Gideon Antwi is a delivery driver, but what he is really driven by is ambitions to reach the pinnacle of heavyweight boxing.
Antwi is a fast-rising British star, who recently made his professional debut outpointing Cristian Uwaka in the hallowed walls of York Hall.
Antwi has a superb amateur pedigree and plans to reach the top[/caption]
To get to this point wasn’t easy though, with Antwi deciding to lose six stone in weight from 24 stone to 18 stone, so he was suitable for competition.
He followed in familiar footsteps winning the National Amateur Championship super-heavyweight title, a belt claimed by current leading operators Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
It is his fighting style has captivated many along his arduous journey, with the talented young star having made a serious impression during his success in the amateur ranks.
He has lightning quick footwork, brilliant body and head movement, and fast hands, traits that are now rarely seen in a more power-focused era of heavyweight sluggers.
Antwi is also 6ft 2ins tall, a smaller heavyweight, but by no means less threatening, but again becoming a less common theme in the division.
With all this taken into account, Antwi first left a lasting stamp during his time at the Team GB set-up, where he was coined as having a ‘throwback style’ similar to greats including Tyson and Muhammad Ali.
“Being a small heavyweight I am able to move very fast my size,” Antwi told talkSPORT.com.
“Moving at this weight is very big itself and will definitely help me if I can carry the power over and keep the speed.
“When I was in the Team GB squad, one of the coaches said someone great comes every so often like a Muhammad Ali, a Mike Tyson or a Roy Jones Jr.
“And I was astonished to hear them saying that by saying it was like me. But when you look at my style, I see what they’re getting at.
“I’m like a taxman, I make people pay and being a small heavyweight will cause people problems.
“A lot of these methodical heavyweights focus on power output and stronger combinations, whereas I’ll be able to throw bigger combinations.
“In my last fight at cruiserweight, I threw a ten-hit combination, which is pretty unheard of for someone of 90kg.”
Heavyweight legend Tyson carried a ferocious and aggressive style during his prime, but was also a sensational mover with that relentless output.
And Antwi carries that same speed and output, modelling his game partly on the former undisputed champion, who carried an 88 per cent KO ratio during his time as a professional.
Despite harbouring ambitions of reaching his and many other greats’ level, he is currently in the early stages.
Antwi is currently able to dedicate his entire life to boxing yet, with bills needing to be paid without a promotional contract.
He has been working as a delivery driver alongside his current training routine, a tough ask for any boxer who is determined to reach the top.
Talks have previously been held with Queensberry Promotions and Matchroom Boxing, but for now it is all about currently finding a work-life balance.
Antwi has been forced to balance boxing and his full-time job[/caption]
He continued: “So in the beginning it was okay as I was able to balance it well with the delivery driving.
“But as competition has become harder, I have had to train harder as well so it has become more tough.
“Balance is key and once I have got that I have managed to find it less of an issue.
“To be fair I work for a logistics company who do routes for Amazon, then I’m going up and down flats and that’s hard work anyway!
“I’m basically doing gym three times a day. I first go to the gym, then I go and do my full boxing training.
“I then go to work and I feel like even that helps with my boxing training, being active and helping me prepare for long rounds.
Antwi’s first steps to world glory have already been laid[/caption]
“I plan to turn full-time, but I have always had the plan on dropping everything and focusing on boxing.”
In terms of goals going forward, Antwi has the world at his feet and is looking to move quickly through the ranks.
Antwi will next fight on December 6 at York Hall, in just his second professional appearance.
He hopes to reach the heights that we will see at the end of the year, when Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk meet on December 21 in the biggest fight in the division.
Antwi concluded: “I believe I am destined to be up there.
“It is a foregone conclusion that I should be up there, but it is about me having my wits about me to reach their level.
“I need to keep working hard, sparring the right people and keep bettering myself.”
Antwi’s next outing will be on December 6 at York Hall, with tickets still available.
