Alfie Lewis Speaks Out
Alfie Lewis has in the last ten years won more open tournaments than anyone else, he is at present the World Allstyles Kickboxing Organisation Champion, which he first won in 1983. In 1985 he managed a proud 2nd place, and retook the title in 1987. Being the most versatile fighter this country has ever produced he is sewing time fighting in the now famous Ticky Donovan International W.U.K.O. Squad. Anyone hearing about Alfie and wishing to visit his gym and expected to see some type of Oriental flavoured Dojo, with all the trimmings, would be surprised, because Alfie's gym, which is set in the heart of Toxteth, Liverpool, resembles more of a boxing gym found in the New York Bronx. It is there, that under the watchful eye of ex-British A.B.A Boxing Champ Greg Evans, Alfie and his team of warlords, train. As the Warlords pound the heavy punch bags spread around the gym with their kicks and punches, Greg moves around giving everyone individual attention, as he holds the focus mits for them to punch. It was in this setting that I interviewed the man, who makes what Bruce Lee did in films, a reality on the tournament circuit.
Bob Sykes: Firstly Alfie congratulations on your recent win in the World W.A.K.O. Championships. When did you start training in Martial Arts and what attracted you to the sport?
Alfie Lewis: I started off, in Judo, down at the local YMCA in which I attained the grade of brown belt. Then I moved on to Jujitsu, at a well established club in Liverpool, and then, when the Bruce Lee boom came along and I saw the kicks and the punches and things, I floated round to various Kung Fu, Karate and Taekwondo schools. I ended up with the now famous Lau Gar Kung Fu School, I stayed there for a few years, then after I won the World Championships in 1983, politically, it was time to move. I moved on, I was in the wilderness for a few years and then I found a home with the BKA and I've been there ever since, although soon I’m to form my own association, the name of the British Freestyle Association.
Bob Sykes: What was the first major title you won and how did it feel?
Alfie Lewis: The first ever major title I won, was the 1977 National Kung Fu Championships pee wee section, held in Birmingham, I was 15 years of age and I came home feeling like I was Champion of the World, but when you get home you get a bit of a come down, because the media, at large, don't recognise what you've done. Only the martial arts public recognise you. To this day its exactly the same martial arts public who know who you are, but you've really got to go to work to let the general public know who you are.
Bob Sykes: Back in those days did you think the tournament scene was different in any way to that of today and how do you compare the champions of yesteryear to those of today?
Alfie Lewis: In tournaments of the early 70's, that I know of, there were no hand pads and no foot pads and alot of heavy contact was being made, although the technical know how of yesterday isn’t as good as that of today. I think the athlete of today is more up to date, as far as nutrition and diet is concerned, they know how to peak at the right times, they have seasons. I personally have seasons for training on and off. I train for certain seasons, I come off, I train again, I don’t just train through the season. Because martial artists in those days weren't that up to date with peaking, we are so far behind the boxer. The fighters of yesterday like Steve Babbs, Frank Lynch and Neville Wray, well, Neville is still kicking about, they were the pioneers of the F.S.K. type circuit. I'd say that the pioneers of Karate were Ticky Donovan and Terry O'Neill, who were innovators in the fact that they brought techniques forward. Ticky Donovan, for instance, did the axe kick before anyone else, then Terry O'Neill followed suit axe kick, spinning hook kick the original things. The lau gar then brought the flambuoyancy into the fighting, the colourful uniforms like the American Scene. I think the Lau Gar fighters of the 70's would stand shoulder to shoulder with any fighter of the 80's but I doubt whether the traditional martial artists of the past, except for those like O'Neill and Donovan and the top name could pull rank.
Bob Sykes: Staying on the tournament circuit, who would you say is your nearest rival and why?
Alfie Lewis: I think the nearest rival I have is obviously Kevin Brewerton. Kevin is such an extrovert as far as fighting goes, he’s done alot, even though me and Kevin have this love hate relationship, he’s done a lot for martial arts, he’s brought the ridge hand into British Martial Arts, he’s brought a bit of flambuoyancy and he’s got away with it, he’s brought a Character and we need characters in martial arts, so the public will pump money into it. You see, for years its been really boring, fighters go out there in black or white uniforms, score a few points and then walk off, now we’ve got fighters like Kevin and myself going out there making a bit of noise, getting the audience excited as such. On a world scale, I'd say besides Kevin, who is obviously the British contingent, I'd say Nasty Anderson, I'd love to fight Nasty Anderson, I'd really like to get in with that guy and rumble, there's no one else, except maybe Billy Blanks who's an exceptional piece of talent. ln his hey day, Ray McCallam, from the states, I'd love to fight, they're the only fighters I'd really get off on from fighting. Obviously I'd get off from fighting Kevin and listen Kevin next time I fight you I’m going to bust you up, in fact I’m going to bust you up so good your parents won't know who you are, I’m going to hurt you, when someone gets this deal together, when you and me can fight each other over 3 and 4 rounds and put some money up so I can show them how good I am, in comparison to you and how inferior an athlete you are. I’m going to kick your butt guy.
Bob Sykes: To keep a standard such as yours Alfie what sort of training do you do and do you stick to any special diet?
