Interview
“Life was good, I was
earning good money
– but when I talked to
guys in their 50s who
were still working on
the building sites, I
began to ask myself if
this was where I saw
myself at that age.”
First combined Services title win in 2013
team, I’d got to the later stages - being
so close and yet so far. It was frustrating
because it was the one title I’d really
wanted, ever since I was a little boy, and
was always talking about with my dad.”
In 2015 there was another memorable
triumph when he won the iconic
Haringey Box Cup at Alexandra Palace
– and shared his victory with his then
partner (now his wife) Alanna, a fellow
Army boxer who won the female light
welterweight title at the same event.
That pattern continued for three
years, with Chez and Alanna retaining
their titles – and in 2017 they were
able to celebrate the rare distinction
of being the first married couple
to win gold medals at Haringey.
Boxing partners
Having originally sealed their
friendship as fellow boxers and team
mates, Chez and Alanna had finally
got together as partners in 2014. They
married in April last year, at Gretna
Green, in a private ceremony that they
managed to keep a secret from family
and friends until after the event.
The final fight at ABA English
National Elite at York Hall,
Bethnal Green, 2018
www.visitilife.com
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