AFTER signing with Wasserman in 2021, Josh Kelly looked to get his career back on track following his first career defeat against David Avanesyan. Four wins later and the 29-year-old is nearing a world title shot. But first he faces unknown Colombian Placido Ramirez on Saturday night in Sunderland.
Kelly spoke to Boxing News about fighting in front of his home fans, his improved mindset, and why he has stopped putting pressure on himself, and also offered his opinion on WBO belt holder Tim Tszyu.
Interview by Shaun Brown
BN: How would you sum up this stage of your career so far since signing with Wasserman?
JK: I believe they’ve moved me right. I feel like the first fight (Peter Kramer) was just to get back fighting, and then it’s a case of where can we go from there? We then took quite a dangerous Argentinian guy (Lucas Ariel Bastida), unbeaten at the time or near enough unbeaten, and then we took Troy [Williamson].
I wanted some big fights after that Troy fight but [they] didn’t materialise. We got an awkward, negative guy last time (Gabriel Alberto Corzo). We’ve got a replacement opponent this time because the guy I was meant to box pulled out. It’s just life.
BN: Troy fought Caoimhin Agyarko last month and lost. Did you expect the fight to pan out the way it did?
JK: I thought Troy probably could have applied a bit more pressure. He was trying to box a bit more. But if you’re not the boxer, and you don’t get success doing, it then you don’t stay there too long. Troy looked tired at the end of the fight. I’m not sure if the weight is killing him. Making the weight and performing at the weight are two different things.
Could I potentially make welterweight? Probably. If I really, really killed myself [to do it]. But would I perform? No. I thought Agyarko got caught a lot more than I did in my fight with Troy and he started to get tired. [I] worked a little bit with Troy in the build-up and he was helping me out.
BN: Your fights are now shown on DAZN instead of Channel 5. Was it important to you to make the move to a new broadcasting platform?
JK: I feel like the platform will bring the most out of me and get the most views. It’s set up right and it’s the platform any performer wants to be on, and I want to be on the biggest platform. If that’s DAZN now, if that’s another company later on, so be it. I feel like it’s perfect; everything suits me. If it was still on Channel 5 [and] that was the biggest platform for me, then that’s what I was gonna do.
BN: You’ll be looking at getting a world title shot in 2024, won’t you?
JK: I’m WBO number one. I can take that up and push that mandatory position if I wanted to. That’s a big dream of mine: to become the first world champion from Sunderland. I think the right time, the right stadium, the right event, I feel like that’ll be great. I want some big names as well on my résumé. I would like to fight some big domestic names if possible. Nothing happens until we beat this guy on Saturday. I want to do a job; I’m going to enjoy it.
BN: Some fighters believe boxing in front of their home fans is a positive and can help their performance. Others think it can be a hindrance. What do you think?
JK: I appreciate and I’m so grateful for the crowd and to be boxing in Sunderland because I’m coming home. It feels like the right thing to do at the right time. It’s unbelievable. I cannot wait but I can box anywhere and perform anywhere. I forget everything when I go in there. Put me in a back garden in Scotland and I’d do the same thing. It’s not about where I’m at. Of course, the crowd’s on my side and it’ll be great to have that. It’s a while since I’ve had that on my side and a lot of people there.
I feel like there’s no pressure on my shoulders now because I’ve took all that off. I’m not putting pressure on myself. It’s what I do; it’s a job. I go to work, get it done, get home safe and happy with a win. It’s not like I’m not bothered; I’m always gonna want to win. I’m a natural winner anyway. I’m not bothered if it’s a race to the lamppost outside, I’m gonna try and kill you to get there before you (laughs).
I’m just gonna go in there and enjoy it. At the end of the day, I do it day in, day out in the gym. I’ve done it since I was eight years old. It’s nothing new to me. It’s another day. A 12-round spar with no headguards on.
BN: Did you used to put pressure on yourself and in doing so did that affect you?
JK: Definitely. You think [to yourself], “I need to do this, I need to win, I need to perform.” You don’t need to do anything really. You literally don’t need to do anything. I could say, “I’m not fighting, I’m going home, see you in a bit.” I could literally do that if I wanted to. I don’t really need to do anything I don’t want to. But I want to do this so I might as well enjoy it when I’m doing it.
I had a loss and I know why. But look where I am now. Two years ago, no-one would’ve put me in the position where I am now. I wouldn’t even [have] put myself in this position. I wouldn’t even put myself in the right headspace in life. I needed to sort myself outside the ring first before I even got back in the ring. I feel like I’m winning anyway so it don’t matter.
BN: How did you go about sorting yourself out outside the ring?
JK: I got in touch with a few people. People ended up reaching out and I randomly crossed paths with Steven Green. A good guy, a good friend of mine now, who is also on the team. When we met, he said, “I believe I can help you with your mindset and your potential,” and that it’s because of this, that and the other. I thought he doesn’t know anything; he’s never boxed in his life and then found out he’s got the Guinness World Record for the longest Triathlon ever done. He’s a David Goggins sort of guy. He blew my mind. He said, “Listen, we wait all this time to get here for maybe 70 to 100 years if you’re lucky. We wait all that time and then we stress about the fucking past and the future.”
I’ll get to 40, or whenever I retire, and I’ll look back at my career that I was stressing all the time and didn’t enjoy anything. What was the point of doing it? I’m a born winner and people who are that way inclined want to win and I’ve got that more than most people. Me and my brother were brought up the same, but I wanted to beat him at anything we did. The result is gonna be the result. It’s what you do to get the result that can change things. I’m focused on the journey and the present moment and what I’m doing now. I’m not focused on win, lose or draw. That just happens. I’m enjoying and performing.
BN: Being ranked number one with the WBO is putting you on a path towards their champion Tim Tszyu. What’s your thoughts on him as a fighter?
JK: He’s mint, he’s quality. He punches hard, got great balance, and he’s got a good engine on him. I think he can be caught a lot, but you’ve got to be prepared to go 12 rounds at a high pace and risking hard shots coming your way constantly. Do I believe I’ve got that on a night? Yes, 100 per cent. At that level every fight is a tough fight. A lot of people write me off but I back myself.
I wasn’t the best version of myself against Troy. I got sick two weeks beforehand. Couldn’t do any training. The last fight [I had] a stupid injury. This fight is gonna be good, I cannot wait. The things I’ve done in the gym to elite fighters, give me that on a night in front of a big crowd for a world title and people will go, “Fucking hell I didn’t expect that.”
BN: Does the lure of a big domestic fight take precedence over fighting someone like Tszyu for a belt?
JK: It’s one of them. I want to become the first world champion from Sunderland. That’ll be unbelievable. You’ve got that but you’ve got a domestic fight that might create more noise; more revenue for my family’s future. You weigh them both up and what gets offered, gets offered. You take which one’s best for you. At the moment I’ve got this last-minute replacement who seems as though he’s game and likes to throw his hands, possibly a little bit dangerous. Gotta deal with this guy first and then make some noise after that.
