In this unforgiving business, Andrew ‘D’Animal’ Robinson has carved respect amongst his peers through a succession of ring wars writes Mike Lockley.
The veteran middleweight – deeply religious outside the ring – has, in an uncompromising 37 fight career, been there and won the t-shirt.
He has clutched victory from the jaws of defeat, gained belts, snapped the long unbeaten record of a Polish star in Katowice, fought for the British title and endured controversial decisions.
At the age of 38, Robinson hungers for more. To give up now, he insists, would be an insult to a God who blessed him with such ring gifts.
The battle-scarred boxer scoffs at those who believe he’s nearing the end.
On July 30, D’Animal roars again, fighting on a BCB Eastside Rooms, Birmingham, afternoon show dubbed “Crunchtime at Lunchtime”. He wants the fight, but candidly admit that, after the bright lights, its hard to get up for routine assignments.
He hopes the bout will be over six rounds, not four. Last time out, in March, journeyman Serge Ambomo surprisingly outpointed Birmingham raised Robinson over the apprentice distance, even dropping the hardman.
“I want six rounds,” Andrew told me. “I don’t really get going in a fight until the fifth.”
“These kind of fights, they’re hard, they’re hard,” he admitted. “My last fight, I wasn’t up for it. But what can I do? I’ve got to keep active and look at the bigger picture.”
Robinson is adamant time has not dulled speed or reflexes. He can, he insists, mount another charge for top titles. He is more than a match for the middleweight young guns.
“When they call me out, it excites me,” he said. “I want to test myself against these young fighters. I’ve still got it.
It’s scary. I’m performing in the gym like I did 10 years ago, like I’m being driven by some outside force. I’m still doing a lot of damage. That’s why I can’t give up. I’m like George Foreman, blessed with God-given ability.”
That’s D’Animal. A man who has no doubt the Almighty will be in his corner at the Eastside Rooms on July 30.
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