Mark Baldwin spends 60 seconds with unbeaten prospect Mikie Tallon.
Age: 19
Instagram: @mikie_tallon
Nationality: British
From: Liverpool
Weight: Flyweight
Stance: Orthodox
Record: 5-0
Last fight: Friday June 14 in Bolton (won on points)
When and why you started boxing:
My dad took me to the gym one day because my uncle and one of my cousins had done it before. My dad had never boxed. He was always into his football. But he knew I was never the best at football, so he brought me down to a boxing gym.
Favourite all-time fighter:
Manny Pacquiao. When I was growing up, I always watched Pacquiao, I didn’t really watch many other fighters but him. I just love his fight with Oscar De La Hoya (below).
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Best fight you’ve seen:
Prince Naseem Hamed vs Kevin Kelley at Madison Square Garden in 1997. I’ve watched that fight so many times on YouTube.
Personal career highlight:
When I fought at the M&S Bank Arena in January on the undercard of Natasha Jonas vs Mikaela Mayer. I run past the ‘Echo’ every single day on my runs, and I always thought I wanted to fight there one day. And then it happened.
Toughest opponent:
I fought a lot of good kids in the amateurs, but I have never really been amazed by anyone that I have fought.
Best and worst attributes as a boxer:
My best attribute is the way I think about the sport. I don’t do anything else. I just live for the sport. My worst is probably I can stay in the pocket too long. I haven’t experienced it in sparring, but Joe [Gallagher] is always saying to me to keep moving my feet.
On December 3, 2021, James Chance/Getty Images captured Joe Gallagher observing from the corner at York Hall, Bethnal Green.
Training tip:
Joe says you have 20 to learn and 20 to earn. So, 20 learning fights and 20 earning fights.
Favourite meal/restaurant:
My favourite food is Italian. Spaghetti bolognese or most pasta dishes. The best one I have been to is Casa Italia in Liverpool One.
Best friends in boxing:
Everyone at the gym. I am close to them all. All of us just really get on, but Macaulay McGowan often pulls me to one side to give me some advice.
Which other athlete would you like to be:
Cristiano Ronaldo for his athleticism. He is just a great all-round athlete.
Last film/TV show you saw:
Baby Reindeer. It’s a bit weird. I watched it because everyone else was watching, so I thought I would give it a go.
Last time you cried:
When I won my Youth Championship title in Barnsley in 2022. Nobody at our gym had won it before, so it was a big moment for our club. I don’t think I have cried since then.
Best advice received:
Just train hard. I think everyone overcomplicates sport. The truth always comes out in a fight if you have missed something in the gym.
Worst rumour about yourself:
Everyone says I talk in my sleep.
Something not many people know about you:
People are always surprised at how young I am.
What has boxing given you:
Boxing has given me loads of opportunities to meet some great people and travel the world, and, without boxing, I would be lost. It is all I know. I have done it since I was seven.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years:
Hopefully, living a good life and being a world champion.
What one thing would you change in boxing:
All the behind-the-scenes politics. I think the sport should be run by one big organisation like the UFC. So, the best can just fight the best.
