Since last speaking to Sport Aberdeen leisure attendant Liam Howe, he has competed in three fights at Rox Hotel in Aberdeen in May and November of 2023 respectively and won them all.

Most recently in January this year, the young prospect competed at the Scottish Development Championships at the Raven’s Craig Centre in Motherwell and went one step further than last year and won! Having won the same event in 2022, the latest victory makes him a two-time Scottish champion.

Liam who is usually based at Get active @ Alex Collie or Get active @ Jesmond is now training for his next competition – The National Open Elite Championships, more commonly known as the Golden Gloves. The event takes place over three weekends with the final being held on Saturday 13^th April should he progress.

Speaking about the training going into the event, Liam believes that maintaining high standards will be the key to success: “I fight at 60kg so to make the weight I need to be 60 on the dot or below and can’t be any heavier”

“For the first time since I began boxing, I got a nutritionist involved at the beginning of December 2023. My nutritionist also helps me with meal preparations and macros.

“My nutritionist sends me meal plans which consists of high protein low carb diets but enough carbs to get me through my training but I need to stay in a calorie deficit throughout so I’m burning more than I eat every day. On top of that train in sweatsuits to lose water weight in the lead up to fights

“I would usually give myself one month to cut the weight, but this can be incredibly tight. However, this time I have given myself double the time to get to the weight I need to be. Reducing the weight more gradually over time has definitely been a better way of cutting.”

The final preparations for an upcoming fight can really take its toll and Liam believes that this is the most difficult time: “I always find the final push towards the fight the most difficult. When it gets to 3-4 days before the fight, I am only eating 300 calories per day.

“I’ll have a diet of liquid egg whites for dinners, shredded lettuce plus a little bit of sauce so it’s not as bland. Black coffee is my go-to in the morning with a splash of milk.

“I tend to take the week off work before a fight as I can get a bit moody!”

The training schedule for Liam is incredibly intense: “I’ll train at Byron Boxing Club either three or four times a week for 2-hour sessions. We spar three nights a week and at weekends we do circuits.

“There are 5 or 6 coaches there per session, and there’s maybe about 15 actual boxers. There are also a few kids and “keep fitters” who are there for fun, training and skipping or hitting the punchbags.

“I use Get active @ Alex Collie or Get active @ Jesmond on the days I’m not at Byron. At a minimum, I get one rest day a week. Sometimes I’ll do double sessions, gym and then Byron at night. I always want to push my fitness to the next level.

“I will do sprints on the treadmill or up a hill trying to emulate a fight by doing intervals of 3 mins of sprinting with one minute to rest. I’ll do this 3 times to try and mimic the duration and structure of a bout.

“I also do weight training once or twice a week mixed in with body weight exercises. It keeps me strong and keeps muscle on as I’m losing weight and on a tight calorie intake.

“You really have to be disciplined in turning up to do the work but once you actually get going it’s fine, I just do it. Even if I’m hungry, I queue a schedule of songs I want and that gets me motivated.

“Despite it being quite repetitive for training, I just have to think to myself “I need to do this” and don’t want to give any edge to the opposing side. I’ll get the work done no matter how I feel.”

“The little things really do matter, it’s the unseen stuff that matters most. It’s all about the journey to getting where I want to be.”

When he does get a break from training, Liam tries to make the most of it: “I make a list of things I can eat. Chocolate, bakery items and takeaways – usually Chinese or Dominos. I definitely overindulge for a few weeks and then get back to normal eating. It’s nice to get back to a bit of normality after cutting so much weight.

Liam has a home show to look forward to in May at Pittodrie Stadium in one of the lounges!

If you feel inspired and motivated by Liam’s story, then why not sign up for a Fitness membership here. You can get a free fitness consultation to support with your goals too!