“Records are for DJ’s”- Seamus Devlin on life as a journeyman boxer
“As soon as I stepped in the gym, I knew it was for me” says
local boxer Seamus Devlin when recounting his introduction into the combat
sports world.
Devlin hails from Padiham and currently holds a professional
boxing record of 0-16, although that is something that is subject to continual
change considering he fights around four times per month.
Now looking at this from an outside perspective you may be
thinking why does he bother?
The answer to that question is born out of pure love for
the fight game. Growing up in a working-class environment with little to do and
a lack of opportunities can leave people susceptible to going down the wrong
path something which the 33-year-old is no stranger to.
But determined not to be a product of his environment,
Devlin quite literally fought his way out of a dark place citing bare-knuckle
boxing as the catalyst for turning his life around.
“It has been in the public domain a while my story, I got
lost to drug addiction I lost everything, and I hit rock bottom.
“I’ve
always loved boxing and when I hit rock bottom I had nothing left to lose (so)
I put both feet in and I got into the bare-knuckle game.”
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| Source: Seamus Devlin after his BKB title fight with Mikey McGowan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCTWf10TXBo |
Five wins four losses and two English BKB titles followed
before a trip to Lacey’s Boxing gym in Bolton put him on the path to where he
is today initially through unlicensed boxing.
“The glove thing transpired later on down the line when I
met Baz Neil. When I met him, he said you're actually more suited to boxing and
that's how I ended up slipping into doing the unlicensed whilst I was actively
fighting as a bare-knuckle fighter.”
Taking the two sports at face value you would think that
being exposed to bone-on-bone contact carries more dangers than the padded
protection of a boxing glove.
Surprisingly though Devlin believes the rawness of
bare-knuckle is a safer alternative providing an insightful argument as to why
he feels this is the case.
“When you put a glove on, you're spreading the surface area
out. So you’re taking that serration of the knuckles away and it makes it
easier to take the shot so you can sustain more damage with the gloves on.
“That's where pugilist syndrome (and) the term punch drunk
comes from. But I suppose it's a case of pick your poison.”
Pick your poison may sound like a slightly sadistic phrase, but
all fighters must get into that frame of mind before a fight regardless of what
or who they are fighting for.
For some it’s money and fame, but it is apparent that for Seamus
and his family fighting is about something far more meaningful. This becomes
evident when his brother Alex who had been listening intently embarks on an
impassioned response.
“The pride, it’s the sense of pride. That's what it is,
having pride in your name these days.
“That's why you watch some of these bare-knuckle fights and
you've got past the reason why they're fighting, you’re just in awe of the
fight.
Then afterwards, people ask the questions, what was that
actually about? Because the actual spectacle of two fellas putting their names,
their pride on the line is bigger than money or a belt.”
Alex shares an unbreakable bond with Seamus and delights in his
brothers’ achievements, but the elephant in the room which has not yet been
discussed is what if something happens to his sibling whilst he is in the ring?
He provides an emotionally driven analogy should this ever occur.
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| Brothers in arms. Alex and Seamus Devlin at Lacey's Boxing Gym in Bolton. Source: Alex Devlin |
“I've had this conversation with myself before, and the way
I see it is when a soldier enlists and God forbid, he does get struck down, he
has gone out on his shield doing what he wants to do, and what he loves to do
and to say otherwise I think is a disgrace to the person to the dream and to
what they're aiming for.”
Not only does Seamus have to put his body through grueling
pain to ensure he is physically prepared for a fight, he also has to make sure
he is mentally prepared. Being a journeyman means you often have to take fights
at short notice with little to no background on your opponent.
As a fighter in the away corner like Devlin, you are often
paid to turn up and give the person standing across from you a tough test and then
move on to the next one which can become monotonous.
In no other sport are you essentially paid to lose and so
the mental challenge of getting up for a fight can prove to be harder than the fight
itself which Seamus has dealt with in the past.
“The psychological aspect, it's tough, because when you're
losing there's the adrenaline spike as well.
“You're up from the
adrenaline, then you come down, you don’t sleep, and when you get back your
sleep patterns off.
“Then you have got to get back to the gym the next week, and
you've got to get the jump leads out so to speak because you've kind of not
healed psychologically from that defeat properly.”
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| Seamus with his first opponent Leon Willings. Source: Burnley Express |
We then go on to discuss the fact that he hasn’t been
victorious yet and then comes that line “Records are for DJ’s.”
This is the attitude of a fighter who cares not about the
fact that underneath his picture on BoxRec there remains a zero but rather the “Invaluable
experience and priceless memories” he makes along the way.
When the ‘Celtic Cobra’ gets that illustrious first win is unknown,
but one thing is for certain Seamus will continue to give his all every time he
steps through those ropes as he continues to fly the flag for the unsung hero
that is the journeyman.
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