Matthew Leisching: The Boxing Guru

Matt Leisching is a 24 year old ,hailing all the way from the City of Gold. Now a sensation dominating the boxing ring in the Mother City.

Matt Leisching doing what he does best.

"He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life." -Muhammad Ali. This a quote I discovered that is well suited to how the young man is currently leading his life. Boxing is after all a risky sport and can be fatal at some instances; but the burning passion inside of Matthew didn't deter him elsewhere. He went ahead with his lifelong, childhood dream head on and has achieved great things in the boxing realm so far.I met up with him for an interview to get the lowdown on what makes him the best coach and to also see if it was possible to get me excited about the sport.

Here's what the man of the moment had to say:

What have you done to make this gym stand out, or be different to others? I have produced the best fighters locally and have been fortunate to also train a few of the big leagues in various industries such as Jeremy Loops and Siv Ngesi. Every personality has been different and achieved great things at the same time.

Matt who championed Siv Ngesi at 'The Night of Champions' back in November.

How do you handle criticism? I don't pay attention to negative criticism especially from people who haven't a clue what boxing is. I take constructive criticism where it is necessary and use it to better myself as an individual.

How many years coaching experience do you have? About 5 years.

How do you deal with an athlete or another coach that has very different opinions or opposing style of boxing? Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I am confident in my own abilities as a coach/trainer. I will always listen to the next person as everyone has their own style and I try my best to incorporate it into my way and see how far we can reach our goals. If it works I go back to my way and push my fighters to be greater than they believe.

What is success to you? Success to me is waking up everyday, excited and looking forward to go to work; and basically living your childhood dream and being satisfied with what comes with it.

What is the biggest mistake you have made as a coach? Wow! That is good question but to be honest with you its been a great career so far. Maybe the mistakes are yet to come but I am looking forward to learning from them and bettering myself in the boxing industry.

What is your biggest success so far in your career? I can definitely say one of my fighters, Don Madge, winning the EFC Lightweight title last year. We are currently in training for the same title which he will be fighting for next year in February.

With his champion fighter Don 'The Magic Man' Madge

How do you gain the trust of an athlete who comes to you seeking for training? Trust comes with time. With that said, I have faith in myself and as we work together, they become more trusting and aim to produce results. I keep on being myself and doing what I do best. Passion gets anything going.

What is your coaching philosophy? Every fighter has their own style. My job is to find that style and work with it to make them better than they currently are.

What do you think you have to learn about the boxing or coaching as a whole? You never stop learning in boxing honestly. Every fight is different and you will always have something to learn from them.

What is the most important to you in life? In the gym? Family. Without family and their support, I wouldn't be where I am today. I will forever be grateful for my family.

What single trait of yours do you think benefits your coaching technique? Confidence. I am always willing to learn. I can never be arrogant, that's not who I am as a person.

How important is the community to you and your business? The community is everything and I have made some great friends for life along the way. The fighters are also very supportive which means a lot to me; this makes the sport worthwhile and motivates me to thrive on.

What's your advice for aspiring boxers? Its a tough sport firstly. You need to be headstrong, focused and passionate about the sport. Listening is also a very important skill in boxing; it will get you very far. ::

Matt Leisching, a trainer at PFA gym

He may not be a competitive fighter but he sure has championed his fighters to greater heights. Matthew Leisching is a great force to be reckoned with in the industry. It was really an inspiring moment speaking to him; made me understand boxing a little more and also be ignited by the passion he has for it. I wish him all the success as the years come. South Africa needs to know him by name.

To know more about Matthew Leisching or even want to delve into boxing, you may do so on the following platforms: 

https://twitter.com/mattleisching?lang=en (@mattleisching)

http://instagram.com/mattleisching (@mattleisching)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Matthew-Leisching-Boxing-Trainer-at-PFA/191453327571256 

Till next time. . .