Boxing Punchlines: Lewis Howells
Lewis Howells (left), 26, middleweight, 3-0. From Stratford via Newport
When where and why did you start boxing?
I first started boxing when I was 12. The first gym I went to was Alway ABC, in Newport, and the reason I started was because my friends were doing it, so I thought I would go and give it a try. A month later I was having my first contest.
You had over 70 bouts for club and country, at what stage did you get picked up by the Welsh team?
I first got into the Welsh squad in 2015 after winning the 69kg Welsh championships.
You were picked by team GB for assessment and called back for the crucial third trial, only to decide to not attend. Why was that?
At this point I had really lost my love for the sport. I was 17-18 and for five or six years I had given everything to the sport, but after going to international tournaments and being picked for GB assessments and the initial 2018 Commonwealth Games squad, I was really starting to feel pressure. Mentally I couldn’t deal with it, so decided it was the right time for me to give the sport up.
While on GB trials you met your now wife Molly Perkins another talented prospect. Did you fall out of love with boxing when you fell in love with Molly?
Not at all. When we first met we didn’t even speak. I have always been a quite person, so when I went to Sheffield to train with team GB all I focused on was my training rather than socialising. It wasn’t until after I quit boxing that me and Molly started speaking.
What was your amateur record?
My record wasn’t anything special. I would say I won 40, lost 30 maybe. But this was more of a case of just wanting to get in and fight. There was a time when I was fighting three times a week - if I knew there was a boxing show on I would take my kit and ask if there was anyone to fight.
I would often give away weight and experience to opponents simply so I could fight. It was when I moved to Torfaen Warriors in 2014 that I really started to show what I was capable of. The coach, Simon Weaver, got me to drop weight so I could use my reach as an advantage. I started picking up wins more regularly.
After a seven year absence from the ring you decide to turn professional. Why?
It was always something I dreamed of doing. After quitting boxing, I always contemplated going back, but I knew my head had to be in the right place. I moved from Wales to England and we found our family home. That made me content and allowed me to focus my time on a dream I’ve had since I first started.
What’s your professional training team?
I train out of Fitzpatricks boxing gym in Leamington Spa. My coaches are Derek Fitzpatrick, Amardeep Liddar, Gage Singh and Tommy Pender. They each have their own style, which is something I find great because I’m not the type of boxer who has one style. I like to mix things up. On fight night my corner team are Derek, Jon Pegg and Amardeep.
Tell us about your career so far?
I’m undefeated as a pro and I know I have what it takes to go far, so I’m more than happy with my the way my career has gone, amateur and professional.
What’s next?
I will keep taking fights, regardless of who I have to fight and sooner or later I’m going to start picking up titles.
What’s the best advice you could give a young boxer?
Enjoy yourself and focus on your own personal goals, not what you may feel other people want you to do because that’s when the pressure builds and the enjoyments starts to fade.