Ellis Zorro exclusive: I’m 30 years old – it’s time to get rolling!

Ellis Zorro is quietly developing into one of the most well rounded fighters in a stacked British cruiserweight division.

Zorro has shown that he can box and the unbeaten 30-year-old’s exciting fights with Dec Spelman and Hosea Burton have provided all the proof anyone might need that he can also dig in and fight when he needs to.

This Friday, Zorro’s WBO European title defence against Luca D’Ortenzi tops the bill. It’s time to find out how Zorro handles expectation and pressure. For all the latest fight odds, visit our sportsbook.

“My manager [Martin Bowers] doesn’t want me having those wars or taking punishment but after the Dec [Spelman] fight, I think he made a comment like, ‘Well, at least we know you’re tough and you’ve got it in you if you need to go there.’” Zorro told 32Red.

“I’ve just had two back-to-back really good fights”

“I see a lot of these really good amateurs and they’ve got really good skill but they haven’t got that toughness and they come up short sometimes. They have bags and bags of natural talent but if there’s somebody like Dec who can drag them into a gunfight or somebody puts it back on them, a lot of these guys end up losing. They fold or they can’t take punishment. Martin was definitely happy to know that I can go there.”

Zorro was already a champion of sorts – he comfortably won the one-night Boxxer tournament last year – but hasn’t had the red carpet rolled out for him since teaming up with Queensberry Promotions. Spelman is a hard night’s works for anybody and Burton is a former British light heavyweight champion who fought with the desperation of the man who knew he was in last chance saloon. It’s safe to say that Zorro has earned his spot.

“I think I’m well on the way to doing that at least. Because I won Boxxer in the manner I did, even Ben Shalom was saying he didn’t sign me because my fights weren’t interesting enough,” he said. “Now I’ve just had two back-to-back, really good fights. I feel like I have kind of established myself in the stable and amongst other fighters in my weight class.

“Those names – especially the Burton one – matter. Dec was a test of how tough I am whereas Burton was a better boxer with a much better pedigree than me or Dec, especially in the amateurs. To come through that fight was really good for me.”

“I’ve just got this inner confidence”

Zorro didn’t just gain a ‘W’ on his record by beating Burton. He learned some invaluable lessons about himself. He insists that the fight itself looked harder than it was due to the blood that poured from his nose from early on in the fight but he did have to deal with some other issues. Zorro already has plenty of self belief but overcoming a serious opponent when not operating at 100% reconfirmed what he already knew.

“I basically had one arm and one leg going into that fight. I didn’t have the right hand, I only threw it once or twice and that was the time it got rid of him. So I think I gained a lot of confidence from that training camp with the injuries that I had. Again, I’ve just got this inner confidence anyway. I knew I was less experienced than Hosea and that in a lot of peoples eyes he would be the favourite. But I know that I’m tough, durable and can take a punch so I’m confident in all of these areas.”

Zorro is acutely aware of his standing in the sport and has set short, medium and long term goals. It goes without saying that he needs to beat D’Ortenzi on Friday but before he targets a step into world class and the likes of WBO cruiserweight champion, Chris Billam-Smith, he knows there are still a few boxes remaining that he needs to put ticks in. Zorro wants to reach the top but is beginning to put together a plan which will ensure he benefits both professionally and financially.

“I still haven’t gone ten rounds”

“I’m 30 years old, Queensberry don’t have another cruiserweight who’s even had 10 fights. I’ve had 16 and I’m number five in the country and wherever I am in the WBO rankings, I feel it’s time to get rolling.

“I still haven’t gone ten rounds. We’ll see in terms of how they want to match me. There are a lot of names floating about that I could fight. There’s Jack Massey and I’m hearing about Callum Johnson coming back. From my perspective, I want the money to be right if I’m gonna fight a Jack Massey.

“I think he was a world [IBO] champion and I think I’m only like two fights away from those kind of names. When I do get those fights, I’d like them to be on a slightly bigger platform. Headlining is cool but on bigger shows there’s more publicity around it and there’s more build up.

“I’m happy to fight anybody”

“Then there are domestic fights. Chris Billam-Smith is a great fight, obviously he’s a world champion and he’s got his rematch with Lawrence Okolie. But from a financial perspective, he can sell out a stadium in his hometown. I’d be happy to go down there to Bournemouth after the Lawrence fight if he’s open.

“I’m in a good place and I’m ready to go. I’m happy to fight anybody at this time. It’s all about the money and for the show to be built correctly if that makes sense. I wouldn’t want to fight another British guy with a good ranking at York Hall. It’s good for the fans but those fights could be pushed a bit more.”

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