Interview with Chris 'The Flash' Evangelou ahead of his debut

BoxRec News correspondent David Simpson interviewed exciting new Light-Welterweight prospect Chris 'The Flash' Evangelou ahead of his December 18th professional debut at Bethnal Green's York Hall. London-born Cypriot Evangelou has trained with Freddie Roach in LA and was a highly sought-after fighter with both Hatton and Calzaghe promotions fighting over his signature.

So Chris, you were a relative late-comer to boxing, having your first fight at the age of 18 I believe, tell us how you came to start in the sport?

Yeah, I had my first amateur fight, I stepped into the ring at eighteen, I stepped into the boxing club at seventeen and a half I think. It was a typical story where I'd had an argument on the street and i didn't feel like I'd dealt with it in the right way, as in with a lot of confidence, so I decided I needed to do a sport or martial arts. I tried martial arts, it didn't really suit me too well and then I stepped into Haringey Boxing Club in Tottenham and straight away I just took to it. My coach Chris Hall he just took me under his wing, he's a professional coach so he taught me a more professional style of boxing and I took to that quite easily and then I had my first fight after six months and then it just opened the floodgates from there really and I just kept boxing and boxing and boxing and then I decided that was what I wanted to pursue.

Did it put you at quite a disadvantage fighting against much more experienced amateurs?

That's true, It's weird with with me because, in a non big-headed way at all that I'm saying this statement but I was too good for my own good sometimes because everyone I fought had at least double the experience that I did. The only fight I was ever equal was my first maybe two or three where they were the same level as me but after that I was going into tournaments with guys with a 100 fights when I had 15, I was fighting Russians with 80 or 90 fights when I had maybe 20, so that was the only disadvantage I had but the thing was, I was beating these guys and that was pushing me forwards so I couldn't really go backwards, I couldn't then fight a guy that had the same experience as me because for me, that felt as if I was going backwards. So it was a little bit different in my case.

Do you think that experience will put you in good stead for the pro game?

Definitely. My first international for Cyprus was against the number 4 in the world, a Romanian [Ionuţ Gheorghe], he won a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics and he was my first ever international, in Romania, in his hometown, in front of his crowd and to be fair, I've got it on DVD, I really outboxed him but you're never going to get the decision especially in the hometown. But boxing people like that has just made things so much more easier, especially going into the pro game now.

Tell us a bit more about your Amateur career and your successes such as winning the National novice title in 2006 and the various International Gold medals.

Well to be honest, when I got into boxing I kind of had a few stepping stone dreams, as an amateur I wanted to get to the Olympics, that was one of my dreams. Ok, it didn't come true but I went for it, i went for two Olympic qualifiers, I lost to Germany in the last one but I gave him a hell of a fight, which everyone thought 'Cyprus v Germany - there's only one outcome' but they said they got a big shock. I won the 2006 Novice Championships, National title, with the least experience in the group, which was a good bonus. I've been to many International Box cups and won golds, six gold medals I think, I was an International for Cyprus for two years and basically I just tried to be a good pupil, I did my homework and I didn't always do it in the boxing gym where I was, I travelled the world, i went to New York, I went to LA, I've been to Greece, I've been to Cyprus, Romania, everywhere, and not always fighting, like in New York I didn't actually have a fight, I was training there for two months, about two years ago, so I was training with all the Golden Gloves champions, professional boxers, top internationals, so I kind of did more on my homework. Then when I went to LA, still I didn't fight but I sparred nearly everyday and every time I was sparring there was probably 50 odd boxers waiting to spar as well so they were all watching you so it did feel like a fight. Especially under the wing of Freddie Roach and Jesse Reid, that was an amazing feeling going back to my corner and having them guys tell you what to do. It was all really good experience and that's why i believe that I kind of caught up because I never had a Junior fight, ever, I went straight into the seniors so i caught up by sacrificing my holidays and going away to boxing camps.

You fought in and around the 64kg light-welter category but you never met the likes of Bradley Saunders or Frankie Gavin. Did you just miss these guys?

