Written by Oliver Fennell
WHO he says the youth are wasted on the young, he has never met Tony Curtis. The youngster from South East London has already lived abroad twice, won two junior boxing titles, been adopted by a sports legend, turned professional and fought in three countries – all this before he was officially an adult.
Curtis, who just turned 18, has knocked out more than twice his age, but as he reaches this milestone birthday, he believes he’s just getting started—because he can now apply for a license from the British Boxing Board of Control.
Few boxers do that at the age of 18. Few still do that as they already have 10 championships under their belt. Curtis believes this gives him a head start – and he’s already making headlines. “I’m looking for the vacant WBA world title,” he said. “I would like to do that first, and then go to the rest. But in the end I will win all the belts.”
The vacant WBA belt he is talking about is for strawweight. Curtis ended up playing at super-flyweight and doesn’t look fat, but he believes he can lose the necessary 10lbs and has the right motivation to do so.
“What do I want to do?” [Manny] Pacquiao did; go to all weights. I want to start at a low weight and go through them, win titles,” he said. “I am blessed that I am not a survivor. I don’t even eat food. So, now that I have a nutritionist, I can come down [to strawweight]. One day, I won’t be able to do that weight, so I want to do it now. And I’ll be a beast at that weight; It’s 10 times stronger, 10 times bigger. “
The evidence of his last fight shows that is not an exaggeration. Even in the super-fly, the 5ft 8ins teenager outclassed her Indian opponent, Ismailah Khan, as she won six rounds in the United Arab Emirates, where she has settled since switching and where she is eight of her ten. pro bouts (9-1, 3 KOs) have occurred.
He also boxed in Thailand and Mexico, where the tour began in September 2022, aged 16 years and three months, and weighing 99lbs. His slimming down and new look have many wondering if he is still young, and questioning whether it was wise to put him in the professional boxing division – especially in Mexico, of all places.
The critics seemed to be proven right when Curtis dropped a unanimous decision to Javier Perez Calderon. The Mexican was only 18 years old and 105lbs, but two years and 6lbs can make a difference in such a small time and with such a small weight.
“It was a good experience, though, to be fair,” says Curtis. “It was crazy; I had fans by my side. I was sailing and after the fight they all came to me, wanting to take pictures and copy my every move. “
Showboating is a recurring theme, and Curtis has predicted incredibly high things for himself, so falling in the first lap must have hurt him. But it also served as a catalyst. He says: “I started training hard 20 times, and the results speak for themselves. Curtis hasn’t lost since then, let alone a fight, and while his opposition has been a typical ride, he’s been shown the brilliant ability that put him on the front line in the first place, thanks to one of the most brilliant of all – Roy Jones Jr.
Curtis tells the story of his big break: “We [Tony and family] I went to Dubai on holiday when I was 13 or 14. My father liked it and we ended up moving there. I was going to a gym called Round 10 in Dubai. One day, I heard Roy at the gym, and I gathered all my things, I rushed there and I just walked up to him and said, ‘Can I have your number?’ He agreed to train me and I went pro because of Roy. He told me that professionals would suit me better.”
A plan was hatched to convert Curtis sooner rather than later, with his debut taking place on a card broadcast by ProBox TV, which was founded by Jones. To prepare for that, Jones invited Curtis to stay with him at his home in Pensacola – an offer Curtis accepted just a week after his 16th birthday. A few months he spent living and training with one of the greatest, or his sides. A pro debut, was the stuff of dreams for a young boxer, and while Curtis has since moved out of the UAE, Jones is still in the club. He says: “Roy is my mentor. “He is a very intelligent man; I always go to him immediately for advice.”
And what does his family do about it all – Curtis goes to live with Jones, then travels all the way to Mexico and Thailand to fight at 16, and chooses to be beaten for a living when most are still in school or studying. first step in general lines of work?
“We are a fighting family – me, my father and myself [three] my brothers,” he said. “That’s all we do; we’re always in the gym, and we’ll never turn down a fight. Dad always really loved you [boxing], but he didn’t, so he dropped me off at the gym when I was seven. I was an active child, running everywhere, so that was his way of disciplining me. I didn’t really like it at the time, but when I got to about 10, I started to like it. I’m not sure why; maybe I started growing up, and there was nothing else I could do,”
And he hasn’t.
He says: “I eat, sleep and breathe boxing.” “That’s my life. It’s my job. I don’t have a girlfriend. I never drink. I don’t have time – I’m in the gym eight hours a day, every day. Sometimes more. If I wake up at three in the morning and can’t go back to sleep, I’ll go to the gym.”
That gym, just a short distance away, is a private facility built by his father, but Curtis fights officially out of Undisputed Boxing in Sittingbourne, under trainer Billy Rumbol, who also flies Curtis overseas. Jones Jr is still riding, but Curtis needs a full-time coach closer to home as he is back in the UK and aims to compete here.
Managed by Dubai-based Ahmed Seddiqi, the idea is that Curtis will split his time – and battles – between Britain and the UAE. The only thing he lacks is a promoter – and as befits a boxer who has such good plans for him, he is making big plays in the country.
“I would like to go with Eddie [Hearn]; we were rude,” he said. “I spoke to Eddie three fights ago and he said, ‘get a few more and we’ll talk’. Well, I did that – now he has to keep his side of the deal.”
The British chapter kicked off last Saturday with a showcase performance at Indigo at the O2 – which wasn’t a competition as he was still three days shy of his 18th birthday, but a chance to appear in front of an audience made up of old, new and new. just curious fans. After all, he is, in everything he does in the world, still a boy from London and will be remembered by those who followed his novice campaign, which he said was “12 or 15” fights and included national titles at Schoolboy and Junior Cadet level.
“I wasn’t really a big player,” he says. “It’s very political and I wasn’t working. And I always had people tell me that I have an independent style. I make a multi-specialist box [style] rather than being an amateur. I can take my time, and I love the razzmatazz of the game. For the novices, they didn’t like my showboating.”
That razzmatazz, that showboating and that confidence is probably a result of his youth, because Curtis isn’t arrogant or disrespectful about it. It just comes across as someone who enjoys what he does. He also showed that he understands the importance of sacrifice and leaving the comfort zone in pursuit of boxing glory, and that there are no shortcuts to achieving it.
Still, while he has more time on his side than most, Curtis understands that the clock is ticking quickly on any boxing career – even his own.
“I just want to get as many belts as possible,” he says.
“Before I get too old.”
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