On July 22nd Joshua ‘El Rey’ Aveles will return to the UK for the second time this year to fight at the Sheffield Arena on ACB 65. His opponent for this battle is the highly dangerous and athletic, Leandro ‘Buscape’ Silva in a fight which could have title contender implications.
Ahead of this fight Joshua talked to the voice of ACB, commentator Bryan Lacey, about his ‘Fight of the Night’ war at ACB Manchester in March and the path that has made him the man and the martial artist he is today:
Bryan: So your next fight is in the UK in Sheffield on July 22nd against Leandro Silva. Your last fight was in Manchester, England in a fight that earned you a ‘Fight of the Night’ performance bonus - with that in mind are you looking forward to fighting again on British soil?
Joshua: For sure, I’m definitely looking forward to coming back and fighting in the UK again. Last time, other than getting used to the time difference I had a great time. I loved it, travelling, experiencing new places , new cities and I suppose you can even say new cultures so it was pretty cool.
Bryan: You also gained yourself quite a few new fans this side of the pond with the show you put on in your back-and-fourth fight against Amirkhan Adaev in Manchester. Talk to me about that fight, how happy were you with your performance?
Joshua: Well, getting the bonus definitely put a smile on my face but overall I felt like I could have got him out of there. I had him wobbled a few times and should have finished him. I’m my own biggest critic, so for me I’m not going to say I’m happy with that performance. It did get me the bonus which certainly made me happy but overall I know I should have finished him.
Bryan: For that fight you had Lorenz Larkin over to corner you. Will he be making the trip to Sheffield for this one as well?
Joshua: I think he is, he’s said he’s coming so you guys in Sheffield will see the ‘Monsoon’ over there!
Bryan: What’s it like working with an athlete like Lorenz as a friend but also as someone to sharpen and grow your skills with?
Joshua: It’s been good man, working with guys like Lorenz and other fighters of his caliber. These guys are all on the elite level of mixed martial arts and they all have string attributes and different techniques so for me to learn and train with them and to get to pick their brains on certain things it helps and benefits me a lot. Working with them helps me fill in the holes that I’ve had before and it helps me tighten up my techniques and my game in areas where I suffered in previous years.
Bryan: You’re in a really good vein of form at the minute. In your last 13 fights you have 12 wins with just 1 loss. Do you attribute this run of form to the changes you’ve made in training and the people you’re working with now?
Joshua: Actually, it’s just me and my dedication overall because at the start of my MMA career, if you look at my record, I was fucking shitty! My record was something like 1 win and 7 losses so it was pretty crappy but I take full blame for that. I wasn’t putting the effort in and I was just taking any fight. I had an old manger who knew that they could call me anytime and I’d take a fight when ever they needed someone to fill a gap because he knew I needed the money plus I would never backdown from a fight. I’d fight anyone, any challenger wether that was me getting my ass kicked or me kicking some ass but either way they knew they could call me but as soon as I started dedicating myself properly to this game and to myself then my everything changed. Back then I was at a smaller gym and I put that gym on the map. I carried that whole school on my shoulder and took it to a new level. Then we fell out and I had to get away from them so I made the move to ‘Millennia MMA’ and it’s been a perfect fit ever since. The transition in to this school, with all these fighters has been fucking fabulous!
Bryan: I’ve seen on your social media that a big part of your motivation is your family - although I saw you joking that when your in training camp, if they get on your kids get out of line, you have to lock them in a closet! How many times have you had to do that this week!?
Joshua: HA! Yeah, it happens every week! At least 2 or 3 times a week but it is a nice closet. It’s a one sided lock and has good ventilation plus they have a little night light and a little hole for us to push food through!! (Laughing)
Bryan: Joking aside, tell me what they really mean to you and what it’s like having them behind you on this journey?
Joshua: It’s awesome man. Just from where I came from and how I grew up I never had a solid home growing up. I had drug addicts for parent, I never had a father. I’ve even been homeless or lived in drug houses so lets say I’ve seen a life out here in America that no kids should ever see growing up so I never want my kids to see or be part of any of that. That is my biggest motivation, to see my kids and to know that I can give them things that their daddy never had and also do things for them that I never had or got as a kid so for me that is the biggest accomplishment I can ever have. I have two step-kids and two kids of my own but don’t worry they all get locked in the closet equally! (Laughing)
Bryan: What an amazing story, I had no idea the depths you’d been to before you got to where you are now. What part has martial arts played in getting you to where you are today?
Joshua: For me I have always wanted to do something like this growing up but from where I came from and the way I grew up I never had the money to do it or a place to go so when I hit 18 years old I took it upon myself to get a job and as soon as I did that and I had some money I started training and the rest is history. I've been at this since 2006 in fact I had my first fight just a month and a half after I started training so I’ve actually been training and fighting since then. It literally has been a journey and a half in this game. Have I learned a lot of things? - yes, and I’ve actually learned a lot of things about myself which has helped me and has been pretty cool and to be honest there is nothing like getting paid to punch people in the face! There is nothing like it!
Bryan: So lets talk about your upcoming fight on ACB 65 in Sheffield. This is a big fight for the division, you’re taking on Leandro ‘Buscape’ Silva and he’s just coming off the back of a win against ‘Bam ‘Bam’ Pat Healy in January. What are your thoughts on him as an opponent?
Joshua: He’s a very dangerous opponent with a really good record and he’s fought on the elite level so for me he is my toughest challenge to date so far. I’m not looking over or past him, he is my main focus. I know he’ll be coming ready, coming to fight.
Bryan: Have you watched much film on him?
Joshua: I’m not someone that does that. I watch a bit but I really don’t stress myself with that or what they do I just train what I’m going to do and I fill the holes in my game. I know that if I come in good and well trained it’s going to be an interesting night for anybody!
Bryan: You mentioned his record before, he's a fighter that has never been finished by either submission or KO - Would that be a trophy you’d like to take home to be the first person to finish him?
Joshua: Yeah, of course! Who wouldn’t want to be the first person to put somebody down?! It really wouldn’t matter who it was, if you can be the first person to finish them by submission or knock out then of course it would be cool to be that first guy! Am I looking for that in this fight? I wouldn’t say I’m looking for it, I am looking to punch him in his mouth! I’m not going to say this will be an easy night but I know if I come in at 100% and ready it will be an interesting night. I’m trying for a championship fight and this guy is a championship caliber fighter so I’ve got to make sure I’m at that level of conditioning and that ready to go.
