The top cruiserweight prospect Briton Isaac Chamberlain (14-1, 8 KOs) will fight for the EBU Commonwealth and European titles with compatriot Chris Billam-Smith (15-1, 11 KOs) at the weekend in one of the most intriguing fights of the month.
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And Chamberlain is also known for having visited the training camps of the best heavyweights in the world – Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk and American Deontay Wilder.
Ahead of the Billam-Smith fight, Chamberlain was asked to share his childhood memories.
It turned out terribly: “I realized one terrible thing. A person gets used to everything. And soon becomes thick-skinned. Childhood memories?.. Every now and then there were phone calls. One was shot, the second was cut with a knife, the third was beaten. You freeze for a second, maybe even feel some pain. But then even that passes. You gradually become insensitive, thick-skinned.
“Yes, I’ve seen a lot … – says the prospectus. — I grew up in Brixton (south London). And it’s so established there that the punks run errands for adult dudes. Well, there, pushing drugs and all that. The worst thing is that at this age you believe that they are worried about you, they want to help you get back on your feet. But it’s not. They are just using you. You try to imitate them, you want to get out of poverty, you dream of the same clothes, cars, a thick chain around your neck, a bubble in your pocket. After all, all you have is free breakfast. Yes, I went to school only because there was free food.
Chamberlain is grateful to boxing. The young man not only talks about it, but also really helps: “I have a lot of homies who are behind bars or went to the next world. And I, too, could be in their place. But God made it so that everything turned out differently for me. Boxing gave me purpose. Helped with self-esteem, which was always at a very low level. He helped me get out of my shell, taught me not to be afraid to be myself. And now I work as an ambassador in Gloves Up Knives Down (an organization that is trying to get young people out of street gangs with the help of boxing). I know that many people have a lot of stories worse than mine. I know that if it helped me, it will help another kid like me. That is why I am doing this. I don’t just believe, I know that this program works and helps.”
The other day Chamberlain said that Wilder will return to the tops, he is stronger than people think. He also shared his opinion about the champion from Ukraine: Usyk instills uncertainty in opponents.
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