Fresh Talent
Francis Robinson: In Pursuit of a British Boxing Title
March 14, 2012 Nicola  |
21-year-old Luke Robinson is an up and coming boxer from Cardiff who now goes by his stage name, Francis Robinson.
Francis Robinson started training at 14. By the time he turned 20, he had decided to make boxing his career. “I enjoy it,” says Robinson, “I was always training and felt it was the right step to take.”
Robinson began taking part in professional fights last year. On February 5 2011 his opponent was Craig Dyer. They fought four three-minute rounds and Robinson came out the winner with 40 points to 36.
Three months later, in May, Robinson fought in the O2 Arena in London. His fight against Johnny Greaves was the undercard, as the main event was George Groves against James Degale. This was huge moment for Robinson who recalled his emotions of the day of the match: “I was so nervous, there was more pressure, it was a bigger show with a huge crowd, and a new promoter called Frank Warren. I needed to impress him and the crowd, and make an impact.” He did, winning the fight 40-36.
In November, Robinson took part in an undercard to another major main event - Ricky Burns’ World Title Fight in Wembley Arena. Fighting against Sid Razak, it was a close call but Robinson came through with 39 points to 37.
“It was a tough fight,” says Robinson, “he came to win not to survive rounds.”
His most recent fight was on February 25 at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena. He was on the same bill as Nathan Cleverly vs Tommy Karpencey. Fighting against Mark McKray, it was Robinson’s biggest challenge to date. “It was a hard fight; he was a half a stone heavier than me, which meant he punched pretty hard,” he says with a grin.
Nonetheless, he came through and won with 39 points to McKray’s 38.
Since then he has been training and waiting for the next opportunity, which will hopefully come around in April.
“I’m slowly building my way up, and not getting carried away. It’s a waiting game, I have to be patient and wait for the opportune match,” he says.
Robinson’s success so far is testament to his hard work and dedication. He follows a strict regime of diet and exercise to keep in shape, training “two to three times a day, Sunday to Monday”.
Robinson does a lot of strength and conditioning including body weight circuits to keep him fit in the ring. However, the hardest thing for him to endure isn’t the physical pain but his diet: “I eat fruit and vegetables, protein shakes and lots of meat. But I’ve cut down on bread, and I’m forbidden to eat crisps and chocolates. I do crave them the most.”
While some people who oppose boxing claim it is ‘barbaric’, Robinson completely disagrees, describing boxing as an art. “It’s all about controlled aggression; you do as much thinking as well as being physical. It tests your mental strength and physical strength. You have to outthink your opponent, like chess. You need to learn how to read the fight, how to block the punches and counteract them with your own.
“I love [boxing] because it’s in me. I’ve watched it all my life and admire the skill of the professionals. It teaches discipline. It’s not barbaric - it teaches self defence and it’s good for self-esteem.”
With the love and support of his friends and family who spur him on in the ring, Robinson is determined to climb up the boxing ladder: “I need to get the right fights and maybe in two or three years time I will be able to fight for a British title and take it from there.”
As well as working on his goals, Robinson is also currently looking for a sponsor. “I need a good promoter to get the right break,” he says. A sponsor will be able to provide him with kit and a wage when he is in training. “I haven’t been successful yet, but I’m still hoping.”
For now, though, Robinson is continuing to train and to push himself, ready for that next opportunity which will hopefully take him one step closer to achieving his aim of winning a British title.
By Kate Wilson
[Image courtesy of Francis Luke Robinson]
