MIKE Tyler Christopher, the Bermudian who upped sticks to Birmingham in search of ring glory, has a new tagline for his blossoming career.
“It gets greater later”.
Very catchy. Once Mike’s done and dusted with boxing, he should consider creating ad campaign slogans.
Mind you, things are pretty good at present. The 28-year-old light-middle is 10-0 and caused a real stir last time out by twice dropping Jordan Grannum.
Grannum is one of the most accomplished journeymen in the business and near impossible to floor. At Cannock in March, he was floored heavily by Christopher.
“When I dropped him the first time, I was surprised,” said Mike in an American-Caribbean drawl. “He’s a tricky journeyman and after the first knockdown he was still coming forward.
It was only after the second that he went on the back foot.”
Christopher, who fights out of the D&A gym, is moving towards bigger bouts – and manager Jon Pegg confirmed he’s looking for “something significant”.
That search may result in an “away corner” assignment for the Paradise Island puncher.
Mike has shown he can fight, but being 3,300 miles from home means building a Birmingham fanbase from scratch.
He is not a great ticket-seller which makes securing meaningful fights difficult, and it has slowed his progress. Christopher boxed only once last year, twice the year before.
“It is frustrating, I’m training twice a day,” he said. “But the hard times in my life just make the good times feel better.”
Being 3,300 miles from home means Mike does not share local fighters’ dreams of domestic honours. He wants TV exposure, not necessarily titles.
“The Midlands and English titles don’t mean that much to me,” Mike said, “and that’s not meant to be disrespectful. The Midlands title doesn’t mean as much to me because I’m not from the Midlands, I’m not from England. It means more to people born in the Midlands. I don’t have the same desire they do.”
Christopher does not have a strong desire to box back in Bermuda, either. “In sport, you have heroes and villains,” he said, “and I’m looked on as a bit of a villain. I feel more liked in Birmingham than I do in Bermuda.”
That partly down to a bad boy past that saw the fighter fracture laws on the island, partly down to his decision to seek fighting fame on foreign soil. “It’s a small island,” he shrugged, “some people can see the improvements and progression.”
For Christopher, the immediate goal is to fight in front of the cameras.
“Mike wants telly,” he chuckled. “I feel I was born to be televised. “I’m on social media all over the place, I just need that one lucky break and I know they are going to love me on TV.”
