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Interview: Good Times for the "Bad Boy"
Brandon Cook Discusses his Career Highlights; 11/21 Title Defense Against Rafael Sosa Pintos; and More!
When WBA Inter-Continteal Light Middleweight Champon Brandon "Bad Boy" Cook (15-0-0, 9KOs) enters the ring you can't help but get swept up in the hollars of support and admiration. With his Ontario faithful in tow, Cook has ascended to the top of the Canadian Light Middleweight division, claiming national titles from both the NCC and NABA. But it's his style, more than his championships, that continues to pack in the fans. Cook is an all-action, crash-bang fighter. Regardless of his opponent, you'll never see the "Bad Boy" in a dull fight. But critics still suggested that he would tank on the international scene. On June 27, Cook proved those naysayers wrong. He not only beat Austrian champion Gogi Knezevic (29-6-1, 13KOs), he stopped him in the fourth round. In the process, Cook claimed the WBA Inter-Continental title, catapulting himself onto the world's boxing radar. On November 21, he'll put that title on the line against 62 fight veteran Rafael Sosa Pintos (50-12-0, 19KOs) of Salto, Uruguay, at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. Recently, Canadian Boxiana caught up with Cook to give fans a bit more insight into his meteoric rise through the Canadian rankings and upcoming title defense.
GM Ross: Thanks for doing this Brandon. Can you tell us a bit about growing up in Ajax? When you were a kid, did you play other sports, aside from boxing? Why do you think you excelled in the boxing ring?
Brandon Cook: I didn't grow up in Ajax. I moved here when I was about 17 years old, after I finished high school. I lived in Scarborough and went to Sir Robert L. Borden High School. I got into a lot of fights in high school and was hanging around the wrong crowd here and there, I guess (laughs). When I moved out to my dad's in Ajax, I met my current coach Mike Guyett. He lives one street over from me. He saw me get into a couple fights and brought me to a boxing gym. I loved it so much. That's why I'm still fighting today. It changed my whole life and me as a person. I played AAA baseball for like eight years when I was growing up, starting right from T-ball. When I got a bit older, I ended up playing hockey as well during the winters. Then I quit baseball to play more hockey. I played almost every sport growing up and made almost every team. I think it's because I hated losing, but for the most part I focused on team sports. I didn't really do anything that was just me, like boxing. I'm still learning the game, but I train hard and push myself to the limit because I don't want to lose. In boxing, if you're mentally prepared and you know you did everything in your power to win, usually good things will happen.
GM Ross: What was it like to take that first step into a professional boxing ring? Your pro debut was back in 2011 against Francis Lafreniere. What comes to mind when you think back to that first fight under the bright lights of the Hershey Centre?