THE ESC APE

THE sweat of Isaac Chamberlain can be seen on the wooden floor of a boxing gym in Clapham Junction. It dots the surface in little droplets which resemble rain, or tears, alongside blue-and-white stickers which remind the fighter that we are still living in strange and distressing times.

A large arrow points forward while the phrase “One Way System” is printed three times around the circumference of that circular sticker. Other signs of social distancing during a global pandemic are pasted around the gym. It could feel suffocating but in the case of Chamberlain, the Brixton cruiserweight, who finally returns to the ring this Saturday night for the first time in almost two years, the hard work amid the relentless isolation feels eerily familiar.

I’ve often said that Chamberlain is the most interesting boxer in Britain. Three hours in his company on one of the hottest days of this surreal summer illustrate why the intelligent 26-year-old is such a revelation. There is also novelty in the fact that we should meet in a gym and so close to his comeback fight. Chamberlain’s absence from the ring, his difficult time training in Miami and the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown mean that we have communicated away from the traditional workplace of a professional fighter.

Since I first interviewed Chamberlain nine months ago we have met in an office and a flat and spoken many times over the phone, on WhatsApp and via email, or through Twitter and Instagram. I have followed his heartache and hope