Talent can take you so far, but it is through grit and sheer determination that excellence is reached. Those are values shared by middleweight boxer Anthony Fowler, who spoke exclusively to Sports Mole on Tuesday afternoon.
Fowler has won 159 of his 172 amateur fights, including 37 of the last 40. He also went on a 36-fight unbeaten streak between the ages of 16 and 18. Those that know the sport are certainly excited about the confident fighter's future in the ring.
The 23-year-old, who won gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, is currently competing for the British Lionhearts in the 2015 World Series of Boxing.
The Liverpool-born fighter beat China's Zhou Di in his first bout of the competition on Friday, but it came at a price, with Fowler suffering a deep gash during an accidental clash of heads.
As a result, the fight was stopped in the third round and Fowler was awarded the win due to his domination up until that point. Fowler will fight again in Morocco on January 30, however, with the Liverpudlian insisting that withdrawal is not an option.
Here, Fowler speaks about his opening to the WSB, in addition to his exploits last summer in Glasgow and his hopes for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
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First and foremost Anthony, just how frustrating was it to pick up that deep gash on Friday and how has it impacted your preparations?
"It was a nightmare to be fair. I felt fully in control and had a lot more to give, so for it to finish premature like that was very frustrating, but you've got to get on it. I can't spar this week and sparring is the most important part of training so it is affecting my preparations negatively, but I am still confident that I will get a win.
"No doubt about it, I will be in that ring [next Friday in Morocco]. If it wasn't an Olympic qualifier than I wouldn't fight, but it is very important that I get another win and another five ranking points.
"It is not an ideal situation, but I will go into the ring with a clever gameplan. I won't get involved, I am just going to box, nice and long.
"I know I am a fast healer so I had a sneaky feeling that I would be alright. This week my cut is looking great so I am still very confident and I will win."
You sacrificed your Christmas to train for the WSB, how do you motivate yourself? What about those 6am mornings where you just want to stay in bed?
"I am very highly motivated, I have been that way since I was a kid. I have always been focused to succeed. It is my life, I don't know anything else but boxing so it is not too difficult to get up for those 6am starts because I have been doing it for 12 years so it is all I know really.
"If I don't put the work in then I won't get the results so it is an easy decision to make. It is either train and win, or stay in bed and get beat."
Looking back at the Commonwealth Games, how did you deal with the expectation at the tournament?
"Going to the Commonwealth Games I had a lot of pressure on my shoulders, to be honest. I had won a world bronze and going into that particular tournament I was the underdog, but I had a lot of help to deal with my nerves. The only pressure I feel is that I want to perform at my best. It doesn't matter if I win or lose, as long as I have put everything into the fight then I am happy whatever the result is."
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What about the possibility of turning professional after your success in Glasgow? Did you have offers to explore that avenue?
"The next step was always the Olympics. Going professional is a big temptation because I think I will suit the professional game more, but the Olympics is only next year so it was an easy decision to make. We believe that we can win the gold and that would be unbelievable. It would massively boost my profile.
"I have always kept in touch with the likes of Eddie Hearn, Frank Warren etc. so I know if I wanted to turn professional then it would be easy enough to do, but I have made it clear from day one that I want the Olympics and that's that."
Are there any aspects of your style that you are particularly working to improve?
"I made a lot of mistakes in my last fight to be honest. I could have been a bit more compact. I threw a few lazy jabs and got countered over the top, which I don't normally do. There is a lot to work on from the last fight. There was a lot of positives as well, but you always work on the negatives and try and correct them."
Finally Anthony, what about the comparisons with a certain Carl Froch?
"It is flattering to be compared to a four-time world champion. It is good for my ego obviously! I do believe that I can achieve what Carl has done and possibly even more.
"I've got a lot of similar attributes to Carl – long arms, I've got a good chin, I'm strong. I've got a lot to prove before I can be as good as he is, but I believe that I can be."
Matt Law
