“My idea is to be a world champion. I wouldn’t be in the sport otherwise, but like I say, you’ve got to chip off each milestone to get to that big one,” 19-year-old Tyler-Jae Wells told FightsATW as he prepares for his professional debut on June 8.
Hailing from Portsmouth on England’s south coast and coming from a family steeped in boxing, Wells is quietly confident that he has the ability to do well in the sport’s paid ranks. Very early in our conversation, Wells also mentioned looking up to two Portsmouth area boxers who are currently contending on the world scene. 26-1 welterweight Michael McKinson and 16-0 lightweight Mark Chamberlain are well known to Tyler-Jae and his family.
Indeed, boxing is a family affair for Tyler-Jae with his dad currently training him at the gym he runs in Portsmouth – Artful Dodgers Boxing Academy. “I come from a family of 13 siblings – the majority of the box,” Tyler-Jae said to emphasize just how important boxing is within his family.
He added, “Boxing has been around my family for years and years. My great, great, great distant uncle was ‘Bombardier’ Billy Wells, the British heavyweight champion from 1911 to 1919. It would definitely be good to follow that. I’d like to take the British title route during my career, then push further.” Those are big footsteps to follow and goals to set. Tyler-Jae is aiming high as his professional boxing campaign is about to begin.
Getting Started in Boxing, Amateur Achievements, and Being Driven by Sibling Rivalry
“I started boxing when I was six, but I didn’t take it very seriously,” Tyler-Jae began when I asked him about his background in the sport. “I’ve always said my younger brother, Oliver-Rae Wells, is the better boxer out of the two of us, but being the older brother, you always want to be the one to set the example, so when I saw him doing better that made me knuckle down a bit more.” Tyler-Jae explained that before his first official amateur bout at ten, he took part in skills bouts known as gym shows.
Between the ages of ten and 14, Wells put together a successful run within amateur boxing, winning county championships and representing the county of Surrey. “After that I started drifting away from boxing,” Wells admitted as he outlined becoming distracted from the sport between the ages of 14 and 16.
“I was always still around the gym but it took my dad telling me not to waste my potential for me to get back to training seriously. By this point, my little brother was representing England, so, again, I saw him doing better than me, so it made me knuckle down,” Tyler-Jae elaborated.
“I went straight back into competition. I won the Southern Counties Championship and qualified for the National Championship. I reached the semifinal of the nationals – I believe I won that bout, but that’s amateur boxing for you.” After this, Tyler-Jae decided to make the jump to professional boxing. “I’ve always been told I’m better suited for the pros, and the past year, I’ve been turning these words into reality. After the nationals, I just decided to turn pro, and I feel like I’ve taken the right step.”
The plan for Tyler-Jae was to make his professional debut in December 2023, but that didn’t happen. Since then, he has been training diligently, waiting for a new date to materialize. “I turned pro at 18. I was meant to be out in December last year, but there were a few complications which prevented that,” Tyler-Jae explained. He continued, “A few hiccups, but we’ve remained focused the whole time. I’ve kept locked in and just chipped away every day.”
Training, Being Inspired by Fellow Portsmouth Boxers, and Final Prep for June 8
It was interesting to hear Tyler-Jae discuss his father’s dedication to having his sons involved in boxing. “Dad used to take us to Guildford for boxing. We were traveling from Portsmouth – that’s easily 50 miles – three or four times a week,” he explained.
“Things got a bit expensive there, so we moved to a local club in Portsmouth. Then, a couple of years ago, my dad opened up a gym in Portsmouth – the Artful Dodgers Boxing Academy. It’s a pro-am gym. There are a lot of good up-and-coming amateurs and some good pros.”
Along with his father’s influence, Tyler-Jae also talked about some local professionals he looks up to.
“The boxing scene in Portsmouth is great at the moment,” Tyler-Jae began. “We have Michael McKinson and Mark Chamberlain, who are big names right now, and hopefully, I can mix my name with them. Michael McKinson has always been around the gyms. Even when he turned pro, he remained in the same gym for a good year or two. What he’s done is amazing but I feel I could do better if I’m brutally honest.”
