Ekow Essuman

Athlete Profile

Personal Bio

Ekow Essuman is a 27 year old professional boxer, former Team GB Olympic boxer and Blackwolf Athlete who is known on the pro circuit as “The Engine”. He earned this name thanks to his never ending energy, stamina and relentless pressure based boxing style.

Based in Legends Gymnasium, Nottingham UK, Ekow works with trainer Barrington Brown and manager Jimmy Gill and has recently signed with Frank Warren Promotions. With his team assembled, Ekow has firm plans to rise through the ranks until he becomes a World Champion.

Ekow started boxing at the relatively late age of 16, and began boxing competitively at 17 when he quickly made a name for himself as an Amateur Boxing Association prospect. Despite being less experienced than others his age, his hard work, dedication and commitment quickly paid dividends.

Soon, Team GB talent scouts came calling and after 6 months of trials and beating off competition from 40 other boxers, Ekow was invited to join Team GB as a Welterweight boxer. As part of Team GB Ekow trained 5 days a week and flew all over the world to compete against European Medalists, Olympians and World Champions, it was then that Ekow new he was ready to make his mark as a professional fighter.

WHY DID YOU GET INTO BOXING?
“I got into boxing because I wanted to get involved in a sport where an individual was recognised for their hard work, dedication and couldn’t blame losses on teammates. I got invited to train at Bilborough Boxing Club with a friend to keep fit. After a few weeks of hellish training, I started to realise that boxing was far from a simple sport, there are so many technical aspects! When I realised this I soon fell in love with the sport.”
WHAT DOES BOXING MEAN TO YOU?
“Boxing to me is the art of hitting and not getting hit. To me this means an individual would have to mentally and physically be at their peak to be able to out box and outwit their opponent. It’s like Chess, but it’s most certainly not a game.”
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT TO DATE?
“My Biggest achievement is Getting onto the Team GB Boxing Team and then being asked to join the Podium Olympic Boxing Team, there are 40,000 amateur boxers in great Britain and to have been part of an Elite team of 40 was an accomplishment in itself.”
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT BOXING, TRAINING AND FITNESS IN GENERAL?
“I love the hard work of it all. I like to know my opponents are not training as hard as me and this pushes me to train even harder to be the best at what I do.”
HOW OFTEN DO YOU TRAIN?
“I train 2 or 3 times a day (Monday to friday).”
WHAT DOES A NORMAL DAILY WORKOUT LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
“7-am I wake up early every day and go for a run ( this involves a mix of sprint sessions, hill sprints, and sustained jogs). 10-am I have a training session in which I work on my strength and conditioning as well as hitting the boxing bags and/or sparring for my general fitness. 6-pm I focus on boxing technique in the form of hitting the pads and doing boxing drills to learn new techniques.”
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PART OF TRAINING FOR A FIGHT AND WHY?
“The sparring, it’s the closest thing to a boxing match and the best way to see where you are at with your training as a whole.”
WHAT DOES YOUR DIET LOOK LIKE DURING TRAINING AND IN THE RUN UP TO A FIGHT?
“I eat a low carb high fat diet throughout my training camps for fights, I eat a lot of protein with good fats and fibres, whilst limiting my carbs to lose weight appropriately.”
WHAT GOALS HAVE YOU SET FOR THE FUTURE AND HOW DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE THEM?
“I plan on becoming a British boxing champion, then working my way up to a world Champion, I know this won’t be easy but nothing worth having comes easy. I plan on achieving this through dedicating myself to my cause, keeping a healthy boxing lifestyle and keeping the right team of positive minded people around me.”
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
“I’ve always been inspired by my parents, their drive and determination and how they brought me up to believe that no matter who an individual is they should always aim to be the best at what they do. This is part of my training ethos and my competitive edge, I just want to be the best!”
WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER ONE FITNESS TIP?
“Mental resilience can help you improve any aspect of your fitness.”
WHAT FACT WOULD PEOPLE BE SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT YOU?
“I am quite the film and series buff, in my down time. I catch up on all the Movies and series I’ve missed out on.”
HOW DO YOU STAY MOTIVATED BOTH IN THE GYM AND ON A STRICT DIET?
“Being in the gym is part of my lifestyle. My trainer, manager and other boxers all keep the banter flowing, with pranks and jokes. It’s never a dull day in the gym….We can all always obsess about what we plan on eating on our cheat days.”
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO BECOME A BLACKWOLF ATHLETE?
“Why wouldn’t I want to join the pack? The ethos behind how Blackwolf products work is spot on, and I believe with Blackwolf behind me I’m 10 steps closer to my goals.”