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Joey Essex opens up on boxing heritage with surprise family revelations
Joey Essex admits that he did not realise how far back his boxing lineage ran as he prepares to make his Misfits debut at Misfits 22 - Ring of Thrones live on DAZN Pay-Per View.
The television personality, who rose to fame on the show The Only Way Is Essex, is the nephew of respected trainer Tony Sims, and the son of veteran corner man Peter Sims.
The two elder man are among the most recognisable faces behind some of Britain's biggest boxers across the past decade-and-a-half, including Anthony Joshua and Conor Benn.
Speaking ahead of his debut in the ring against Numeiro at Manchester's AO Arena on August 30 though, Essex acknowledged he didn't realise how deep the family legacy went.
"I thought my dad started boxing when he was 18, and that he fought for five years," he told DAZN's On the Ground. "I didn't realise how into it he was. He started boxing at six.
"I've been finding out a lot more. I didn't even know that my dad and Tony (???) used to spar. I only found it out recently. My grandad boxed in the navy and he was a champion.
"He boxed against the army. I didn't know my family went back in boxing. If I hadn't taken this journey, I wouldn't know this. My great-grandad was a judge at the Olympics."
Essex has been a familiar face on British television since he broke out, featuring in a number of reality shows such as Splash!, The Jump, Dancing on Ice, and Love Island.
As he turns towards making his mark on canvas though, the 35-year-old acknowledges he does not know where he would have gone without it, and how it will play into his debut.
"I just have to appreciate how life turned out for me," he added. "If television hadn't happened for me, I don't know what would have happened. I don't know where I'd be
"I think it would be a different story, a hundred percent. I might have turned to boxing, but that wasn't a thought at that time. I'm proud of myself.
"Even when I wasn't great, I was still beating boxers up. I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know how the fight is going to go, if I'm going to start slow. I don't know."
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