"I'm not here to play about, all the politics. I'm here purely to fight and cause as much hell as possible," Tommy Welch is the heavyweight successor to a world title challenger and has sent a warning to his new rivals
Monday 12 July 2021 05:56, UK
Tommy Welch has felt the stinging pain of heavyweight boxing from blows that were self-inflicted and even delivered by his father. Now he is here to cause hell.
Scott Welch, the imposing former world title challenger, had gloved up in the opposite corner for his one and only sparring session with his son.
The burly 15-year-old with a powerful 16 stone frame was soon pushing the boundaries of patience with 'The Brighton Rock'.
"I called him out, 'Come on dad, let's go, let's go'," Welch recalls to Sky Sports.
"I pushed him in the corner, I was picking him off with a jab, and laughing for about 30 seconds. Hitting and moving.
"As I stepped in, threw a jab, he slipped.
"He touched me with a big body shot and he almost finished me to the head but managed to just whizz it past my face.
"He shouted at me to never ask him to spar again."
The father had bluntly proven his point, but the son had given a defiant display of his talent.
Tommy's hurtful fists soon received welcoming handshakes from England amateur boxing coaches, who were eager to see Scott's heavyweight successor.
With a father's hard-earned knowledge, his own precocious ability, and an expert coaching set-up, Tommy simply had to succeed.
But he took off his gloves for a while.
"I got disappointed with a few decisions.
"As a younger man, probably not being that disciplined with controlling my emotions, I let it get the better of me.
"I let myself slip and I had to find myself again."
"My father wasn't around too much to hold me down, because he was out training other fighters. If I wasn't showing him the discipline, he wasn't going to give me his time.
"I was playing at the top levels at amateur, without doing too much training.
"I was on the England set-up for a little while and after that had closure, I switched my mind off.
"I let myself slip and I had to find myself again."
Welch freely admits that he is 'a very privileged boy', benefitting from the financial rewards of a family business after his father had finished causing blood and thunder.
His own desire for bruising competition had been dimmed on nights out and he had also endured personal tragedy.
"I was at quite a low point in my life, as well, I'll be honest.
"I'd just lost my godfather. One of my best friends killed himself.
"I just had to soul search and really grab the reins and decide this is my life. This is everything we've built."
Welch had a moment of clarity.
"What's this going to bring to my life in 10 years' time? Who will I be in 10 years' time when I haven't got a choice?"
Tommy was plagued by heart burn, having packed on three stone since he tormented his father in sparring, and put himself through torturous training with the Navy Boxing Team and the Royal Marines.
A father's faith in his son's fighting career had been restored and Tommy has since entered the pro ranks with a cluster of knockout victories.
"I figured out who I am and what I wanted.
"Even my dad didn't realise how strongly I was putting my energy toward this goal and here we are, I'm 3 and 0 with three TKOs.
"It must be paying off. I'm a student of the game and I'm massively professional now."
The 26-year-old wants to bring his own brand of chaos in a division that contains an array of domestic rivals, along with Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, Britain's two world champions.
"I'm already trying to bring excitement to the game.
"There's already excitement in front of me with everyone that's out there at the moment, but I just want to bring more of a dangerous vibe.
"I'm not here to play about, all the politics. I'm here purely to fight and cause as much hell as possible."
But can Tommy go one step further than his father?
Scott fought on the same Las Vegas bill as Mike Tyson and then endured frustration in a world title defeat by Henry Akinwande.
"I don't see why not," insisted Tommy, who is promoted by Mick Hennessy.
"Usually champions' sons that try and follow the footsteps of these guys that are world champions, they usually fall short. Not necessarily always, but they can fall short, because their old man has already done it.
"My old man never done it, so his drive and his hunger, he's instilling it in me to get there. I believe I'm my father's son definitely and I think I bring everything he brings, but perhaps I've got a little bit more to offer.
"I've got more natural ability, I started younger, I'm bringing a bit more flair than what he brought.
"I'm walking to the ring with myself and him, in one. We carry the same energy, so I believe why not?
"This is a two-man race. We're doing it together."
