Big-hitting boxing star Fes ‘The Terrier’ Batista is about to embark on a year-long trip to America to re-ignite his boxing career.
Having had to train locally for 18 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Huddersfield-based Batista and his team feel this is the right time to unleash his powerful punch across the pond.
The 30-year-old Huddersfield Town fan is ready for a knockout 12 months where he would like to fit in as many as eight fights.
Flying out to Cancun, Mexico, Batista will take part in a three-week training camp before heading up to Florida.
On the year ahead, Batista said: “The next 12 months are going to be huge, I want to relaunch my boxing career. I know I haven’t had many fights recently but now I am ready to get in that ring and show why I deserve this chance.
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“By the time the fights come I will be in unbelievable shape and I’m so looking forward to going out there. It’s going to be hard work, but hopefully fun too.”
Batista trains under legendary boxer Roy Jones Jnr, and whilst Batista can’t reveal who he’s going to be fighting, he fears no-one.
He said: “Roy has now seen Huddersfield, he understands the area and gets our underdog mentality. My new slogan is ‘Huddersfield in the House’ and I am ready to show what Huddersfield is about on the big stage. With Roy in my corner I feel I can beat anyone.”
The boxing world recently saw British fighter Tyson Fury beat Deontay Wilder as he retained the WBC title. There is much talk about the need for more respect for British fighters and their achievements and Batista wants to fly the flag in the States.
He said: “Tyson is an incredible fighter, so is Wilder but Tyson really taught Wilder a lesson. Tyson’s name will, and rightly should, go down in history.
“I do believe British fighters don’t get the respect we deserve and I really want to help change that. We have lots of good fighters in this country and it’s not all about the Americans.
“You get a real inner steel with British guys, whereas sometimes the Americans can be a bit flash. I am staying humble to my Huddersfield roots. For me it’s all about spreading the Huddersfield name.”
Batista has a cherished dream to fight at the John Smith’s Stadium. “That’s my ambition,” he said. “I want to bring a real big American name to Huddersfield and teach them a lesson in front of a crowd at the Town ground.
“After these eight fights, which will come thick and fast, I’d probably be looking at four fights a year, but big fights.
“I need to get some wins under my belt and we’ll see where it goes from there. I am extremely positive and determined to be a success.”
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Batista, an avid Town fan, can’t resist having his say on Town’s season so far and said: “It’s been tough coming out of the pandemic and I think Phil Hodgkinson has done a good job.
“The team is playing well, bar a few bad results. I said at the start of the season if we finished midtable we would have done well.
“However, I am a very positive person and I believe that on our current form there’s no reason why we can’t we make the play-offs.
“We have some great young players like Lewis O’Brien who can blossom and take this club forward.”