Yeah, it was just timing, I've never ducked anyone, I mean my first international, to fight the number 4 in the world, why wouldn't I fight in Britain against the top amateurs in Britain, it just never happened. I, unfortunately, only went into the ABA's one time because personally my dream wasn't to win the ABA's, my dream was to get into the Olympics and Cyprus gave me that option so I went straight from doing the ABA's after 15 fights I'd had, I lost to Gary Barker which isn't a bad thing to say, God rest his soul, he's passed away now, but I kind of skipped levels in boxing, I went straight from Novice to Open class and then from open class to International without really staying there too long so i should have boxed these guys but just the timing wasn't right. i could have boxed Bradley Saunders in the European Golden Belt in Romania but we just never drew each other in the draw so that was that, you know.

So you've turned pro now and signed with Calzaghe Promotions but you didn't make it out for their Nov 20th show, what happened there?

I got injured very early on in my training camp for Nov 20th, I sprained my ankle in training in the first week so I had to pull out of that, but I'm fighting on the Barry Hearn show because I don't want to stagnate, I need to get a fight so things with Calzaghe are just on pause at the moment. I think they have a show in February but all I'm thinking about now is next Friday for this fight.

What is your set-up - where do you train and who is your coach?

I'm training at Edmonton Eagles Boxing club. I have a Cuban style coach who taught me as an amateur as well, later on in my career, his name's Paulo Muhlongo. He's very much Cuban in style, very fast hands, loads of punches, quality and movement, like Sugar Ray Leonard, don't get hit, move around the ring. I find in Britain especially when people turn pro they tend to set their feet a little bit too much and they fight a lot and they take a few hits they don't need to take and I like to move, I'm a counter puncher all the way, i like to hit and don't get hit.

You have videos on Youtube and you have a very exciting style, who would you compare yourself to style-wise and do you have any fighters that you look to emulate, like Calzaghe for instance?

Well the style of Calzaghe wasn't who I emulate but the fighter, him himself, I 'd love to achieve what he's achieved, he's an inspiration to me. But the two people that I swear by are Floyd Mayweather for his style, I just try to emulate that as much as I can with my own interpretation, but also Mike Tyson, I followed him through his career, ever since I was young, he excited me, he put that seed in me that blossomed really, from him. I don't really emulate him though, I don't really have the physique to do what he did, with the power technique, I'm more Floyd Mayweather to be honest!

So, you'll be making your debut on 18th December. Are you pleased to be making your debut in London, at the York Hall, where you've boxed before and will you look to fight in London often and try to build a local fan base?

Definitely. 100%. It's the best route to go for me because I've sold over 400 tickets and for a debut to sell that many, obviously only people like Amir Khan after the Olympics have sold like that. So I was so excited to do that. Because it's at the York Hall it's so local everyone can get there, as soon as you tell people it's there people are like 'give me a ticket, give me a ticket' straight away so it is a benefit for me and that's maybe one of the reasons I didn't stay in America with Freddie Roach, obviously having Freddie Roach and Jessie Reid would have been amazing but I'm an unknown there and I built up an amateur career here and I would just be giving that away by not fighting in London, where I've been brought up, I mean I've fought in the York Hall before so people have come to see me already and its familiar to them.

What are your plans going forwards, what kind of route do you want to take?

I'll be honest with you, I never really look past my next fight but in the sense of a game-plan, I want to be a British contender in the next maybe two, two and a half years and then work my way up from there to European titles, and one day, the World title, and I don't want to take too long doing it, I know i've got the skills to go up fast, I've done it in my amateur career, I'm used to fighting guys more experienced than me. I've got a big heart, a lot of guts, yeah I get nervous, but it's the nature of the game in big sport.

Finally then, outside of boxing, what are your interests?

It's good just to not be thinking about boxing sometimes, cos it's my job, I want to, you know, relax a little bit from the sport, I like going home and switching on my X Box and playing Call of Duty or something, I'm an Arsenal fan too so I watch the football with my mates sometimes, I've got my girlfriend as well so we'll go out and I'm a family guy but I've given up a lot to be a boxer so it controls a lot of my life.

Evangelou's opponent has yet to be named for the December 18th show. Also appearing on the bill is Carl Dilks v Charles Adamu for the Vacant  Commonwealth Super-Middleweight title, and Paolo Vidoz v Albert Sosnowski for the EBU (European) Heavyweight title.

Tickets cost £30 (unreserved) and £60 (ringside) and are available from Matchroom Sport on 01277 359900