Ace Adam gives BBN the ‘Lockdown Lowdown’
Super-middleweight Ace Adam(1-0, 1KO), 25-years-old from Catford, spoke exclusively to BBN about his lockdown experience.
The unbeaten pro, who was an ABA Novices finalist and Queensbury Boxing League national champion, works full-time as a care supervisor for the elderly in a home in Bromley.
He discussed his day to day duties, “Yeah, I’m at work currently, from 7am right around to 6pm in the evening. It’s kind of the same hours as normal really, unless they need me to work extra then I can because there’s more time for me to do it right now. Now and again I’ve been asked to work extra, so I just do what’s required of me.
“Luckily, we haven’t had any confirmed cases of coronavirus, which is amazing, but the company I work for were very worried in the beginning and have done amazing with supplying PPE equipment. We’ve got enough PPE and we have taken all necessary action to prevent any cases and it’s worked so far, which is amazing.
“I was a bit concerned at first, I knew the NHS were struggling, but the company supplied me with everything I needed – the gloves, masks, foot covers, arm covers… they’ve done very well.
“I was listening to LBC and it was just crazy how unprepared the whole country was. This is like the fourth week of lockdown now, this year is just a write-off, to be honest.
“It’s funny because a lot of people that know me and even friends of mine are like, ‘Wow, I didn’t even know you worked in care home!’”
Hard-working Ace is a consummate professional in his occupation as well as his chosen sport and has been using his time, what little there is outside of his long work hours, to focus on other areas of his boxing career while the gyms are all closed.
“I’m staying proactive, working with companies like Meatless Farm. I’m still going through the transition from pescatarian to vegan, but they’ve been amazing. They send me a lot of stuff I can use, and I 100 per cent recommend it to everyone.
“Basically, I’ve just been doing light runs and so forth, nothing too strenuous on the body, most importantly, I’ve been doing lots of mental work. People think of exercise as just a physical thing, but once this lockdown is over I’m going to have to put my body through it all again, so I'm just managing my weight, talking to my team, talking to my coach Eyez and my S&C coach, so once this is all over, I can go at it again.
“There’s no need to go on big runs because there’s no goal to aim for, so it’s more of a disciplined workout, the main goal is to maintain and making sure everything outside of boxing is done as well. I’m making sure my time outside the ring and the gym is beneficial, so I’m resting my body, learning to meal prep better, just been doing things I wouldn’t necessarily do if I was in training because I wouldn’t have the time.”
On his pro debut last November, Ace scored a third-round TKO against Enfield’s Guycha Muele (0-2) at the York Hall in Bethnal Green on a Hellraiser Promotions show.
Training out of Sting ABC in Croydon, Ace’s stint in the Queensbury Boxing League, run by former English champion Ross Minter, saw him build up a considerable fan base which has followed him into the pros.
His affinity to his local area, always mentioning Catford and South London in his interviews, has seen him become quite a face around the community.
“I think my name is getting out there a lot more and that’s really good, I’ve been in the local papers a few times, all I want to do is just spread awareness, and people do recognise me now. When I was in the Queensbury, I was out shopping and someone asked if I was Ace, and they told me they watched me fight.
“I don’t really look like a boxer, to be honest, unless they bring it up and talk about it, I actually don’t really tell people that I box.”
Looking ahead to when normal service resumes, the South Londoner is eyeing summertime as his chance to begin the groundwork for his next pro fight.
“I’m thinking around summertime, just after August maybe. Because there’s so many things that’s going to happen; even if lockdown is lifted, the economy has to recover and it will all take time, things won’t get back to normal immediately. People might not be able to afford to go to boxing shows to start with.
“Even for myself, the odd runs aren’t the same as being in training camp. Everything will have to be redone, starting from scratch – sparring again, training… I’ll have to reevaluate everything. I’ll see where my fitness is at when I’m back and then push on from there.”
For a boxer starting out on the small hall shows, the hardest part is selling tickets and Ace believes this arduous part of the business could become even more difficult following the pandemic.
“I think boxing will start up later because people will still be wary about the outbreak so it will be very different, so essentially, tickets will be harder to sell but your hardcore fans will still come out.”
As he previously mentioned, 2020 has been a year of failed plans, scrubbed schedules, and ambitions axed for everyone.
But Ace has remained positive and philosophical about the ‘annus horribilis’, stating, “I set myself the target of four fights this year, you know, so I looked at my year’s goal and now it’s just chucked in the bin but I have a pro’s mindset to adapt to any situation, so I just saw it as not my time to fight.
“So, I see it as creating other things to do, it’s a great opportunity for me to evaluate things and it’s given me a different hunger for when I do come back, and I’ll get back in the ring and dominate and move forward.
“I’ve had time to start mapping out my goals, so Southern Area then English, the plan is still there just reworking through the procedures and adapting to the situation.
“A lot of people asked if I was disappointed not getting my second fight on March 21, but everything happens for a reason. It’s given me more time to sort out what I want to do, so when I come back, I’m going to be even more determined and devastating.”
‘Lightning’ Ace didn't start boxing until he was 17, following an attempted mugging on the streets near his home where he fought his attackers off, but not with enough confidence to feel safe. Despite the late start to the sport, he is blessed with speed, power and athleticism.
The South Londoner has the natural ability and aptitude to progress with each learning fight and possesses a powerful mentality to become a worthy champion when he works his way into position for title shots.
With his beloved district of Catford backing him, Ace Adam is determined to quietly work on hmself during isolation so that he can explode onto the scene once normal service resumes.
To follow Ace Adams on Twitter, click here @officialaceadams
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