MIND RIOT
PART I: UNDEFEATED
FOUR years ago, Josh Kelly described himself to me as “bouncy bouncy” and, while no more specific than that, I suspected the phrase had nothing to do with his boxing style. Already, having spent just an hour in his company, I had come to the conclusion that the only thing more unpredictable, complicated and potentially damaging than the Sunderland boxer’s combinations was his mind – a point Kelly, particularly today, would not dispute.
Indeed, even back then, when just 5-0 as a pro and 24 years of age, Kelly was aware of his demons, or hang-ups. He told me that day in Merstham, for example, that ahead of a sixth-round stoppage of Jean Hamilcaro, he had become obsessed with his opponent’s jab to such a degree he had found himself watching it over and over again on video, often while eating dinner or interrupting his fiancée’s favourite television programme. He called himself “the deepest thinker in the world”, a title for which there are many challengers, and his obsession with opponents, alas, owed to more than just research or preparation. Similarly, Kelly showing me the 303 unopened and unread text messages on his phone owed to something greater than rudeness or a lack of consideration.
As if to somehow prove this, he later that day offered to drive me to the train station, only first checking with every person in the gym for instructions on the quickest way to get there, despite me having told him there was no panic on my part. To that he said, “But I don’t want you to be late,” and therefore what followed was the shortest of journeys alongside the most anxious of chaperones.
Thankfully, his coach, Adam Booth, had warned me ahead of time. “He’s a
