“Imagine wanting to do something as a kid and then achieving it in your thirties – it was just incredible.”
This week Unpacked takes a summertime diversion from the back and forth of local politics into a different kind of cut and thrust – the world of boxing, as Neil chats to former world champion Lee Haskins.
Lee held the IBF World Bantamweight title between 2015 and 2017, the crowning achievement of a professional career that spanned 41 fights, 36 of which he won.
Despite that fame, he still lives in the neighbourhood he’s called home all his life – Lockleaze – and runs a boxing gym, Round One, where you have to read the small print to find his name.
As Lee prepares to expand into a new site near Feeder Road, Neil takes a look back over his nearly two-decade career, his eventual journey to the top and his life since then.
How did he overcome the setbacks that saw his journey to a shot at world champ status become a long and arduous one, before his eventual victory over Ryosuke Iwasa on home turf in 2015?
Has his light-hearted approach to life and the sport – and his determination not to get out of bed too early – been a help or a hindrance?
How does the reality of boxing gyms differ from their sometimes intimidating reputation – and why do many people find the sport so transformational both physically and mentally?
Join Neil Maggs and Lee Haskins for a relaxed and reflective chat – and don’t miss the next round of Bristol Unpacked, where we’ll be sparring for the second time with the new West of England Combined Authority mayor, Labour’s Helen Godwin.
Subscribe to The Bristol Cable on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your audio. And check out our other shows.
Independent. Investigative. Indispensable.
Investigative journalism strengthens democracy – it’s a necessity, not a luxury.
The Cable is Bristol’s independent, investigative newsroom. Owned and steered by more than 2,600 members, we produce award-winning journalism that digs deep into what’s happening in Bristol.
We are on a mission to become sustainable, and to do that we need more members. Will you help us get there?
Join the Cable todayKeep the Lights On
Investigative journalism strengthens democracy – it’s a necessity, not a luxury.
The Cable is Bristol’s independent, investigative newsroom. Owned and steered by more than 2,600 members, we produce award-winning journalism that digs deep into what’s happening in Bristol.
We are on a mission to become sustainable – will you help us get there?
Comments
Related content
Inclusive or exclusive: can community-led housing schemes provide for people most in need?
In recent years Bristol has seen the development of several new community-led housing schemes, which are often driven by small resident groups – but also aim to house people in need of a social home. How is the model working out – and with funds shrinking, does it have a future?
‘Crisis’ extends housing misery for Lockleaze buyers, as L&G admits mould issues on sister scheme
Modular homes at Legal & General's Bonnington development will be taken off their foundations, leaving buyers waiting up to a year, while serious mould problems had to be fixed at another scheme in Yorkshire, the Cable can reveal.
