This week we had the privilege to welcome 20-year-old Aloys and fellow friend Jim Hemmings to HBC’s unit in Biggleswade – for a tour and to meet the team.
We’ve recently announced an exciting new five-fight sponsorship deal with one of Frank Warren’s latest Cruiserweight prospects, Aloys Junior. Those that have followed us for a while know HBC Logistics has sponsored and supported a variety of ambitious people in different specialities – from swimmers and cyclists to professional football teams and racing drivers. So, we were understandably very excited to be watching ringside as a sponsor for the very first time a few weeks back… and Aloys did not disappoint!
If you missed it, Aloys performed with serious power on 12th May at York Hall as he defeated his opponent in the third round with a monstrous left hook. You can watch the knockout here.
So after a few weeks of rest, Aloys came to visit the HBC Headquarters for a few games of pool and a mess about in our Staff Gym. We also thought it would be a good opportunity to sit down with ‘The Animal’ and get to know more about him and his career so far.
What inspired you to become a Boxer?
“From a kid I have always been a fighter, I used to love fighting. I know that as a child fighting used to bring me closer to my father, so I started to look into it. One of my friends was doing karate in primary school, and I wanted to do that, but it was never physical enough for me, you know. I wanted to do more, I wanted to drive more… seek more as a kid.
I thought; ‘this isn’t enough for me’ so I am doing what kids typically do playfights and whatnot. Then I stumbled across a video of the great Mike Tyson knocking someone out, and when he knocked that individual out I said, ‘This is what I want to do, Dad’. And the rest is history.”
Yeah, well Mike Tyson is an absolute monster, isn’t he. You’ve been compared to him a little bit, is that right?
“Yes, a little bit in structure and body type. But man, Mike Tyson is in a league of his own. I inspire to be like him, greater than him. But I give all my respect to him. He is the individual that has ‘made me’ technically, and I owe him all my appreciation for that. I inspire to meet him; I may even cry that day… seriously.”
Wow. Well, hopefully you will meet him very soon. So, how do you prepare yourself physically and mentally before a fight?
“So, boxers or fighters will go into training camps for six to eight weeks depending on how long until the fight. This consists of an immense amount of training – early morning, late nights, you are training in the gym two or three times a day. Your diet is quite bland, you can’t eat what you want or sleep whenever you want, it’s extremely regimenting. But this is all for your purpose, to get the best performance out of you that you inspire to have on fight night.
Mental-wise, it takes a lot. It’s like being a soldier, you are going out to war – potentially you could die or get extremely hurt and you must accept that. You must accept what may occur in the fight. You must accept so many things, you need to be able to understand and follow the game plan. It’s an immense amount of pressure… But pressure makes diamonds, and I don’t fold under pressure.”
Good stuff, what an incredible mindset to have. With this in mind, what do you consider your greatest strength as a boxer?
“My intelligence is my greatest strength. I can dissect things at a deeper level where a lot of fighters cannot. And my punch power is ridiculous. I have animalistic strength, the strength of a gorilla so when I touch someone they go to sleep.”
That’s quite handy to have as a Boxer! Do you have a particularly memorable moment in your career so far?
“I think my most memorable moment is my first loss. My first defeat. My first fight. What a moment that was! I took the fight with 24 hours’ notice, I fought a prospect and lost by one point. That moment is extremely memorable, and I am going to avenge that.
I was just 18 years old but I took them big steps, and I displayed a very good performance of who I am.”
What advice would you give to someone who is interesting in taking up boxing?
“To become a professional boxer is a marathon on its own. If you are getting into boxing, I’d say be the greatest student you can be. Make sure you take in the knowledge and study the game over and over. The most important thing I’d say is love it – if you don’t love what you are doing you will never prosper at it. If you love it deeper than anyone else, you will be greater than everyone else, it’s that simple.”
We couldn’t have put it better ourselves. Keep an eye on our socials and website for the latest news on Aloys next fight!
