Presents an Interview with Professional boxer Chris Steel
Hi Chris, on behalf of RingNews24.com and our readers, thank you for taking the time to talk to us. As well as our own, we have included questions provided by fans on the RingNews Forum.
We hope our readers enjoy the interview.
Your name is Chris Steel but you box under William Steel, how did that come about?
Well when I applied for my license last year the BBBC told me I couldn’t be licensed under the name Chris Steel because their was a boxer named “Chris Steele” with different spelling and it would cause confusion. The guy has a record of 1-16 and hasn’t boxed since 2004 so it annoyed me a bit because I turned pro to create a legacy for myself not under an alias. The best to ever put on a pair of gloves was Sugar Ray Robinson but his real name was Walker Smith so if using someone elses name was good enough for him i suppose its good enough for me.
How did you get into boxing and what age did you start going to the gym?
Just the same way most kids get into it i suppose, I used to stay up and watch the Mike Tyson fights and the buzz and anticipation everyone used to get waiting on his fights was incredible. I remember my dad had some people over to watch one of his fights on PPV and I got to stay up until 4am to watch it and it was over in a few seconds I always remember that as my first boxing experience. Then when I got to high school my best friend Darren Mcginn had been going along to a boxing club so i tagged along with him I think I was about 11 or 12, ten years later and the rest is history.
Who has been the biggest influence in your career so far?
Definetly my coach Ronnie Blackburn, hes been with me since the word go. He has invested his time in me for the last ten years and never asked for anything in return and i’ll always be grateful for that. He hasn’t had alot of experience in the pro game with coaching pros but hes been with me all the way and our team works because we know each other so well and we have a great working relationship. He is learning at the same time as me and is like a father figure to me now.
What was your amateur record and did you win anything as an amateur boxer?
I think I ended up with about 40 something fights, boxed for Scotland and won various medals and done well in the championships but it was never for me too much politics and trying to beat the scoring system rather than your opponent to win fights.
Do you miss fighting as an amateur?
Not at all I couldn’t wait to put it behind me. To me I just used amatuer boxing as a learning curve, I knew the pro game is where i was headed.
How did you find the step up from amateur to professional boxer?
I love it, it’s like a totally different sport. I’ve only had three pro fights but what i’ve done thus far in my career I feel as if this is what boxing is supposed to be. I wasn’t comfortable fighting in a hall with 100 people in it who werent even watching the boxing because they were eating their 5 course meal which was the only reason they bought a ticket in the first place. Then you go in and fight and half the time dont get a fair shake because your being judged and officiated by people who couldn’t even name you 4 current world champions if their life depended on it. The people who come to watch my fights now are genuine boxing people who pay to watch the fights and get entertainment at the end of the day. I couldn’t wait to get out of amatuer I think their was 2 or 3 fights in a row where I just got horrible decisions where it was so blatantly obvious who had won the fight to everyone who watched except the judges. In my second last fight i got robbed that badly that even my opponent came up to me after it and spoke about how bad the decision was. I told my coach after that I was either going to give the sport up for goodor go pro.
Your favourite boxing memory to date?
It’s got to be winning my last amatuer fight against the current Scottish Champion at my weight in front of my home crowd. It was a great way to go out by beating the reigning champion in my weight division and then leaving the amatuers to go onto bigger and better things.
Who is your dream opponent you would like to fight at your weight level?
I think Roberto Duran would be an absolute nightmare to fight, of course he wasn’t in his prime as a Welterweight he was best as a Lightweight but I think that guy is an absolute boxing genious. The things he done were so subtle he was a defensive master, and an absolutely merciless fighter.
Who is your Favorite boxer and why?
My favourite fighter ever is either Thomas Hearns or Bernard Hopkins. I loved watching Thomas Hearns because of his warrior attitude. His tall and lanky frame, his style and his punching power. I think he was one of the best fighters ever because you never knew what was going to happen in a Hearns fight, he was either going to knock someone out or be knocked out himself. As for Hopkins I just have so much respect for that man and what he has gone through to be where he is today. Everyone who knows boxing knows his story so I dont need to add anything on that. Infact the big Red X on the bottom of my boxing trunks stand for “The Executioner” which is Hopkins nickname.
What fighter of today would you say your style is mostly like?
Thats a really hard one because im hard to put into a category. Im a big tall welterweight with a long reach but I also stole moves from other fighters like Mayweather & Toney. I use the shoulder roll alot and use my shoulders and elbows to block shots. I have been using it for years and have got really effective at using it. If you ask anyone who spars with me in the gym im really hard to hit once you pin me on the ropes I just go into that shell defence. Then I like to box tall off of my jab and stay at range too so ill let the people decide that one for me.
Is it tough to go full time and do you have to be more flexible to make a living from the sport?
I’m not in the position where I can train and fight full time. I have two jobs aswell other than boxing. Its really hard sometimes I can work like 14 hour shifts and i still have to train twice that day. I’ve seen me finishing work at midnight and going a 4 mile run with whatever I’m wearing whether it be jeans or shoes whatever I have on if I have to train then I do it no excuses. I was supposed to fight on September 10th and i trained hard for eight weeks sometimes I was in the boxing gym myself at 3am doing a workout and then the show got cancelled. It’s hard to juggle everything and still dedicate time to my boxing career and have enough time for my girlfriend and my friends & family but I manage to do it because I know at the end of my career I will look back and be proud of what I’ve achieved in the sport of boxing and my life.
What sort of level do you hope to reach?
I want all the belts in every division, give them too me or im taking them!
How is training and preparation going for your fight against Gavin Putney?
I hurt my hand two weeks ago in sparring so I have just been able to run the doctor said I have to rest it until next week atleast. That should leave me about 5 weeks to train, as far as I’m aware it will be a 4×3 minute fight. I will be ready as always on fight night no excuses.
Fellow Scotsman Ricky Burns is stepping up in weight to take on Michael Katsidis, who wins this one and why?
To be honest I really wanted to see Ricky fight Adrian Broner, if he beat Broner he would have provedto the world that he was the true champion in that division and proved it to himself. Ricky is a brilliant guy he came and spoke to me before my pro debut when I boxed Thorpe because Ricky boxed him aswell he told me to go out their and do my thing and enjoy the experience and thats what I did. As far as beating Katsidis I think he can do it but its going to be a 50/50 fight. If I had to throw my hat in the ring I would say it will be close but either Katsidis will overcome Ricky with pressure and relentlesness or Ricky will give him an absolute boxing lesson. For the sake of boxing in Scotland I hope its the latter.
Another Scotsmans fighting soon is Paul Appleby, he takes on the undefeated Liam Walsh, how do you see that fight going?
I think Walsh takes that fight. Hes a brilliant prospect right now. Pauls experience and natural talent might shine through though and get him the win.
Thanks to my Sponsor The Commercial Hotel in Wishaw they help me out a great deal with training costs and have been a great help at the start of my career and to my promoter Paul Graham aswell, I was the first pro boxer that he signed to Prospect Promotions and he has done a great job launching my career in the pro ranks and he is an up and coming promoter to look out for.
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