Odel Kamara, one of the hottest young stars in world boxing, is dreaming big.
The Liverpool junior middleweight is just 22 and has signed an advisory agreement with Sam Jones.
Kamara has also locked in his promotional deal, and news is set to drop imminently, though it was known that both Matchroom and Zuffa Boxing were vying for his signature.
“I’ve been getting messages all week. It’s been so much support and I’m loving it right now,” Kamara told BoxingScene after his decision to go pro was formalised. “I can’t wait to just get in the ring.”
Jones’ stable includes the likes of Pat Brown, Skye Nicolson and Jack Catterall, but Kamara is staying tight-lipped about where he is going.
“That’s locked in now, but, yeah, I’m not looking to spill,” he said. “I want to do it properly and make it a big thing, when they announce it.”
Of course, the Olympics were a real consideration for him, but he instead wants to start his education in the professional game. He wants activity and not to lose ground on those in the pros before he’s even started.
“So when it came to that decision, I was thinking more tactically than anything,” he explained. “Obviously, I would have been 24, 25 by the time I actually turned over after the Olympics. And I just felt like everyone would have a head start on me in terms of the pro style and how it’s all planned out and all stuff like that. And I was thinking, why am I going to go to the Olympics? I believed I could get an Olympic gold medal and then get pushed at a million miles an hour for a world title fight.”
Instead, he’s opting for the steady build, and to climb the ladder, earning his stripes as he goes.
And it is not as if he’s not had exposure to good professionals. He’s sparred the likes of Chris Eubank Jnr, JJ Metcalf, Anthony Fowler, Jamaine Ortiz, Sam Maxwell and Liam Smith.
Now the task becomes drilling and repetition, becoming more familiar with the fundamentals he needs for the next chapter.
“I’ll pick it up and I’ll be like a duck to water,” he insisted.
But what about the pressure?
Kamara has long been touted as the one to watch and his signature has been in demand for months if not years and winning a bronze at the Worlds in Liverpool last year only added to his value. It showed he could cope with the expectation of boxing with his home city behind him, too.
“I’m used to the pressure,” he said of the expectation that will surely follow him. “It’s a lot of fun for me because obviously the Worlds was in Liverpool and I showed up for that. And I always have, to be honest. I feel like I thrive under the pressure more than anything.”
Kamara, fast-handed and exciting, has a deep appreciation of the great Roy Jones, who famously pointed out that while many said he was naturally talented, he had to work hard to make it count.
“You know what? I would say I’m talented, but I can’t say that the talent didn’t come from hard work as well, because I’ve been training since I was three,” Kamara said. “So it’s kind of hard to tell with me because it’s just been non-stop.”
And while he hopes to follow in Jones’ footsteps, he will also likely see what the best US coaches have to offer.
“With my training team, I’m going to tour the UK, maybe a little bit of the US, find the right guy for me and knuckle down with them and make sure that they get the best out of me,” he stated.
‘[He will be looking for] somebody who’s handled my explosive style before. Somebody who can settle me down a little bit as well and just with the experience more than anything. I want somebody who’s had champions and built them from the ground up, so that’s what I’m looking for right now.”
Kamara is dreaming big, too.
A staunch Liverpool FC supporter, the dream is to headline at Anfield, home of the soccer giants, and it’s something he’s visualised.
“Million percent. I can imagine my world title fight being at Anfield, that’s what I’ve always dreamed of,” he said.
He’s not the first. Though all four Smith brothers wanted to box there on the same bill, and that David Price had hoped to face Tyson Fury there, it has proved elusive for the city’s top fighters. In fact, no boxing has graced the famous stadium since 1949.
“It’s that little bit out of reach, but I feel like I’m going to be that guy to do it,” he said. “I have the whole city behind me. Even the Blues [Everton fans] are going to come down for it, I believe. Hopefully we can get that over the line. I can imagine being walked out by [former Liverpool captain] Steven Gerrard or something, you know what I mean? I can imagine it. It’s there.”
The bucket list includes fighting in Japan and Las Vegas and he says he is ready for the fame that will come with that kind of success.
Kamara is gifted, good looking, and he can fight like there’s no tomorrow.
“I want a name for me everywhere, not just Liverpool and the UK,” he said.
“I want to be that guy everywhere. Like imagine that. Just all people like coming together to appreciate you and your skill. I think there’s nothing better than that. I’m looking forward, to be honest, it’s one of the biggest things I’m looking forward to. I can’t explain it. Just like the support, probably. I feel like that’d just warm your heart more than anything.”
