Refugee olympian Cindy Nagamba on her pro debut on Jonas-Price undercard
05/03/2025
Royal Albert hall, London, UK
05/03/2025
Royal Albert hall, London, UK
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Cindy, how are you feeling? You've just had your first press conference. How are you feeling?
00:06I feel good, man. I'm trying to enjoy as much as I can through the whole week and into Friday.
00:12I'm taking everything in as much as I can. You only get one debut, you only get one week of a debut event.
00:19So everything's been going well. I feel good, I feel great and I'm ready to get the game rolling on Friday night.
00:26It must have been such a whirlwind for you since winning at the Olympics. What's your life been like? Has it transformed?
00:33Man, life has been glory. So many amazing opportunities have been coming my way.
00:37Before the Olympics, before the qualifier, before I decided to join the Refugee Olympic Team, nobody knew about me, nobody knew about my story.
00:45Now that I've joined the Refugee Team and I've qualified for the Olympics and I've won a medal at the Olympics
00:51and being the first ever refugee to win a medal at the Olympics and to qualify, my story has kind of exploded
00:57and people are kind of like, who is this girl? So more attention is paid on to me now.
01:00But listen, I don't take it as a way of pressure. I got loads of attention during the Olympics and I conquered the round
01:07and I was able to focus on my job and go to the Olympics and win a medal at the Olympics.
01:12So this new journey of mine within the pros and all eyes on me and attention with a well-experienced opponent,
01:19there's no pressure. I'm just going out there and getting my job done like I did at the Olympics.
01:24I saw that you'd been warned about the shark-infested waters of the industry. I just wondered what your experience of it has been.
01:30Has it been like that?
01:32Oh, 100%, man. Everyone wants to take a bit of you and everyone will sell you, tell you the world
01:36and everyone will tell you things that you want to hear and then they try to trick you.
01:40But listen, I'm happy that I have a great team at my side and I have great friends like Natasha Jonas and Carys
01:47and Lauren Price and Chantal Cameron and Savannah Marshall.
01:50I was able to go and speak to some of them and they were able to give me little tips on who to trust and who not to trust.
01:55And also listen to my own self because I know my capability and I know my worth and I know that what I've achieved,
02:01it wasn't given to me. I worked hard for it and I will not let people take things from me without seeing how it's going to benefit me.
02:10But listen, this is what you get in the pro scene and I don't blame them because everyone's trying to survive here.
02:16Everyone's trying to survive here, so I'm trying to survive too.
02:18So I'm going to try and grab it from you and you're going to try and grab it from me. So there's no hard feeling.
02:22Just on, you obviously know Natasha and know Lauren.
02:25So I wonder what you made of that exchange and the disrespect claims and things like that.
02:29What did you think of it and who do you think is going to come out on top in that fight?
02:32No, I love both of the females. I think both of them are great boxers.
02:35And then this is what you get in pro boxing when you have the main card.
02:39And both of the boxers are going to have a go at each other and then their cultures are going to have a go at each other.
02:45But, you know, because you have one person supporting one person, you have the other person supporting the other person.
02:50They're not going to be kissing, kissing, loving, loving to each other.
02:52But listen, I'm not going to tell who I think is going to win.
02:55I think all of them, both of them are amazing boxers.
02:58They both have different skills and they both have different achievements that they have done in the women's boxing.
03:04And we're going to find out on the night and myself, I'm going to find out on the night after I've won my fight, who's going to be the winner.
03:11I was going to ask you, it seemed quite polite with you and Kirsty.
03:14There wasn't too much, you know, shade from back and forth.
03:16Is that your style or is it just because you're feeling your way into it?
03:19That's my style, man.
03:20Listen, if you look back at my interviews I did in the amateur, I've never really been the type of person where, you know, I'd be all over your face or I'd be like dissing you, etc.
03:30No, because at the end of the day, I know that after all this filming and all this face to face, it's only me and you in the ring.
03:36And that's where the real talk starts.
03:39And I'm calm with that.
03:41I don't need to prove to the person verbally.
03:45I just get in the ring and show you my capability and I'm sure she's going to show me what she's capable of and I'll be able to back it up.
03:51How positive are you about this weekend and just lastly after that?
03:56What are your ambitions going forward?
03:58I saw that you said you didn't want to fight in Saudi Arabia.
04:00So what does the future hold and what are you really dreaming about?
04:03So what is the question here?
04:04You asked me three questions, man.
04:07I can't remember the second one.
04:13Friday night is going to be my debut and I'm going to make sure that I come on top and get the job done.
04:19I've been in the game in boxing, not just amateur or pro.
04:23I've been in the game for many, many years and I've shared the ring with amazing female boxers.
04:27I know what I'm capable of.
04:29I know my boxing IQ and I'm the type of boxer that can adapt into any style at any moment at any time.
04:36And I know what Kirstie is all about and I'm sure she knows what I'm all about.
04:40But at the end of the day, anything can happen on that night and on that each and every round.
04:45So I'm excited, man.
04:47My aim for the future is what my team thinks is best for me.
04:50I'm hoping to be busy as much as I can this year.
04:53That's what I want, you know, and I want to be busy.
04:56And hopefully at the end of the year or next year, I can go for a world title myself, too.
04:59Because I was just looking at Caroline and Lauren Price and Natasha Jonas-Bell and I was like,
05:05Oh, they look nice. I want one of them.
05:07So I'm going to make sure I achieve that for myself.
05:09Again, man, I'm on a show where I've shared the ring with all the some of the amazing female.
05:14Lauren Price, Natasha Jonas and Caroline Dubois.
05:16And, you know, and they've been in the GB program just like I've been on the GB program.
05:20And they were able to have as many experience and have won many, many fights in the pro scene.
05:25And got hold of their belt. So I want to follow that journey like they have done.
05:30I wish you all the best. Thank you so much.
05:31Thank you very much.