Charlie Sims reveals why he happily swapped The Only Way is Essex for a career in boxing
Tuesday 21 June 2016 12:29, UK
Charlie Sims has always been surrounded by boxing and gladly traded his celebrity lifestyle to follow his father into the sport.
The 23-year-old is still regularly recognised following his spell on The Only Way is Essex, but Sims has been busily pursuing a career in boxing management since leaving the hit reality TV show.
His father Tony is a familiar face in boxing and the successful Essex trainer works the corner for Ricky Burns, the newly crowned WBA super-lightweight champion, IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, and Conor Benn, son of former world champion Nigel.
Hot prospect Benn will have his third professional fight on the bumper Joshua-Dominic Breazeale bill this Saturday night, live on Sky Sports Box Office, and the younger Sims will be watching anxiously through the ropes at The O2.
"I feel for him sometimes, because he's got such big shoes to fill with the name," Sims told Sky Sports.
"He's been on at The O2 Arena in front of 17-18,000 people and then also fought on the Ricky Burns bill in Glasgow.
"You've got to give it to the guy, he's handling it well. I think he's starting to soak it up and enjoy it, rather than feel the pressure.
"Nigel loves his son to bits. I think it's hard for him to watch the fights. I have seen him at ringside and it must be nerve-racking as a dad to watch that."
Sims reveals hows he was "born into boxing" and even from an early age would have sparring sessions in the living room.
As a teenager, he briefly represented amateur boxing clubs Repton and Ongar ABC, but admits his father was relieved when he opted for a job outside the ring.
"I wasn't bad technically but I didn't like the training," Sims laughed. "That always let me down, I was never fit. I was always off the jab, a counter puncher. I wasn't getting involved in any tear-ups.
"I don't think my dad really wanted me to do it, personally. He knows how hard the sport is. As I've got older, I've really got a lot of respect for the sport and how hard these athletes have to train."
During his stint in front of the camera, Sims maintained his enthusiasm for the sport, and his TOWIE colleagues have also taken a keen interest.
"I know a few of the cast members train," said Sims. "They do a lot of training - Jake Hall, Arg.
"He's not a bad boxer, Arg, he's a good mover. I would say Elliot Wright is probably the best boxer."
Sims had already made his first steps into boxing management while on the show, but is now dedicating his time to a growing stable of fighters including Burns, John Ryder, Ohara Davies, Ted Cheeseman, Martin J Ward and Lucien Reid.
"It all started off as a bit of a favour," he said. "I didn't look at it in too much depth when I first started.
"One of the boxers reached out to me and said 'Can you look over a contract?' Next thing you know, I've got 10-11 fighters."
British boxing is in the midst of a golden era, with 14 current world champions, and Sims hopes to play his part in its continued popularity.
He points to the influence of Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn, the rise of social media, and a thriving younger audience as key reasons for the boxing boom in Britain.
I'm looking to modernise boxing a bit and really start making people household names, and Eddie Hearn has already started that.
"Eddie is a good friend of mine," said Sims. "He's done so well and is somebody I look up to in boxing, because he was part of a new era that came through and he's taken boxing to a more modern level.
"I'll ask his advice and I've spoken to Barry Hearn on occasions. We've had some good chats.
"I'm looking to modernise boxing a bit and really start making people household names, and Eddie Hearn has already started that. I'll be just be happy to be part of that era and help others go along with that.
"There are definitely new audiences. Social media has helped a lot. It helps to put faces to names and people can follow the athletes online. It's definitely moving in the right direction."
Sims prefers to let his fighters enjoy the spotlight, despite constant enquiries about the TV career he left behind, and is gradually trying to make a new reputation in the harsh reality of boxing.
"I've done some pretty cut-throat jobs and that has evolved me to where I am today," said Sims. "But it is a tough industry, I'm not going to lie. It's definitely one of the hardest jobs I've done.
"But at the same time it's very rewarding when you pull something off and get to meet these athletes and go on their journey. I'm loving every minute of it.
"Sometimes I forget that TOWIE even happened. It's funny because when people pull me aside, they obviously want to talk about TOWIE, but it was such a long time ago. Such a different chapter of my life to where I am now.
"I love going to the boxing and I love talking to the people about boxing. When I go to the shows, you get pulled aside to talk about boxing, rather than what happened three or four years ago.
"I think it's interesting to see somebody come out of TOWIE and do such a professional job. It's caught people's eyes and made people question: 'how did this happen?'
"But when people know the story and how it all links together, it does work out."
We will be streaming Tuesday's media workout plus Ohara Davies v Zoltan Szabo and Craig 'Spider' Richards v Richard Horton at York Hall live from 5pm at skysports.com/joshua.
