Lewis Van Poetsch: The Journeyman Boxer Who Has Defied Expectations
Lewis Van Poetsch ‘Poochi’ will be a familiar face to many boxing fans. After all, when he walks in between the ropes for a final time on Saturday night, it will be the 170th time he does so.
He also happens to be as mad as a box of frogs. Dressing up in costumes for ring walks, in one series of shots, he’s captured by Jim Diamond looking as if he’s about to hit the main strip of Ayia Napa rather than fight a professional boxing match.
Lewis Van Poetsch And His Hilarious Ring Entrances
Lewis Van Poetsch will be a familiar face to many boxing fans. After all, when he walks in between the ropes for a final time on Saturday night, it will be the 170th time he does so.
He also happens to be as mad as a box of frogs. Dressing up in costumes for ring walks, in one series of shots, he’s captured by Jim Diamond looking as if he’s about to hit the main strip of Ayia Napa rather than fight a professional boxing match.
A comparison that is closer to home than you may think, given he once told me that he only got home at 5 am on the day of a fight, after being stuck on a boat in Italy for a week, without access to a gym.
He is also quick off the mark with his humor, mimicking a beatboxing DJ as I’ve tested the bars on the interview microphone and singing the X-Rated Young Money hit, ‘BedRock’ when I used that word in an entirely different context to convey his importance in the UK boxing scene.
And that importance cannot be understated. He’s always accepted his role as the away fighter to usher in the development of future British talent. He gives vital learning rounds to prospects and his durability poses a challenge that is yet to be fully met, as he has only ever been stopped on his feet.
How Lewis Van Poetsch Defied Expectations
A co-sign from Lewis Van Poetsch for an up-and-coming fighter is something to be taken very seriously, which is why EverythingBoxing and I have both jumped on his praise for our favorite prospects, Callum Simpson and Andrei Dascalu respectively.
He also ripped up the ‘journeyman’ script in 2022. At one point, he fought 6 times in 45 days and got two stoppages, 1 point win, and a controversial draw in that run of fights.
To an outsider stumbling upon his BoxRec, he may seem a paid loser with 152 defeats. But to boxing fans that follow the circuit up-and-down the country or have watched him a few times on TV, it’s widely known that he can actually fight.
It’s safe to say that I have seen a lot of Lewis Van Poetsch in my time covering boxing. Literally a lot, as one time when I was welcomed into his changing rooms by trainer Richard Farnan after a massive upset win, we walked in to find he was bollock-naked after a shower!
He has plans to be a professional referee next and is on the hunt for a stand-out catchphrase for his final instructions to fighters. So, you just get the feeling that Saturday’s hometown swansong against Seamus Devlin in Bristol won’t be the last we hear from Lewis Van Poetsch.
Given his ability to stay safe in fights, “No need to fear, Poochi is here” would be my starter for ten, as a catchphrase suggestion.
By Harry Duffy