Dylan Cheema, the Coventry native recently won the lightweight Boxxer Series Tournament, beating favourite Rylan Charlton by unanimous decision in a fiercely contested final after earning a first-round TKO of Otis Lookham in the quarter-final and a split decision win over Scott Melvin in the semi-final.
Earning a multi-fight deal with Boxxer and sky sports he now plans to make the most of it by being as active as possible whilst adding to his craft and boxing against fighters with a variety of different styles.
Dylan Cheema Q&A
Q: Tell us a bit about your background where are you from? How old were you when you started boxing and why did you start? Was anybody of inspiration to you?
A: I’m born and raised out of Coventry but in my fighting career I’ve always trained out of Birmingham. I started kickboxing at the age of 10 when my best friend asked me to come along to a class with him. His Dad, Uncle Baggi, was the coach and from that first day, I just enjoyed the training. Uncle was also coach to Richard waller and Simon Akufo, who both are my coaches today. These 3 are my inspiration, they’ve been the only guys to lead me on my journey.
Q: You are currently 5-0 as a professional and you’ve just won the latest Boxxer series tournament in the lightweight division, boxing brilliantly I may add, so what are your immediate plans going forward? Will we see an active Dylan Cheema over the next 12-18 months?
A: My short term goal is all about gaining experience in the professional ring. I need to fight a variety of different styles while also getting the rounds in too. I want to be fighting 4-5 times next year and at least twice before this year is out.
Q: Do you have any pre or post-fight rituals? Anything you’re superstitious about?
A: I’m not one for superstitions, to be honest. I think above all, I’ve done all the hard work in the gym. Having said this the first I go to pre and post-fight is the Gurudwara (Sikh temple).
Dylan Cheema Q&A
Q: Who is your boxing idol and why?
A: Muhammad Ali was the idol for me. The way he changed and pioneered the sport regarding entertainment was truly special. I believe his razzmatazz is something many boxers have used/are using to this day. Boxing is entertainment and Ali sure brought that every time he fought.
Q: Where do you see your career in five years’ time and what do you want to achieve from boxing?
A: In 5 years I want to be a British champion for sure. But I want to fight in the big fights, as I only want to fight the best, always testing myself. A focus for me is working towards a world title shot.
Certainly bringing a razzmatazz with his eccentric, vibrant ring walks he also brings a style to the ring that mirrors that, and Dylan most definitely has a personality to go a long way in boxing. Still earning a crust and doing his bit in the family business is something that not every boxer has to do or chooses to do, especially after earning £40,000.
Dylan Cheema is currently training in Birmingham whilst he balances his other commitments outside of boxing and I will be heading down over the coming weeks to chat more and get a further insight on the 26-year-old before his second live sky sports showing on June 25th. At the same venue, he was crowned lightweight champion – Sky dome arena, Coventry.
By Dan Kelly