“It’s been fascinating what Mark has done with his career too. The power and strength he has, and he’s very good with how he carries himself. If I can go down a similar road in my career, then that would be good. Both Michael and Mark are good to look up to and have done big things for Portsmouth.”
The conversation then turned to the specifics of Tyler-Jae’s final preparations for June 8. “My dad is still waiting on his British Boxing Board of Control license, so it doesn’t look like he’ll be in my corner for June 8,” Tyler-Jae said. “I’ve been doing a lot of sparring with IBO youth champion Alfie Clegg and I believe his coach, Xavier Miller, will be in my corner for my debut,” Tyler-Jae continued.
“I’ve done some work with Xavier this camp, and he’s shown me a few little tweaks which will help with professional boxing. I’m happy with Xavier in my corner. There’s a little connection between us, and it’s a good vibe.”
Boxing Style and Weight Class
Being immersed in boxing and having had such a successful amateur campaign, I wanted to give FightsATW readers an idea of the style Tyler-Jae brings to the ring. “To be honest, my style is different,” Tyler-Jae said. “I’m all-round. I can box, I can brawl, I’ve got the strength and power.” At this point, Tyler asked his brother, Oliver-Rae, who was listening to our call, to give his take on Tyler-Jae’s style, given that the brothers have sparred with one another on plenty of occasions.
“He can sit on the front foot or the back foot,” Oliver-Rae Wells told FightsATW. “He’s got that brawler-type style but is laid back in a way. Hard to explain.” Tyler-Jae then jumped back on the line. “It is definitely hard to explain but one to watch, so just be there to see it in person,” he concluded. And what weight class would Tyler-Jae bring his talents to in professional boxing?“We’ve decided to go super bantamweight for the pro debut,” Tyler-Jae informed.
“The men in my family are all big, so I think as my career moves on, I’ll end up stepping up in weight. I want to chip off something each step of the way even if we end up chipping off a regional title at this weight before stepping up. Ticking off something at each stage is good as I want to make my mark in the sport.”
Before concluding with the remark about lifting a world title which opened this piece, Tyler-Jae also shared his opinion on the best pathway to that goal. “I believe the domestic level in the UK is a lot tougher now anyway, so taking that route and taking tough fights will help me improve and get my name out there.” It was good to hear Tyler-Jae’s confidence mixed in with a sensible thought process on achieving his ultimate goal.
Info on June 8 and a Final Statement
According to BoxRec, Tyler-Jae is matched against veteran Jose Manuel Perez (12-14, 9KOs) of Costa Rica for his first professional fight. “I’ve not looked too deeply into that,” Tyler-Jae responded when I asked him about his opponent. He continued, “I leave that side of it up to my team. Whoever is in front of me, as long as I get the job done and we both return home healthy to our families, that’s the main focus.”
Tyler-Jae will feature on a Hitching Boxing card, which will take place at Tolworth Recreation Centre in London this Saturday.“I’m signed with Chris Hitching,” Tyler-Jae answered when asked about who he is aligned with promotionally. “I’ve been to Tolworth Recreation Centre a few times. I think Dean Whyte is in with this promotion also, so is Blvck Box Global is co-promoting,” Tyler-Jae stated when asked about the venue.
He added, “Dean turns it from like a small hall show (club show for US readers), to something that feels more like an arena show. It’s lively, it’s got the vibes, it’s got the lights, the flash. It’s got everything. I’m happy to be having my debut there.” It’s certainly an exciting time for Tyler-Jae as he will have the opportunity to put his hard work in the gym into practice in a professional ring very soon. Before I let him go, I asked if he had selected a nickname for himself. “Throughout my amateur days, for the legacy of my family, I took the Bombardier name,” Tyler-Jae said.
“I believe we’re going to go forward with that for my pro career as well. Hopefully, I can continue to preserve the family legacy and make it even better. I believe I will.”
Tyler-Jae Wells is on Instagram @tylerjaewells7
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