Cheltenham’s only pro Boxer Louis Bacon on being saved by the sport, winning fights, selling tickets and getting boxing back in local schools.
Watch the full interview with Louis Bacon below:
At the time of writing Louis ‘Smoky’ Bacon is Cheltenham’s only active professional boxer. But he’s not resting on his laurels waiting for the bright lights and big fights to find him.
Bacon trains every day and works three days a week as a landscape gardener to maintain an income. Then comes the small matter of selling tickets to his fights, so he might end up in profit after his matches. Getting people to go on the road with him is a particular challenge.
“It’s very hard. Especially if the fights aren’t in Cheltenham or Gloucester. When it’s a bit further. It’s a bit more tricky. I’ve got a good fan base. We get given a certain amount of tickets, depending on how many we ask for. And then with that ticket money, you’ve got to pay your opponent, you give £1000 to the house, then £1000 to yourself and anything after that is split down the middle.”
Bacon has big ambitions in boxing. But as a local lad also wants to add to the buzz around his hometown.
“There’s not that many boxers from Cheltenham. So it’s just good to show people that if you put the hard work in, you can get what you deserve in anything in life.”
“I’ve always had good support even when I was an amateur, travelling to Barnsley or Sheffield, I’d have a good bunch of lads come support me. I do it for them as well as myself.”
So, what can you expect if you do buy a ticket for a Louis Bacon boxing match? Well, he promises value for money:
“I’m a good aggressive counter puncher, I’d say. On the back foot, but I can fight on the front foot and can also have a tear up if I need to. I’d say I’m an exciting fighter to watch.”
Bacon is prepared then to fight fire with fire. But he isn’t about to trade putting on a short term show for his long-term brain health.
“Yeah, I want to stay mentally ‘there!’ I don’t want to leave the sport punch drunk. I want to try and keep my looks! To not get hit, if you’re not hit, you’re not going to get beat are you?”
He seems like a very bright young man. So you might wonder why risk his health for a dicey career in the ring? Well, during our conversation I got the sense that Bacon believes he owes boxing a debt of gratitude. There’s an old adage in the sport that boxing saves more lives than it takes, and it certainly bolstered Bacon’s self-esteem when he was a boy.
“So, my first day of secondary school, I got punched. An older lad, year nine, came up to me on my break and said a few words and then punched me. I was petrified for years. It really affected my confidence.
“So my dad was like, look, I want you to try a bit of boxing, see how you get on. So I went down to the gym and didn’t leave. It was intimidating when I first walked in, but, yeah, I loved every minute of it.”
Boxing bolstered Bacon’s self-belief to such an extent he is convinced the sport should again be taught in state schools in Gloucestershire and beyond.
“One hundred percent. I definitely think it should be taught in schools. Not just for the self defence, but the sense of respect and discipline boxing gives you because it’s changed me as a person.”
Fingers crossed, Bacon, 23, is in the foothills of a glorious rise. Ascending through boxing isn’t always as simple as a conventional career. But Bacon has a well-trodden path to the top in mind.
“I’d like to go conventional route – Southern Area, English, British. I’ve always said to myself I want to win a Southern Area title in under 10 fights, so hopefully then by the end of 2026, I can look at a title. “
Bacon’s next fight takes place June 20th in Meca in Swindon as he looks to boost his career record to 5-0.
