Wes Capper – “I’m living my dream”

 
AUSTRALIAN middleweight Wes Capper is riding high on his start to his professional boxing career.

 
The 26-year-old plumber from Western Australia, caught up with Aus-Boxing over the Christmas and New Year break to discuss his rising career in the US, his relationship with training great, Miguel Diaz and his experiences thus far in the pro ranks that some can only dream of.

 
Capper (8-0, 6 KOs) is a fighter’s fighter, a prankster known for his quirky sense of humour (that famous propeller spinning hat when entering the ring is priceless), and fierce drive and ambition. In his own words “a bloke who just loves life and loves to fight.”

 
Capper has competed professionally as a kickboxer, and in the mixed martial arts arena, even spending some time at MMA legend Randy Couture’s gym training and honing his MMA game.

 
But it’s the boxing ring in which Capper has found his niche’.

 
After beginning his career in Australia having his first three pro bouts in his home state of Western Australia, Capper decided to do what few have had the courage to do – former IBF featherweight world champ Robbie Peden and more recently, Will Tomlinson the exceptions – pack his bags without any guarantees, firstly starting in Los Angeles before heading to the mecca of boxing, Las Vegas.

 
It is there he made his own luck.

 
He went straight to the Top Rank gym in Las Vegas and joined dozens of other fighters in sparring hoping for his one big shot. Then after several months, someone in that room loved what he saw. His name? Training great, Miguel Diaz.

 
Capper explains, “I sort of knew Miguel from doing some sparring in Japan and he was in the Top Rank gym the day I went into spar some guys. He pulled me aside and said I needed to spar well that day because you never could tell who was there watching.”

 
“I listened closely to him and after that session, I was approached by two gentlemen who represented Pochiro Promotions who said they would love to have me as part of their fight team. I was stoked. I signed on before I left the gym that very day, and the rest is history”.

 
Capper has continued on in impressive fashion since signing his professional contract with Pochiro, fighting five times in 2014 (four in the US) and ending all but one inside the distance. He says he is continuing to work on his game by surrounding himself with some of the fight games elite people.

 
“I just want to get better,” Capper explained. “The level of sparring here in the US is incredible,”

 
“You’re sparring Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, the list goes on. A lot of these guys come from nothing and boxing is their way of feeding their families so it’s all or nothing for them.”

 
“The intensity they bring to sparring is scary,”

 
“They play for keeps and if the opportunity is there for them to really hurt you and put you away, then that’s what they’ll do,” Capper said.

 
He continued. “You can buy that level of sparring and intensity anywhere else but here. That sort of preparation and competition is priceless come fight night, I love it,”

 
Capper has also found himself a regular gig sparring former 2012 Japenese Olympic gold medallist, Ryota Murata.

 
The opportunity came for Capper to work with Roy Jones Jr down in Florida after he found out on the grapevine that Jones Jr was a fan of his work.

 
He has also worked a lot with former world champion Danny Green, recently crowned WBC lightweight champion Jorge Linares, and Yuriokis Gamboa’ trainer, Cuban great, Ismael Salas, with Miguel Diaz still being Capper’s head trainer.

 
“You can’t buy the knowledge those guys mentioned can pass on to you. The technical knowledge, the ring smarts, I just hang off every word” said Capper.

 
Asked what Capper hoped to achieve in 2015, he had this to say.

 
“I just want to keep getting better,” he continued. “I continue to work on a lot of technical stuff and I want to continue my way up the ranks in the next couple of years,”

 
“I am confident that if I keep doing what I’m doing, that I will be in a position to come back to Australia and challenge some of our own greats in the middleweight division, that would be unbelievable”.

 
Wes Capper is a prime example of what can be achieved through having the courage to follow a dream, to back yourself no matter the circumstance. In a day and age where comfort zones prevent a lot of talented fighters from progressing, Capper has bucked the trend, and has reaped the rewards thus far.

 
We, as fans, sincerely hope the propeller not only keeps spinning on his hat, but on his career as well.

 
 
Words: Dan Smart
Photo: CDL Boxing Promotions/Damo Photography