Joshua vs Breazeale: Challenger spurred on by family past and present
Friday 24 June 2016 23:17, UK
Dominic Breazeale will be thinking about his late parents and his family when he climbs into the ring to take on Anthony Joshua for the Briton's IBF heavyweight title on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
The American only started to learn of the past of his oft-absent father - Golden Gloves champion Harold Lee - who passed away six years ago, when his mother Christina died of a heart attack last December.
Breazeale came to boxing quite late, aged 23, but he was successful in the amateur ranks before turning professional, since when he has won all 17 fights.
Such is his progress, the American will make his 18th fight a first world-title shot, a fairly similar position to the one Joshua found himself in when he beat champion Charles Martin to claim the belt in his 16th outing.
"I lost my mum back in December, but at the same time it came with a blessing in disguise," said Breazeale.
"I learnt about my father. He wasn't really in my life but I was handed a memory box. It had a gumshield, boxing gloves, boxing shoes.
"I had to enquire, asked other family members about it, and they were surprised I'd no idea. There I am seven years into boxing and nobody told me my father was a standout amateur; my uncle as well.
"Boxing's been in my blood; my mum was trying to keep me away from it as long as she could. When I told her I was going to start boxing at 23 she thought I was crazy, 'Go be like everyone else, get a normal job, boxing's not for you.' It all started to make sense when I opened up that box.
"It sucks that I can't ask her now, but she (thought she) did it for a beneficial reason, I'm sure. If she knew I was going to become a 2012 US Olympian, go on and fight for the IBF title, become the next heavyweight champ, she would have started me like every other sport at five or six years old.
"It took until my fifth or sixth professional fight for her to come and watch me live."
Breazeale's focus in his childhood days was on other sports, even though his parents would watch the big heavyweight fights that littered the Mike Tyson days of the 1990s.
"For me, football, basketball and baseball was everything. But as I learnt I should have been doing this since I was six or seven," he added.
"My father was in and out of prison. I didn't know much about him or where he was at any given time, I met him at the age of two, then again as a teenager, then as a young adult, but never did we have a strong relationship.
"On Saturday, when I look over and see my wife (also called Christina) there and my oldest son, it reminds me of what I'm doing it for. He's been at the toughest of the tough fights, he's been through it all. He understands that dad's going to get himself into a situation and dad's going to get himself out of a situation.
"If you had to ask me, I don't think it scares him at all. I've never given him a reason to be scared.
"Coming up to this fight I've missed my youngest son's third birthday. I missed Father's Day, and then my wife's birthday was Wednesday. She showed me a Father's Day gift at home. She said I can only get the gift if I bring the belt home. You know damn well I'm bringing the belt home."
Watch Joshua vs Breazeale, live on Sky Sports Box Office from The O2, on June 25. Book the event via your Sky remote or online here.