Alfie Lewis: As far as training goes, when I’m in the off season I’m just ticking over, I do like 3 or 4 sessions a week in the gym plus my road work on top, plus when I’m teaching I always spar with my students, so l class that as part of my normal training. When it comes to a tournament, a regional or national tournament, I pick up my training to 6 times a week and I spend about an hour in the gym, plus running plus circuit training. When it comes to an international tournament, like say, the European or World championships, I train 3 times a day each day, all I really do when it comes to a European or World Championship is, wake up, run, go home get plenty of protein down me, in fact protein and vitamins are very important and I see a lot of fighters out there who are really worn down and spotty and etup and have no idea about nutrition. Once the fighters learn about nutrition, then we will have a higher calibre of fighter on the circuit. All the top athletes, of other sports, are into nutrition, like vitamins and protein. You ask the average martial artist about protein and they don’t know anything about it.
Bob Sykes: By looking at your past record, I see as far as traditional, Freestyle and semi-contact go you've proved yourself beyond comparison, have you ever thought about going into full- contact or Thai Boxing?
Alfie Lewis: OK, thanks for that remark, I appreciate that, it’s nice when someone realises what you've done sometimes. As far as full- contact goes, I’ve had 3 full contact fights, in the early 70’s at which I was successful. I had 2 wins, 1 draw but could never see the profit in it financially. When I do something that I’m going to get hurt in, I like to see some kind of financial profit in it. If at some stage the money is pumped into full-contact, I would seriously consider going into it, but until that day I’m having a lot of fun doing semi-contact and traditional. I’m travelling round the world, seeing the world and I’m not getting hurt too much. I look upon it this way, the more tournaments you fight in, the more publicity you get and I think full contact is limited in the amount of tournaments you can fight in per year. Therefore, I think you are limited in the amount of exposure you get, where as if you fight semi—contact, I fight about 18 tournaments per year, if 10 of those are exposed in magazines you’re bound to get some sort of work i.e. Weekend courses, week courses, so I think my bread and butter lies in semi-contact.
Bob Sykes: In the years that you've been competing, out of all the fights you've had which would you say was the hardest?
Alfie Lewis: Of the top names in the martial arts field, I'd say the Kung Fu section, Kevin Brewerton and Neville Wray, have always given me good fights, really good fights. From the Karate sector, I'd say one of the hardest fights in that sector, is a guy called Joe Tierney, I think he's from S.K.U. Sorry if I’ve got that wrong Joe. But Joe's a tough fighter. On the open circuit, the people you don’t know give you the hardest fights. People you know, you go out there, your all hyped up, you want to get it on, but people you don’t know, you go in there a bit lack Iustered and they can catch you on an off day and they can take you to pieces. I suppose Kevin really is giving me a run for my money but I don’t think I'd be pushed to my limits. When you ask the question who's given me the hardest fight, I have not been pushed that far to know, my hardest fights are against referees, officials and politicians they're my hardest fights, off the mats, not on the mats. On the mat, I know where I'm going and where I'm at, off the mat you've got to handle those guys.
Bob Sykes: Changing the subject now, your newly formed association, what benefits is this going to have on your members?
Alfie Lewis: The association itself is called the British Freestyle Association, it will come together in 1988. It will be a new association for a new era. We are going to try to promote the modern concept of Martial Arts which is obviously the Freestyle, semi-contact and full-contact, all the styles of martial arts we are going to push. We are going to give the pupil, who is on the outside and feels left out because they are not part of a traditional system, the chance to come forward and get national and international recognition. They will have the chance to study under other freestylists, full contact and semi-contact fighters or practitioners, around the country. We are just trying to get all the so called non—conformists together to form a recognised association and give them a platform on which they can show what they have got.
Bob Sykes: Plans for the future?
Alfie Lewis: Obviously, 1st on the agenda is getting the British Freestyle Association going, obviously I’ll kick off and be a bit forward with that. But on a personal level, what I'd like to do, I'd like to win the world title, for the 3rd time. When you win it once people say, oh it could be a fluke, you never know, you win it the 2nd time, they start giving you respect, win it 3rd time you prove what you are and what you can do. Also I'd like to do well in the W.U.K.O. you see, Ticky Donovan, has given me the chance. He's taken a lot of flack about giving me the chance to go forward to the W.U.K.O. and I'd like to prove him right by bringing home a few W.U.K.O. titles. At present, I've already got the E.K.C. national title but I'd like to go forward and win a few international ones, as a repayment for Ticky putting his faith in me. On the freestyle circuit, I'd like to just dominate and that means keeping Kevin in his rightful place of number 2.
Bob Sykes: Finally Alfie what advice would you give to any young fighter out there who's planning to step into your kickboots?
Alfie Lewis: What I'd like to tell people, who want to achieve success in a competitive field is, train hard, work out hard, work on your kicks, work on a formular of techniques. When your sparring with someone find out what works for you. lf its a reverse punch, then work on a reverse punch until it takes off, if its a back fist work on the back fist. In the end you will have a formular of techniques that will always work. I personally have a formular of techniques that when l'm feeling down and lazy I use a back fist, which is a lazy mans technique but I score points, same as reverse punch is a lazy technique but it scores points. So find a formular, go on the tournament circuit, put yourself on the line, don't hide from anyone, and just basically kick ass.
Bob Sykes: Thank you Alfie and all the best for the future.
Alfie Lewis: Thanks Bob.
