Charles Frankham is the newest talent from a fighting family who is targeting professional titles
Wednesday 30 October 2019 12:25, UK
The Frankham name rests easily with Charles, a fresh-faced talent from a fighting family who has embraced the 'blood and tears' of professional boxing.
Great expectations have been placed on Frankham's still slender shoulders due to his amateur glory and boxing bloodline, and the young super-featherweight prospect knows it.
The 20-year-old tends to choose his words carefully and likes to keep his gaze level. He has that quietly confident air that only tends to surface in the truly gifted, and there is nothing boastful in his voice when he talks about the vast collection of titles he has won. Frankham simply feels that he has proved himself every step of the way so far, and he sees no reason why that is going to change anytime soon. He also has an impish grin that could soften up the hardest of hearts, and spending a Sunday afternoon in his presence while surrounded by his nearest and dearest places into perspective both his maturity and his youth.
"To be honest, I was a bit naughty when I was a little boy," Frankham told Sky Sports. "I used to get up to anything and everything. There was one time when I was about 10-years-old, and the police went to see my dad about something that was nothing to do with me.
"My dad says to this policeman 'my son would never get into trouble. He's an angel.' After that, someone's ended up hitting another police car with an egg. When they pulled over, the first boy they caught was me and they said 'what's your name?' I said 'my name is Charles Frankham', so the policeman said 'you're the mysterious Charles Frankham who would never get into trouble!'"
"I tried other sports, but boxing was always the one I liked the most. I tried football, but that was a cold morning and I didn't want to do it any more. I played golf, but I'd just want to go back to boxing. One thing I do love is horses. We've always had horses, so I've been brought up with them. When we were little, if me and my brother needed to go down the shop for sweets, we'd just take the horse and trap out."
"Me and my older brother John started off at Pinewood Starr Boxing Club when I was nine-years-old. John had five fights unbeaten, but then he had health problems so he stopped. Now he's become a lover instead! Then my dad started at The Ring ABC, so obviously I finished my amateur career there and he trained me all the way through. Now that I've turned pro, my dad has taken a backward step, but he comes down the gym every now and then and he helps me with my runs at home.
"My first carded fight was at a show in the 'Heart of Portsmouth' boxing club, and I boxed a boy from their gym. I came out with sparkly shorts with tassels and they had 'KO Kid' on them, which was my nickname when I first started boxing. I just used to run out and throw loads of shots, and the fight lasted about 30 seconds.
"There was a police officer who used to come in the gym and help us train. He was called Tim De Meyer and he used to write articles for the newspaper. He gave me the name 'Boom Boom', and obviously it just stayed after that."
As Charles settled down to his boxing, the titles started to stack up, beginning with two national schoolboys on the trot.
"I won the minors schoolboys, and that was two fights in one day. But my first proper title was my first schoolboy title. It was in Mansfield, and I boxed a boy from the Birtley gym, which is a great gym.
"His name was David Berry, and both of us came out all cocky. We got straight into it and, as the rounds went by, I started out-boxing him. I gave him a standing eight count in the last round and I nearly stopped him, but the bell went. It was my first national title, so I was very, very happy."
Charles had a total of 77 amateur bouts, winning 71. He won 11 national titles, including the junior ABAs and the Three Nations twice, a Commonwealth gold, a European gold and a world bronze.
"I've boxed in England, Wales, Scotland and I boxed in Ireland as well," recalled Frankham. "I've boxed in Russia twice in the World Youth Championships. We were in a nice area of Russia, in St Petersburg. I was drawn against Korea, and then I was boxing Otha Jones the next day.
"After I'd beat the Korean, I jumped on the wrong bus with the Americans. I think I was 37-0 at the time, and a big American light-heavyweight came up to me and he goes 'hey, man, who are you fighting tomorrow?' I said 'I'm boxing America.' So he said 'yeah, man, you're boxing the best American on the team.' I was just laughing, and the fella said 'he's going to take your 0.' I said '37 have tried, but no problem, we'll find out tomorrow.' I beat Otha on points and we made friends after we boxed.
"Boxing has taken me all over the place. My happiest memories of boxing as an amateur are obviously winning my titles. Every national title and every medal that I won, it all played some part for me to get where I am at the moment."
