Journal Live - Blog Central

A first-class experience

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 12:43:19 +0000

FIRST I'd like to apologise to the people who read my blog on a regular basis for the inactivity of it recently.

I did my very first blog before the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and have been doing them regularly until the New Year.

Since I've started doing a weekly column for the Sunday Sun I haven't really had the time to do a blog, but now I've got the chance so here we go.

It's a monk's life for me!

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 15:14:57 +0000

I'M living like a monk out here in Los Angeles - and loving it!

To be honest, my life out here is pretty boring. I spend most of my time when I'm not training either in the room I rent or the local coffee shop. But that's the best way for me to be if I want to become a champion.

No despair about sparring again

Thu, 26 May 2011 16:28:40 +0000

TODAY was a big day for me. After 90 days out, I finally started sparring again.

I cut my eye in a fight with Tommy Tolan just before Christmas, and needed 18 stitches in it. I thought the cut had healed, but it opened when I began sparring again in February, and I had to have an operation to remove the scar tissue.

It's taken until today before I could start taking punches in practice.

All this waiting is making me hungry!

Tue, 10 May 2011 17:00:44 +0000

ALL this time without a fight has been making me even more hungry!

It's four months since I last stepped into the ring, and I've only done a round-and-a-half in just less than a year.

My weird weekend of news

Wed, 04 May 2011 00:08:03 +0000

IT'S six month since i started training in Los Angeles with Tommy Brooks and I've been in Los Angeles for of them, but the weekend just gone was the weirdest of them all.

It's been really interesting to see the Americans' reaction to the two big news stories out here recently.

My girlfriend the heroine

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:40:25 +0000

MY girlfriend, Sarah, has seen me box loads of times, but I'd never seen her at work until we went to the cinema this week - and I was really impressed!

Sarah is a nurse at Sunderland's A&E department, and she's studying so she can work in the Los Angeles hospitals while we're out here.

But she got a bit of unexpected practice when we went to watch Russell Brand's latest film, Arthur, this week, in Downtown LA.

My girlfriend the heroine

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:40:25 +0000

MY girlfriend, Sarah, has seen me box loads of times, but I'd never seen her at work until we went to the cinema this week - and I was really impressed!

Sarah is a nurse at Sunderland's A&E department, and she's studying so she can work in the Los Angeles hospitals while we're out here.

But she got a bit of unexpected practice when we went to watch Russell Brand's latest film, Arthur, this week, in Downtown LA.

My girlfriend the heroine

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:40:25 +0000

MY girlfriend, Sarah, has seen me box loads of times, but I'd never seen her at work until we went to the cinema this week - and I was really impressed!

Sarah is a nurse at Sunderland's A&E department, and she's studying so she can work in the Los Angeles hospitals while we're out here.

But she got a bit of unexpected practice when we went to watch Russell Brand's latest film, Arthur, this week, in Downtown LA.

My girlfriend the heroine

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:40:25 +0000

MY girlfriend, Sarah, has seen me box loads of times, but I'd never seen her at work until we went to the cinema this week - and I was really impressed!

Sarah is a nurse at Sunderland's A&E department, and she's studying so she can work in the Los Angeles hospitals while we're out here.

But she got a bit of unexpected practice when we went to watch Russell Brand's latest film, Arthur, this week, in Downtown LA.

Nailed for a teenage mistake

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 11:21:38 +0000

WHEN you're a teenager you get up to all sorts of daft things, but sometimes it's only when you get older you realise how costly they can be.

Recently I've had to spend hundreds of pounds - not to mention driving to London and back in a day - all because of a bit of messing about when I was 14.

Great to watch, cagey about joining in

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 13:03:26 +0000

WHILE I've been back home for a month I've mainly been catching up with familiar faces family and friends, but I've also experience something new.

I went to Newcastle recently to see my first Mixed Martial Arts show, at Liquid nightclub.

I really enjoyed watching it, but there's no chance of seeing me in one of those cages!

I'm still angry with dirty opponent

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 20:00:33 +0000

I WAS hoping the next time I came back to the UK would be to fight, but thanks to Tommy Tolan, that's not the case.

I've come back home early to Sunderland because the cut I picked up above my eye in December re-opened in sparring.

I got it in my last fight, against the very dirty Tommy Tolan in December. I know he deliberately headbutted me in the second round and gave me a massive cut before I knocked him out. I'm very pissed off with him.

Book me!

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 10:59:32 +0000

THERE'S been a big change of plan, and I'm back home this Friday from my LA training camp.

Famous because my name's on the cup

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 10:00:32 +0000

IF you'd asked me two years ago I'd never have expected to be living thousands of miles away from home in Los Angeles right now, but I'm very glad I made the move.

There's loads of things to see and do out here, but I think I'm getting a good balance.

I only have a-day-and-a-half each week to do those sort of things, and the rest of the time is all about boxing.

Banbula? Bring it on!

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 09:00:04 +0000

I'M back in sparring after my cut before Christmas - and thanks to Michael Banbula I've got something to motivate me on the road back to fitness.

You might remember I fought Banbula last summer in my "mad fight". We drew at the end of eight rounds, which was a disgrace - I'd been told we were only fighting for six!