Alex ‘Da Kid’Lohoré (14 – 1 – 0) is a polarizing figure. We spoke ahead of his clash with Terry ‘The Dominator’ Brazier (8 – 1 – 0) who he’ll meet on March 9th at Wembley’s SSE Arena when they headline BAMMA 34. Just like Marmite or Guinness you either love him or find him incredibly unpalatable. He’s not everyone’s cup of tea. One thing that’s undeniable is he has been virtually unstoppable in the cage of brewing up impressive victories with brutal stoppages not just on BAMMA shows but in Bellator’s cage as well.
Lohoré is an expressive, outspoken and very talented welterweight unafraid to speak his mind and as he is keen to assert very early on in our conversation that he is quite content with his circle of associates. “I’m not here to make friends,” he assures me, “I’m here to beat people up, that’s what I get paid for. I’m not here to be the nice guy. You can’t bully me.”
Alex is ready to explain that most of his youth was spent defending himself in conflict situations in the harsh sprawling urban backdrop of France. His self reliance and resilience in the face of threats stems from a hardened past steeped in standing up to those out to antagonise or take advantage of him.
“I do not go to war for no reason but I love war,” he reflects as the conversation touches on his recent online Twitter war with Brad Pickett. “I’m a warrior man, I fight for a living. I’m not going to start anything with you if you don’t start on me. And if you start on me I’m going to finish it.”
Oh @peakAlex and there’s me thinking you’re an alright kid and only talk shit to your opponents ??
All I said is I think when you’re a champ you should fight anyone and yes I was a CageRage Champion ??
So why don’t you go and try to achieve half what I did ??
— Brad Pickett (@One_Punch) January 9, 2018
The Twitter war which stemmed from comments Brad Pickett made in relation to Alex culminated in a head to head confrontation at a small regional show two weekends ago. A confrontation which Pickett was reluctant to speak about initially as it would feed into the hype he feels Alex is creating but nonetheless explained his side candidly via a recent episode of the #WHOACAST. Alex Lohoré, having listened to the interview was keen to give his side of what occurred when the two of them met face to face.
“In his interview Brad Pickett said I’m not that bright. Listening to what Pickett has been saying I think he’s the one who is not smart. He’s actually admitted that he threw a punch at me. He’s actually said he tried to attack me. So, who is the brightest person right now?”
“When you think about it properly Brad Pickett gets knocked out in his own weight category. I’m two weight classes above him. I knock out people in my weight class. If he punched me I’ll eat his punches for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If I punched him, it’s a different story.”
As we continue to speak I’m acutely aware that Alex Lohoré, speaking to me from Paris, has changed up his fight camp this time. A mainstay at New Wave Academy he has opted to part ways with what appeared to be a winning formula. To many outsiders this could seem yet another war that he has engaged in that possibly behind the scenes has created a rift. He is keen to explain quite the contrary.
“There’s no beef between me and New Wave Academy,” Lohoré he said. Continuing he offers, “I’m still cool with those guys. I’ve worked hard to get where I am and I’m going to continue working hard. I’m now with MMA Factory based in Paris who have Francis Ngannou, both the Lapilus brothers are there and fighters from all over the world. The sparring is at a very high level.”
Turning his attention to the matter at hand, March 9th, where he will clash with Terry Brazier a former friend who he distanced himself from very quickly when he learned his former training partner was all too keen to clash with him after obtaining his European strap in Dublin in May of last year. Alex Lohoré is keen to explain his initial reluctance to fight his new adversary but has since warmed to the idea and is keen to teach a lesson whilst attempting to secure an emphatic victory.
“After going to support Terry Brazier in his fight against Walter Gahadza at BAMMA 29 I paid to stay on after his fight an extra day to hang out as I thought he was my friend,” Lohoré said. “We went out clubbing and after we got back to our hotel Terry was still in the hype of his fight and the conversation got around to the possibility of him fighting me. I said I didn’t want to fight him. He looked at me with a funny look on his face and he said, ‘If we have to fight I’ll take the fight, no problem.”
“So he wants me to beat him up for a world title. We are not even making millions. It’s not Mayweather vs McGregor! We could have been running BAMMA together as friends. what could be better than that? Obviously his mind set is different from mine. So I decided to take myself away from him.”
“I cant wait to get in there,” Lohoré enthused. “It’s gonna be madness. People who are supposed to be your friend, then turn their back on you because of your success are the people I hate the most. They want what you have. I can’t wait for March 9th. Brazier doesn’t know what it’s like to headline a big show. I’m going to dominate ‘The Dominator’.
BAMMA 34: Lohore Vs. Brazier, Champion vs Champion takes place at the SSE Arena, Wembley, London on Friday 9th March. Tickets are on sale now from bamma.com