PZ: How did you get into boxing?
GH: I actually started out playing football at Leyton Orient, followed by Charlton and Southend. My granddad knew Frank Lampard senior, who bought into one of my fights, and Frank managed to get me a trial at West Ham. Then I went back to Leighton Orient. At that point I had to chose between boxing and football, and boxing won. I soon after signed up with Barry Hearn.
My dad has a caravan and there was a really nice guy he met there called Roy Macdonald, the father of Lee Macdonald – who used to play Zammo in Grange Hill, and was incidentally a very good amateur boxer himself until a car accident brought his career to a premature end. One day I was at a party and Roy was play fighting with me, and I started to show some moves. He said, ‘You box do you?’ I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘I think you should come down my boxing gym as you have some good moves.’ And the rest is history.
PZ: Any other members of your family who box?
GH: My granddad and my uncle George.
PZ: Tell me about your amateur career.
GH: I had 49 fights with 39 wins. I boxed at the ABA semi finals, and unfortunately got disqualified as I was 6-2 up at that point in the fight. The guy I had fought in the previous round, Wayne Hibbert went on to win the ABA’s.
PZ: When are you fighting next?
GH: The British Boxing Board of Control won’t give me my licence back, but let’s see how things go for the future.
PZ: Tell me a little bit more about the team around you.
GH: I train at Ian Wilson’s gym, Sparta 300, in Chingford. My trainer is Danny Fielder, who is an ex marine who has just come back from Afghanistan and is a very disciplined guy. When I first started training with him, I was 16 stone four pounds – I was massive. He told me, ‘You have too much talent to waste, and it’s time to get you back into shape.’
PZ: I believe you are having a documentary made about your life. Tell us more….
GH: The guys who made the documentary about QPR called ‘The Four Year Plan’ have been following me around for the last year and a half. The film talks about how I was one of boxing’s biggest prospects as a pro, to moving to unlicensed boxing, and then hopefully moving back into the pro game again. There’s a compelling story outside of boxing also. Three years ago my nan and granddad both had heart attacks on the same night. My granddad consequently died and my nan was in a coma for three months. During that time, my little boy was born, and was unfortunately born partially blind as a result of cataracts. I didn’t let on to anybody about this at the time, and in fact lied to people when they asked why I looked or sounded a little down. I just didn’t want people to know what was going on. The truth will all come out in the film, and I’m glad to say that everything is finally coming back together.
PZ: Where would you like to be in 12 months time with the boxing?
GH: I would certainly like to be gunning for a title. I can’t say too much at the moment, but there might be an opportunity for me to get back into pro boxing in the coming months. Watch this space….
PZ: Best middleweight in the world in your opinion?
GH: It would have to be Sergio Martinez. That said, GGG hasn’t been tested yet, so a match between them both would be very interesting to test out how Martinez would cope with GGG’s power, and how GGG would cope with Martinez speed and accuracy.
PZ: Was the Froch/Groves fight prematurely stopped?
GH: Of course. Whether it was going to be stopped in the next round or the two rounds after that , as a world title fight, the referee should have allowed it go on a little longer. George Groves wasn’t hurt, just shaken. He still knew exactly what he was doing.
PZ: Tell the readers one thing about yourself which not many people know.
GH: Although I put a lot of front on, I’m actually a very sensitive person.
PZ: If you could spar three rounds with any past boxing legend, who would it be?
GH: I’d go for Roberto Duran.
PZ: Thank you for the interview and Merry Christmas!
GH: A pleasure Paul – and likewise!
