front of you that you’ve had to you know climb over so far in your career.
I think um, it’s mainly you know it’s it’s hard for a lot of the for a lot of boxes.
Like myself, you know i’ve had eleven fights now about one, but one fight on the big stage.
You know the small whole shows are hard.
You know you’ve got to you’ve, got to go up there and sell to it at a busted balls and and do a lot of hardware.
You know, and i think, with a lot of the lads, if you can’t sell up to 100 seconds, you know you you’re, not you’re, not able to fight i’m.
You know one of the lucky ones you can.
You can shift out a few tickets, and but you know it’s not always that it’s not always the case.
You know some of the good boxers who have left the sport haven’t been able to achieve what they can achieve, because you know they’re not taking sellers and to be it shouldn’t be like that.
It should be based on how good you are.
It shouldn’t be based on how many times yourself – and you know i think boxing is, i think, boxing’s struggling a little bit at the minute outside the super fights you’ll.
Have that you’ll have a organ organizations like ufc and you know: they’ve set the bar high and people people are out there.
Moaning about you know fight, how are their fighters getting paid? But if you look at the exposure they get from the ufc right, it’s just crazy.
You know a lot of if you’re in the ufc.
You know you can make a lot of money outside the sport as well.
That’S right! Where is in boxing unless you’re one of the mega stars – you’re not you’re, not really doing it, so i think boxing’s got a somehow find a way to start competing again in the mid level of the sport right.
You know the mega stars, they’re fine.
You know they’re they’re in and the the big big money yeah.
You know the lads, my level and the mid level.
It’S not it’s not the case.
I know it’s.
It’S almost like they’ve left it up to you with uh.
You know with the the way social media has blossomed and all these different platforms, it’s like they’ve, left it up to the boxer to self-promote now and yeah.
You know these promoters are just sinking.
You know their time and money into the big stars which in turn hurts you guys because, hey you know, 11 fights yeah and then you’re in the situation you’re in um.
Really what what do you think they need to do to change it? I think i think everyone needs you know a fair share of.
I wouldn’t say money.
You know the money, i think everyone just needs a fair share of being.
You know noticed you know.
Whenever that’s you know boxing on the telly or if you’re good enough.
You should you should be given the platform to do so and then you can.
You can build a fan base after that, but you know it’s.
How can you build a foundation? You haven’t got the the uh the platform to do so.
That’S right, john.
I mean it’s it’s a hard one.
It is, but i think we’ve got ta somehow find a way to do it right, and you know what, if you love the sport you’re going to do everything you can to do it right, yeah, you know what nathan it’s been a great interview.
Man, it’s been great talking to you, i don’t want to keep it too much longer.
I know you’re, probably a very busy man um.
I would love to have you back on the show in the future.
Uh definitely keep us updated with uh with the with the injury and how you’re doing um just stick around i’m gon na sign off and uh i’ll say my goodbyes call taco fight fans thanks for tuning in to today’s special episode of knuckle up with our man.
Nathan, corliss guys definitely be following this kid’s career, big things in his future, definitely going to see a world belt around his waist and that british title.
So you know what it is we’ll see you tomorrow same time same channel new prospects,
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