Henry Turner picked his nickname after spending his childhood helping out at his family's amusement parks across the country, but the 'Showman' is living up to his nickname in the boxing ring.
“When you're a kid, that's the life you dream of living. Going out and seeing your friends, going to the fairs and having fun,” Turner, 12-0 (4 KOs), told BoxingScene. “As I grew up and started boxing, my father and mother were not able to continue boxing as much. Of course, we are still in the showman community and we still support each other. I'm a showman representative. All my best friends still run fairs and waltzers. We're still very close to it. I got married, so I'm still going strong.”
The undefeated super lightweight used to play shooters, walk waltzers and sell sweets and candy while attending the fair, but now he's thriving in an even more dangerous game. Masu. He has steadily climbed the UK 140lb rankings over the past 12 months, building a 12-fight unbeaten record and defeating solid domestic operators such as Tom Farrell and Billy Arrington. Turner is a smooth boxer with improved power. He has stopped three of his past four opponents and is developing into a well-rounded fighter. Now, the 23-year-old stylist needs to continue gaining experience.
This weekend, he will face Colombia's Mycol Mendoza at York Hall in London, winning 16-4 (14 KOs).
“The last two matches have been domestic matches, and he has stepped up each time. I was supposed to fight another domestic kid on this show, a 16-0 kid. [Brad Townsend] – But unfortunately he was out due to injury, so he will be fighting a Colombian kid who has a bit of a punch. He has won 16 of 20 fights, 14 by knockout. It's another dangerous fight, but it's a necessary fight to get to where I need to be,” Turner said.
“I've been looking at who he's beaten and everyone he's knocked out, and if I had boxed them, I would have had an unreal knockout record too. I look at it that way. He can obviously punch a little bit, so he obviously has to be a little careful or he won't be able to knock people out.”
Mendoza will emerge as an unknown, but British martial arts fans will need little reminder of the danger posed by the hard-punching Colombian. The 23-year-old was born in Barranquilla. Of course, Prescott came out of nowhere to shockingly knock out Amir Khan within a round in Manchester in 2008.
Turner will be more than ready for whatever Mendoza brings to the table. He trains alongside hot-headed British and Commonwealth lightweight champion Sam Noakes. Noakes will challenge Yvan Mendy for the European title on Saturday's bill, and the pair have played countless rounds together and supported each other.
“I watched him a little bit and he wasn't that aggressive. He's punching his back leg a little bit,” Turner said. “I once boxed an Argentinian who had a good knockout record, and he was aggressive and came forward. He had plenty of aggression in his preparation for the fight, as he was scheduled to fight the aggressive and orthodox Bradley Townsend, so he sparred with Sam Noakes for eight to 10 weeks. I think it's okay if you want to be in the league. You can't be as aggressive as Sam Noakes.”
