Josh Baillie British Challenge Belt Champion
Josh Baillie is a 31year old orthodox professional boxer from Workington, Cumbria in Barrow in Furriness. Known as The Boss the 5 foot 8 Super featherweight had a decent amateur career winning 32 fights out of 58 and won box cups in Denmark and England.
As a professional boxer Josh has had 8 fights and has won 5 of them, in his last fight he beat the unbeaten fighter Manny Zaber for the British Challenge super featherweight title at Walsall town hall.
I asked Josh when and where he start to take up the noble art? He informed me ‘I first started boxing 15 years ago for Workington abc, I then moved to Whitehaven abc and then Carlisle Villa. I moved to Australia and boxed out of 3 or 4 gyms over there as I moved around the country, I turned pro in 2014 with Brendon Smith in Queensland. I now train with Karl Williams at B78 boxing gym in tamworth with a great set of lads that have made me feel at home and my manager is Jon Pegg”.
I ask Josh who his favorite boxer was? He told me “I like a lot of boxers and every style from Jonny Tapia, Parnell Whitaker to Julio Cesar Chavez, but my favorite boxer is Miguel Cotto, I love his style, the way he can adapt to a fight, his range and his heart, he leaves it all in there. I try to mold myself on him as a boxer”.
The best fight Josh has seen is Gatti v Ward, In the U.K. It's MackLin v Moore.
We then talked about what inspired him to take up boxing Josh said ‘What inspired me to box was my granddad boxed when he was in the R.A.F and used to tell me stories about it, he inspired me RIP, I was fat when I was a kid and had tried a lot of sports, but as soon as I got in a boxing gym I didn't want to leave”.
My final question was what has been his hardest fight? Josh said “My hardest fight you would have to say on paper was Lee Appleyard, but actually it was Can Xu, because I gave so much in the ring. I left everything I had in there and thought I'd done enough to win the fight! I nearly had him out of there in the 2nd, I was still panting 30 minutes after the fight".
I contacted Josh's trainer Karl Williams and asked him what he thought of his boxer? He said “He is genuine, honest and tough as you like scrapper. he is never out of the gym, I wish id had him when he was 21”.
Dexter’s Thoughts
I have been at Josh’s last 2 fights and have been very impressed with his boxing skills and ability of battle. He has won both of the fights I have seen him in and beat Manny Zaber for the British Challenge featherweight belt in his last one. Manny was unbeaten and Josh was the away boxer and outsider, but dug deep in a tough fight and got the job done. At 31 time is not on his side but, Josh looks fit as his younger counter parts and is looking to move up after his recent success. The Birmingham boxing column looks forward to reporting on his forth coming fights