Getting to know...Josh Wale by James Howard Feb 13th 2008

Winning an area title in his fifth fight is a bold statement of intent from South Yorkshire's impressive super-bantamweight Josh Wale. Under the guidance of Sheffield promoter David Coldwell, Wale hopes to rise to the top of the tree and give a long awaited and much discussed present to his Dad. The area title fight was won when the ref stopped the action in round four versus Ingle-trained Mo Khalid, and Wale is delighted with the win so early on in his career. "It was brilliant. For an opportunity like that to come after only five fights. To be the area champion, it's the start of every thing really. I didn't think it would come this quick but when I was offered the fight there was no hesitation - I knew I was going to win it." Boxing was always on the cards for the Brampton man, his brother Gwyn fought as a pro and amassed as decent 6-3-1 tab. It wasn't long before the younger brother made his own way into the noble art. "I was eight years old when I first walked into a gym, he was a professional boxer and he was always fighting. I was learning boxing ever since I could walk, my Dad would always train us boxing and when he [Gwyn] got to twelve and I got to eight, he took us down the gym. I kept training and training and when I was eleven I had my first bout. It's something that I have wanted to do since I was eight years old, I can remember wishing my birthdays away until I was eleven and can be on shows and that. "I achieved a lot as an amateur but you always want to do it as a pro, don't you? It's what you dream of, to win titles as a pro. I have only won the central area at the minute but all being well I want to win other titles." The prospect's first memory of the sport is his brother knocking his opponent out within 25 seconds of his first fight! Apart from his brother, Josh would admire Tyson and Duran, which probably sparked the fighter's tendency to turn a bout into a real scrap. "I like Roberto Duran, he's one of my favourites and I used to always watch Tyson as well. My Dad always used to put video's on of a young Tyson when I was eight years old. He brought the entertainment to it, when he was box office you would stay up until five in the morning to watch him, whereas with some fighters you would watch it in the morning." 42 fights as an amateur resulted in 35 wins and boxing for England as a junior - the seniors was never an option for Wale as he was busy turning pro by 18. "I was getting sick of the amateur game! I was training all the time but nobody really wanted to have a fight with you. Nobody wants 50-50; they want 80-20 bouts so I was struggling to get fights from a young age. I boxed for England versus Scotland and I can remember after that I always struggled to get fights. It was getting a bit tedious - training all the time and not getting many fights." After signing with Doncaster promoter John Rushton, Wale despatched his first opponent (Wolverhampton survivor Neil Read) in less than a round. A change of promoter followed - why? "I don't know, I think he struggled to get me fights really. I had my first fight in October and he did a show in December and he couldn't get me on that one because he couldn't find a suitable opponent. Then he had a show after Christmas and I don't think he was going to get me on that one so really he couldn't get me fights so I had to move on. There was no fall out, he was struggling to match me and Dave [Coldwell] said he could match me, so that's all it was really." The friendly super-bantamweight feels he was always destined for the professional code, in fact much of his early boxing education was in the company of pro fighters. "I have sparred with pros since my Dad used to take me around the gyms when I was 14 sparring and watching sparring, I have been all over. I think sparring with pro's as an amateur helped me make the transition quickly." A tight knit family is important in Josh's development, with the fighter happy at home or as he puts it, with "Mum keeping me" [laughing]. Like most fighters, there are also negatives for him to come to terms with. "My Dad's been my amateur trainer but he's not been too well recently - he's got a tumour on his spine. He couldn't continue training me the way, and to the level he wanted - but he built me a gym in the back of the garden! I train here and I train at Dave's [Coldwell] as well for sparring and stuff like that. Touchingly, the title Josh expects to challenge for in the next two years is earmarked for the front room to cheer Dad up. "I would absolutely love a Lonsdale belt for my Mum and Dad to put on the fireplace at home. My Dad always said to me as a young one, 'Win me a Lonsdale belt'. That's a promise, that's his if I win it." What does the Brampton man consider his strengths to be? "Fitness and determination. I just want to succeed so much, I just love boxing, I love it! I do every bit of training and I can't think of one bit of training I don't like, I love sparring, I love running, I love it every part of it. I doesn't really feel like a job at the minute, some people go to work every day of their lives and they don't enjoy it but I actually love boxing. People say to me 'How can you love someone punching you in the face' but I don't know what it is - I just want to box." Wale, who rates Calzaghe and Mayweather as best fighters domestically and internationally, can't pick an opponent who stands out the toughest he has fought, "I don't know really, with respect to my pro opponents I don't think I have had to show my full repertoire as yet. I don't think I have been pushed to get the best out of me, again with no disrespect to them. I boxed some really good kids at amateur; I boxed all over the world against 13 or more national champions." And how does he feel about the super-bantamweight division that he must climb? "I sparred with Rendall Munroe - him and Esham Pickering are the top two and Michael Hunter is up there too. I think it's a wide open division to be honest, some divisions have one at the top far away from everyone but everyone at super-bantamweight. "I don't think anyone thought Sean Hughes was going to beat Esham Pickering but he did first time and gave him a cracking fight the second time. I have youth on my side, I'm only 19, and I would love an English title by the end of this year. Then I'd love to box for the British title when I am 21." I suggest that he has it all planned out, he agrees chuckling, "Yeah, I just have to keep winning." Outside of the ring Wale likes to relax with his girlfriend and his mates. With the boundless enthusiasm for he has displayed to date, I can imagine him more relaxed on a five mile run or an evening of sparring than anything else. Josh is also a keen sportsman, "I like all sports really - I play a bit of everything, and I like a bit of a gamble and to go out hunting." A lack of sponsorship for the talented fighter means he toils as a window cleaner when not in fight action. A sponsor would alleviate this and ensure the exciting crowd pleaser can concentrate on his boxing, not that Wale complains. "It's alright, I just want to try and better myself through boxing. Boxing is all I think about when I am out there [window cleaning]." With a desire to follow in his brother's footsteps and box at history-rich Bethnal Green and a big venue such as the 02, Wale knows what he considers to be a best thing about his profession at the moment, "It's the people in the community knowing you are doing well. When you are walking around and all the kids are saying 'that's him I seen on posters' and come over and that, that gives me a buzz. Things like that make you see you're achieving something, when people come up and tell you how good you're doing." If Wale continues winning in the same fashion, community well wishers enquiring on his progress will only need to check above the fireplace in his Dad's front room.

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GREAT ARTICLE..... Feb 16th 2008, 02:53:23 by What a great article this is the best one i have read on josh to date...I know josh and his family very well and this article hits the nail on the head...He is a good mate and very commited to sport of boxing.... PS:TO ANY SPONSORS..... GET IN NOW THIS KID WILL BE THE CHAMP SOONER RATHER THEN LATER.....