AN ordinary bloke who won an Olympic medal after being inspired by a tragedy now pays the bills as a builder after his life fell apart.
Welterweight Fred Evans became the first Welshman to win an Olympic medal at boxing since Ralph Evans picked up bronze in Munich in 1972.
Fred clinched silver at London 2012 after being denied gold by Serik Sapiyev of Kazakstan.
Bu Fred’s journey from back street gyms of Cardiff to Olympic glory was defined by tragedy.
In 2006 his mum Tracy and sister Scarlett died in a road traffic accident.
The proud Welshman said that that the trauma and pain of the accident galvanised his boxing career.
He told Wales Online: “The accident gave me a big drive. Whether it was qualifying for the Olympics, or competing at the Olympics, her
memory was the one thing that kept me going.”
The local boy grew up in a boxing mad family and soon found himself lacing up the gloves at just four.
He said: “Since I could walk, my dad’s always loved boxing so he took me to the gym when I was four-years-old.
“He said to Nigel Davies [the man that would later become his coach], “take him on the pads”, and that was it then.
“Then Nigel said he had a show coming up and I could get in. I was four, the kid I was fighting was about seven or eight.
“I don’t really remember much of it. Only blemishes. It’s only really when I had my first proper amateur fights from about 10. I can remember them.
“It was always going to be boxing for me. I played a bit of rugby in primary school but it was always the same. I couldn’t wait to finish school and get into the boxing gym.”
A schoolboy champion, at 17 he was invited to travel out to Beijing in 2008 to experience what life behind the velvet rope might look like.
He cites a brutal training camp on a Russian mountain where he was pummelled by locals fighters.
The regime helped propel the Welshman to success at the European seniors in 2011. The Olympics then beckoned.
He clinched silver by edging out the elite Taras Shelestyuk by a single point.
But Serik Sapiyev had too much for Cardiff man in the final, meaning Fred had to settle for silver.
Like many young fighters Fred struggled to handle the success and fame that came with the Olympic medal.
He was fined for his role in a scrap in a Birmingham lap dancing club, and he was fortunate not to be jailed after he broke a friend’s jaw during a fracas in a pub.
The judge sentencing him at the time said: “To get where you have in the boxing world, you must have shown great dedication, self-discipline and self-control.
“But there is no excuse for what you did and you richly deserve a prison sentence.”
Fred, looking back at this chapter in his life, said: “Getting partial to a few beers and then getting involved in the wrong crowd.
“I was maybe still on a high from the Olympics. Maybe easily swayed and off track from where I should have been kept on.”
The amateur turned pro in 2017, his scraped outside the ring put some promoters off working with him.
He said: “I think promotors used it against me. It was all ‘forget about the deal you could have had then.
“It’s the deal you have now’, using that mistake and what I’d done against me. Making me fight for less money.”
Fred won eight of his nine pro outings, although Covid forced him to hang up the gloves and earn money elsewhere.
Today the local hero, 33, manages a building and roofing company, but is tempted by one last shot at the big time.
He said: “I’ve absolutely not closed the door on a return. Absolutely not. “I’m in great shape.”
“But it’s something I need to make my mind up on now. It has to be fairly soon. It’s just the timing with work. I’d love to say yeah and go straight back into it.
“But then there’s the bills you’ve gotta pay. People don’t realise any of that. They only pay attention to fight night. They don’t see the 12 weeks or so beforehand.
“I turned professional. Had nine fights. Won eight. That was all going good until Covid kicked in. So I got my head back into business. Started my own business up. I sort of haven’t got back to the boxing since then.
“At the moment I’m just your local builder.”
Fred was said by some to have “sleepwalked” his way through the biggest fight of his life.
Serik Sapiyev dominated the final, and some observers felt the 17-9 score card flattered Evans.
Far too cautious in the opening round, Evans allowed his opponent far too much time and space.
The second round was more of the same, although Evans did pull off couple of flurries.
The Kazakh southpaw was 10-5 going into the third, and Evans continued to lack any urgency or drive.
Speaking after the final Fred said: “No excuses, he was sharper and I did not stick to my plan correctly.
“I am still young at 21, so I have done well and I am over the moon.”
