Ted Cheeseman says he is finally enjoying boxing again having hated the sport a year ago. 

Cheeseman looks to win back the British super-welterweight title when he faces JJ Metcalf for vacant belt in Gibraltar on Saturday night. 

He had lost the title to Scott Fitzgerald during a run of three fights without a win during 2019, a string of fights that left him on the verge of walking away from the sport. But things changed after he beat Sam Eggington on the opening night of Fight Camp last summer, as he battled to a hard-fought win that made him believe he still had a future in the ring. 

“It brought the confidence back, it made everything good again,” Cheeseman, 25, said. “It made it easier to train and stay in shape. If I had had another loss, I probably would have been done. But that changed things. I hated boxing for a while, but now I started to enjoy it again.” 

The early part of Cheeseman’s professional career had seemed so smooth, as the Bermondsey fighter won his first 15 fights, including a British title victory over the awkward Asinia Byfield. But things were not OK behind the scenes as Cheeseman had become addicted to gambling. When it came to facing Sergio Garcia for the European title in 2019, he had already gambled away his purse before he stepped into the ring. 

He took a one-sided beating from Garcia, but that loss sparked him to get his life back together and fight his addiction. Things did not pick up in the ring, though, as he drew with Kieron Conway and then lost his title to Fitzgerald, both fights he believed he had done enough to win.  

“I had my problems with gambling and lost, then I recovered from that and did what I needed to do, then I had two fights where I believed I won both, but I got a draw and a loss," he said.

“That had me thinking because I was doing wrong when I was gambling, but I sorted that out I should be getting a bit of luck when I believe I am winning these fights.  

“With the amateurs you fight every other week, there is not a 12-week camp building up to it. It takes a long time before you can right your wrongs in the pro game. In the amateurs one week you will be the best, the next your might be rubbish, but the week after you are back to your bet again. 

“Mentally I was broken, I couldn’t be bothered to train, I just started hating the sport. I was doing it because I wanted to win while my baby was alive and because I had done it for so many years, so I couldn’t just chuck it away.” 

Victory over Eggington gave him a fresh start, however. He says training for Metcalf has proved easier, although this time he is unlikely to try to hold on to the title long enough to win a Lonsdale Belt outright – something you need three successful defenses to do. 

“When I fought Eggington, I felt that should have been my third defense to win the belt outright,” Cheeseman said. “Now I have to start again. As much as I would like to win the Lonsdale Belt outright, I have had so many hard fights, I think I need to move on after this fight. 

“It has been tons easier in training, because the confidence is back. I’m feeling good, I feel I got what I deserved and I am back on track. I feel I have leapfrogged the people who thought they had got ahead of me. Now it is a matter of getting the win, getting the British title back and then pushing on to another level after.” 

This fight was originally to have taken place three weeks ago, before the show was moved from Wembley to Gibraltar. That has suited Cheeseman, though, who has enjoyed training during lockdown with the usual distractions. 

“The delay has just meant we have time to work on things and add, while maintaining the fitness,” he said. “Having no crowd helps me be more focused. You don’t have to worry about selling tickets, I can just think about the fight. 

“For us it is quite easy in lockdown. We are allowed to go to the gym and there are no distractions. Normally your mates would want you to go out, but there is none of that.” 

Ron Lewis is a senior writer for BoxingScene. He was Boxing Correspondent for The Times, where he worked from 2001-2019 - covering four Olympic Games and numerous world title fights across the globe. He has written about boxing for a wide variety of publications worldwide since the 1980s.