ADDICTED TO THAT FEELING
I trained for about three years before I had my first amateur fight at the Bentley Club down in Melbourne.
I didn’t get the win that day. I was a little disheartened and it hurt me a lot that I lost but I couldn’t wait until I could go around again. Apart from losing, I loved everything about it.
It was surreal. The fight itself is a blur. I was very nervous. I just remember all the butterflies but at the same time I was happy because it was where I wanted to be.
It wasn’t until my third fight that I got a win. I remember the end where the referee calls you into the centre of the ring. I thought I had won the fight, but just wasn’t sure. Hoping to God so bad that I’d get the win. When he lifted my arm up, that feeling? I’ll never forget it and I’ve been addicted to that feeling ever since.
I fought for two years as an amateur; just eight fights with six wins and two losses.
My trainer Garrie Scott sat me down and told me, ‘I’ve taught you all I know, and I have to pass you on to someone else to take you further’.
He took me down to Keith Ellis, brother of Lester Ellis, and I started training with him in Sunshine.
I was with Keith for my first pro fight. I was 17 at the time and I’d lied about my age on the registration.
You were meant to be 18 to turn pro. But at the time I was training with all the pros, my style was more suited to the pros and I had no Olympic dreams. The Olympics never really crossed my mind. I just wanted to be a world champion, fight 12 rounders.
Keith said to me, ‘we’ll just make a few ‘accidental mistakes’ on the registration’. It went alright for a few years but then they caught on and I had a suspension for six months and had four fights overturned to no contests.
It’s not something I’d advise anyone else to do – but I was that keen. I wouldn’t change it. They gave me a very stern talking to: ‘don’t pull nothing like that again!’
ONE OF THE GREAT TEACHERS
To leave home at 16 to go to Melbourne to chase a dream, I wouldn’t say it was that tough a decision. I was so excited I didn’t really think about it. It was almost like it was an unconscious decision, something out of my hands that needed to be done.
I started out with my cousins and eventually stayed with Keith in Sunshine until he got crook.
He had a stroke and a lot more health problems and passed away after a few years.
That was really tough, having Keith pass away. He was one of the great teachers. He was able to read a fighter like no other. He could take what a fighter had and get the most out of them.
He said that many times he’d had fighters that had no business being in the ring with the champions they were matched against, but he could figure out how to help them win. He could get that extra 20 per cent out of you that most people couldn’t.
It was a really big loss for boxing when he passed away.
I still hear him telling me, ‘always keep your knees bent, always punch to the body, keep your hands up, keep on your toes, don’t be back on your heels’.
ALL THOSE FELLAS CAME FROM NOTHING
Lester, a five-time world champion, was in and out. I’ve had a lot of conversations with him about boxing. He has a great boxing brain.
He was one of the guys I looked up to, along with Barry Michael, Graeme ‘Porky’ Brooke and Lionel Rose. All those fellas came from nothing. Very similar situations to my own, and I can really relate to them – especially Porky and Slim [Rose].
It gave me a lot of hope knowing these two Kooris, and cousins, who came from absolutely nothing, had grown up with bad things happening around them, and were able to pull themselves out through boxing. And they looked so pretty while doing it; two of the best fighters to ever get in a ring.
Even though I came along a lot later, everyone had tapes of them. A small country town like Shepparton, everyone knew who they were.
My trainer Garrie was the one who showed me Lionel. There’s the similar style. Bouncing on the toes. Defence comes first.
I watched a lot of his fights and from the moment I saw him I thought ‘he’s as pretty as a picture, he’s just the best’. To see another black fella doing so well, inspired me a lot.
THIS IS MAKE OR BREAK
This next fight holds all the promise. Everything that I’ve been working for in the last 10 years comes together in winning this fight.
The motivation is not about beating Tim as a person, because I don’t know him, but to beat him because of what a victory promises: to break into the world top five, to potentially get closer to a world title fight.
This is what all the sacrifice and hard work has been about. To get to a position where I can challenge for a world title and, god willing, win a title.
This is a make or break fight for me. I’ve got to win this. I have no choice because I want to be a world champion.
EVERYTHING WAS HANDED TO TIM
From the fights I’ve seen Tim’s an aggressive fighter, similar to his old man in that European style. He wants to put you out.
I like being on the back foot, I like fighters coming towards me and I like countering. Stylistically, on paper, this is a very good fight. It’s got fireworks written all over it.
He obviously thinks he can nail me with that punch, and I think I can get out of the way of it.
Having that famous last name thanks to his father Kostya could make things harder for him if he wants to put that pressure on himself. Everyone’s expecting everything.
But at the same time, for a guy who’s had 13 or so fights to have a contract with Main Event … his last name has opened up more doors than it’s shut.
Everything been given to him on a silver platter. The world’s his oyster. Everything has been handed to him. He’s here on his last name. I’m here on hard work.
Nothing’s been given to me. I’ve had to fight everyone who’s come along. He’s had choices. He’s got big money behind him, they can build him up, he can train overseas, do all that.
I’m still going to work in the day and the gym in the afternoon.
I work as precast concreter. We make moulds for stormwater pipes and civil works. It’s not too bad. I work with a bunch of good fellas and my managers and boss look after me.
They are definitely supportive of my boxing, and this fight has made a lot of people aware of me.
I’m getting messages from all over Australia, people I’ve never met before wishing me the best of luck. I’m overwhelmed with the amount of support I’ve got from people.
Shepparton has gotten right behind me as well, and made me feel really proud to come from Shepp. It makes my heart warm.
I moved back to Shepp 18 months ago and train with Andrew Woodall and my cousin Damien Morgan, and I’m a lot different to how I was when I left.
I’ve been blessed with four children of my own: three boys, six, five and six months, and my girl who’s nine.
They love going to the gym with me. When they get down there they grab the gloves. They run around like headless chooks and punch everything.
They love being part of it and it makes me happy. I throw my hands up when I see them. They have no idea what’s going on but they’re just out there having the time of their lives. That’s the best thing in the world.
More about: Boxing World Champion | Indigenous Australians | Resilience
Load More