Now that Charles has turned over into the professional ranks, his father, John, has also made a fundamental decision, as he explained: "I've finished training the boys at The Ring now. To be honest, it was very hard work, because I didn't want to do it half-hearted.
"We never had a holiday because Charles was always boxing and that came first, so the rest of my family missed out really. From an early age, Charles started winning national titles and good things were getting said about him, so we'd go into a championship and we just came to expect him to win it.
"He's the only young English amateur ever to beat an American and a Cuban in the one tournament. He's the only English boxer ever to move up two weights and win the European championships.
"He did marvellous all through his amateur career, and we took it for granted really. Now that he's a pro, he knows that they're not happy for him just to out-box and outsmart his opponents. They all want to see blood and tears, and there's so much pressure on them to stop the opponents. He's got a tall frame. He's not far off six foot and he hasn't filled out yet, so I think he'll probably make welterweight or even light-middle. If Charles puts his heart and soul into it, he knows that he can become a world champion."
Charles was just 18-years-old when he decided to go pro, and his mother, Louise, had mixed feelings. "I didn't ever want him to turn professional. I wanted him to do everything as an amateur, and then say 'that's it.' But, now he's old enough, he's obviously made the choice and I can't stop him doing something he loves and something he's so good at. I do go to his fights.
"A couple of times I've been at home when they went to Russia and the Ukraine, and it was worse not being there than being there. So I'll always support him, and I tell him he's just got to take notice of his mum and he'll be all right."
Charles is no stranger to the pro gyms, having sparred an array of top champions, and has always conducted himself well. He has been training at Tony Sims's gym in Essex for the past couple of years, and it was the logical transition that he joined the Matchroom stable. "I like Eddie and Barry Hearn. They don't mess about and they tell you the truth.
"Tony has got so many top boys in the gym, like Conor Benn, Joe Cordina, Ricky Burns, John Ryder, Ted Cheeseman, Felix Cash and Martin J Ward.
"I like to have a bit of banter with the boys. Tony said to me the other day 'you were so quiet when you first came down and started sparring and we couldn't get a word out of you. Now that you're in the gym, we can't shut you up!'
"When it comes to the night of the fight, I do get a bit of nerves, but not a lot really. When I'm in the dressing room, I hit the pads a few times and that's it then. I just want to get in there. I just get that adrenaline rush. Obviously, boxing is what I like, but I can have a tear-up in there if it comes to it."
Charles currently has two professional fights under his belt. He made his debut in May this year at the Nottingham Arena. After a last minute scramble to find the 19-year-old an opponent, he ended up boxing Tzemal Xouseinoglou and he secured a 40-37 points win over the rugged Greek.
"The guy I was training to box was from Hungary and he was quite tall, so I'd been training to box him all the way through. But his wife didn't want him to come over here and box, so, two days before the fight, she cut his passport up. Then they got another boxer, and he pulled out the day before. This other fella just came in on the day of the fight, and he was so tiny, but I think he was five or six pounds heavier. He kept coming forward and throwing these wild shots. He was tricky and he was strong, but I out-boxed him to get the win."
Charles had his second pro fight in June at York Hall. This time, he stopped Ilgvars Krauklis of Latvia in one round. There were no wild celebrations in the Frankham corner, but the contented expression on Charles's face said it all.
He knows what the majority of the crowd want, and was delighted that they got what they came for. "I've got a big following, and it's really good to be known by so many people. About 170 supporters travelled from around this area to Nottingham to watch my first fight and I think I had 200 at York Hall for my second fight. So it was very, very nice to get the stoppage and I hope everybody had a good night."
Before the interview drew to a close, Charles' renowned granddad made his entrance, and the solid bond between the pair was clear to see, as 'Gypsy' Johnny Frankham joyfully declared "I was 71 last month. I love all of my family, but Charles is the family star.
"He's not cheeky. He's very polite. You could take him anywhere and you wouldn't be afraid of it. He is a good boy, it's marvellous what he's done in the boxing, and I can't put it into words how proud of him I am."
The old soldier's eyes misted over with emotion, and the grandson lit up the room with his brightest smile of the day.
