Boxing Clever

Exclusive interview with Spurs fan and boxer Ashley Theophane, who is living the dream in his career while keeping tabs on his favourite football team.

- Paul Miles

A young Spurs fan growing up in Paddington in the 1980s used to stay up late to watch Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Thirty years later, he’s fought three times as the same iconic venue, is promoted by the biggest boxing name on the planet and his fights are being promoted by hip-hop megastars.

That Spurs fan is Ashley ‘Treasure’ Theophane, who is living proof that you can achieve your sporting dreams.

Now part of all-time great, five-division world champion, unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jnr’s ‘Mayweather Promotions’, Ashley earned a tilt at the WBA super lightweight title against four-weight world champion Adrien Broner this time last year, but lost by TKO in the ninth round. He recovered to beat Yakubu Amido in December to take his record to 40 wins, seven losses and one draw since first stepping into the ring in 2003.

He’s now after another title shot – and he’s targeting 50 professional wins.

It’s a long, long way from that kid growing up in west London, dreaming of one day being the next Mike Tyson. Without a promoter during his early career, how he got there is an inspirational story…

“It wasn’t until I was about 25 that I really believed I could go further in boxing,” Ashley told us between training sessions as he steps up preparations for his next, as yet unconfirmed, challenge. “As a kid, I did it out of enjoyment. I had dreams of maybe going to America and doing this and that but it was more because I loved boxing, I was a boxing fan and I always wanted to do it.