Ben Sears
Light Middleweight Champion – The Boxing Clinic
NO MORE FEAR FOR SEARS.
“Legs like jelly and arms like lead”, that’s how Sears describes how he felt towards the end of the 3rd round in his bout for the light middleweight belt with Tom Ayers. Although well prepared for the fight the extra minute on each round was as big a challenge as the fight itself. “Three minutes felt like a lifetime. I kept thinking ‘the bell must be coming soon’”.
His opponent was the same as October but Sears claims this fight felt different, “I was still bric
king it but there was less nervous excitement. I knew what to expect after the 23rd and I think that helped to keep me calm and focused”.
Preparation is key when stepping up to the ring, if Sears was to offer advice to potential Contenders it would be to be prepared to put a lot of work in, “When I wasn’t at The Boxing Clinic sessions or sparring, I was either out running round Clapham Common or at the gym doing weights, rowing or swimming. I became mildly obsessed in the weeks before the fight!” And although Sears would not train differently he thinks he may lay off the booze a bit earlier next time as he intends to d
efend his belt in 2009.
When asked what it feels like to be a champ he says, “It feels pretty good. My mum’s not too happy though. I think she thought this boxing thing would be a passing phase, but after winning that fight it’s made me want to carry on”.
According to Sears, it’s not just about becoming a champ, “I Definitely feel so much fitter and more energetic and it was great to prove to myself that I had the balls to see it through”.
S.Finnegan
