Dubai: Chad Le Clos wants to become a boxer after he retires from swimming, he revealed on the sidelines of the Dubai leg of the Swimming World Cup at the Hamdan Sports Complex on Wednesday.
The revelation explains why the South African, famously pictured shadowboxing in front of an unimpressed Michael Phelps at the Rio 2016 Olympics, keeps using boxing terminology in his interviews.
Ahead of this week’s competition in Dubai, the 24-year-old said he first challenged himself to compete in Phelps’ disciplines because he always dreamt of a Mayweather-Pacquiao style showdown. And now he longs for a rematch with the greatest ever Olympian because toe-to-toe their record in the 200-metre butterfly stands undecided at one Olympic gold medal apiece following Phelps’ retirement.
Le Clos beat Phelps in the event at London 2012 but the American avenged him at Rio 2016.
The initial boxing revelation came from Chad’s father Bert, who denied his son secretly needed the disappointment of Rio — where he added just two silvers to his haul of gold and silver in London — to keep him grounded and hungry.
“He’s always got fuel, even when he’s out of shape he wants to win everything, not just swimming, he thinks he’s the best at Fifa, the best footballer, he actually says he wants to start boxing when he’s finished swimming, he’s a crazy winner,” said Bert of Chad.
Asked if Chad’s boxing aspirations were serious, Bert laughed: “I’ve got more chance of becoming a boxer and I’m nearly 60.”
Chad insisted, however, that a move into boxing was the long-term goal.
“My brother does jiu-jitsu and boxing every day so we fight quite often, he always beats me.
“I’ve always enjoyed boxing, I’m not good but I could get good for sure. I’d like to have an amateur fight one day maybe after the 2020 Olympics or 2022 Commonwealth Games.”
The 2022 Commonwealth Games will be held in Le Clos’ hometown of Durban and at the age of 30, it would be the perfect place to hang up his trunks.
Before boxing though, there’s the small matter of redemption in the 200-metre butterfly after Le Clos finished fourth at Rio in what he calls the worst race of his life.
“He’s got to redeem himself in the 200-metre fly and win at the world championships in Hungary next year,” said Bert, who found fame for his over-emotional punditry on the BBC during Chad’s victory at London 2012.
“He’s very upset but that doesn’t mean you don’t go forward, and it doesn’t make him more or less hungry, as a matter of fact he’s exactly the same.
“Everyone’s disappointed when they lose, but life continues and life is about losing. If you look at the times, Phelps never won that 200-metre fly, Chad lost it. Good luck to Phelps, I’m not saying anything about Michael, he’s the greatest champion who ever lived and I accept that — he’s the Muhammad Ali of swimming.
“But I can tell you, the greatest world champion of all-time won’t be coming out of retirement [to defend his 200-metre butterfly gold] after that.”
Asked if the future was all Chad’s, Bert replied: “Well there’s plenty of other Chad Le Clos’ coming out of the woodwork now, you only have to look at Singapore’s Joseph Schooling.
“But Chad will definitely be a multiple Olympic gold medallist, by hook or by crook, I honestly believe that in my heart of hearts.”
