UK amateur prospect Joe Fields has revealed why he moved from the UK to Allstars Training Centre in Sweden.
Fields, 22, made the hop across the North Sea after his recent boxing debut, leaving behind family, friends, and his teammates at Middlesbrough Fight Academy.
He now resides in a small box room in Stockholm while he gets valuable training time with Andreas Michael and the rest of the team.
Allstars is home to many of Europe’s elite. This includes names such as Khamzat Chimaev, Alexander Gustafsson, and Guram Kutateladze.
However, ‘The Butcher’ hasn’t travelled to the Nordic country just to become friends with said fighters. He wants to improve as a fighter and martial artist.
He said: “At home, I’m kinda travelling all over to try and get the best training. It would be nice to get that all in one place. I do have a home in the UK but, obviously, I’m from Hull, I’m training a lot of the time up North and for me to rent and live up there it’s just as expensive as it would be to come out here.
“So with my sponsor money, I like to save up, I went to Thailand before [to] get different looks. Luckily, this place ain’t too far away, it’s a short two-hour flight so it’s easily accessible and there’s so many guys my weight.
“I don’t know when, but the pro move is on the horizon so to be able to work with so many high-level pros around my weight is a very valuable experience and with some of the best coaches in the world too.”
Fields Discusses the Prospect of Turning to Pro MMA
The former Almighty FC champion has an amateur record of 7-2, losing most recently to Connor Walsh back in June.
This record has been amassed over five years, since having his first fight in late 2018. He is now flirting with the idea of turning professional where you can get paid for your work.
Although, second thoughts have begun to enter his mind after finding out about the Swedish amateur scene.
He said: “Before I came here we were potentially planning a pro debut around December time, but [now] I’m not too sure. Coming out here, training with the top guys, I’ve realised there’s no rush – I’m still learning.
“The amateur fights out here are quite different, it’s shin guards and there’s same-day weigh-ins. The amateur game in England is very similar to the pros other than the fact that there’s no elbows or knees but you’re still bare-shin, you’re still cutting a decent amount of weight, a lot of amateurs are cutting a pro amount of weight.
“Looking at it from an England point of view, I was thinking ‘What’s the difference? I’m taxing my body the same, I’m not getting paid, I might as well go pro’. But then if I do end up staying out here or doing my camps out here I could have maybe five more amateur fights because I could fight so regularly, not cutting weight, not taking any extra damage of being bare-shin and all the extra knocks that come with that.
“I’m unsure right now, I’m just gonna keep chipping away, keep working, being a sponge, learning. I’m 22, just turned, so I’ve got time. I’m just gonna listen to the people around me.”
Joe Fields Full Exclusive Interview
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