Q&A with Special Guest Callum Johnson

A Memorable Hour with Callum: Insights from the World of Boxing

This past week, we had the incredible opportunity to spend an hour chatting with professional boxer Callum, and what a session it was! Huge thanks to Callum for taking the time to join us and answering a myriad of questions in such detail. His candid and insightful responses made the hour fly by, and I made sure to keep the pace relaxed to allow everyone to get their questions in without worrying about losing focus.

We kicked off the conversation with the classic question: “How did you first get into boxing, and when did you know you wanted to go pro?” Callum shared, “I have been boxing for as long as I can remember, boxing with my dad as young as 7 or 8 years old. I always wanted to be a professional.” It was clear from his response that for Callum, becoming a pro was a natural progression, and he joked, “Pretty much, I was a little terror of a child haha.”

As we moved through the questions, there was plenty of excitement in the air when Lee asked if he would be attending the upcoming Simpson fight in June. While Callum mentioned he probably wouldn't make it in person, he’ll be cheering from home, watching on TV. It was unfortunate to hear about his April fight that didn’t happen due to his opponent pulling out — a real letdown for sure!

A burning question came from Thomas: “Any concerns about CTE?” Callum’s relaxed attitude shone through when he replied, “Nah, none at all to be honest. It’s something you don’t really think about, even though you probably should. But it’s the sport that we are in.”

Questions were flying in thick and fast! When asked about his next sport as he ages, he quipped, “Golf.” Wendy chimed in with a heartfelt question, asking if Callum has kids and whether he would be happy for them to enter the boxing ring. He proudly replied, “I have two boys. My oldest, who is 16, has already had one fight, but he’s more into weight training now.”

Martyn brought a fun twist to the chat by querying Callum's favorite boxing film. "Of course, it had to be Rocky 4!" he exclaimed. When it came to preferences in training, Callum surprised us all by stating he prefers intervals over longer, steady rides on the bike.

Lee didn’t hold back with his next question: “Who do you think will win, Usyk or Dubois?” The answer came back instantly — “Usyk all day.” It became clear that Callum trains incredibly hard, six days a week, often twice a day. He even admitted that when not in fight camp, he trains seven times a week, although he acknowledged that it was getting tougher as he ages.

Martyn also wanted to know about Callum's daily calorie consumption. He was very open, saying it usually depends on his weight goals: “In camp, I usually have a lot of weight to lose, around 2200 calories, but maintenance is around 2800 to 3200.”

Moving on to contemporary issues in boxing, we touched on YouTube fights. Callum shared a surprisingly positive perspective, saying, “I like them. Fair play to them because I’d happily do it if I could.” When asked if he thinks it takes away from pro boxing, he quickly dismissed the notion, saying, “Not at all really. It’s boxing entertainment. I just separate the two.”

We wrapped up our hour with a heavier topic: handling setbacks in such a tough sport. Callum opened up, saying he’s faced many challenges, both mentally and physically. His toughest moment? Losing his dad, who was also his coach. You could feel the depth of his loss and passion for boxing in his words.

As the questions continued, Lars asked about the hardest puncher he had faced in the ring. No surprise here — it was Arthur Beterbiev, the only boxer to have handed Callum a loss. He humbly noted that even in his amateur days, he faced plenty of tough opponents.

Overall, the hour was enlightening, intimate, and full of laughter and insight. I can’t thank Callum enough for sharing his experiences and wisdom with us all. Until next time, keep on boxing!