FEATURE: Fail twins aiming to take different paths to boxing glory as Carl prepares for professional debut

The 24-year-old takes on undefeated Jordan Dujon in the MTK Global Fight Night at the University Of Bolton Stadium, a matter of months after Ben made his pro debut, seeing off Robbie Chapman at the end of September.

The pair, who are both products of the Far Cotton Boxing Club, are identical twins.

They have both enjoyed sparkling amateur careers, compete in the same super welterweight division and are coached, managed and promoted by the same teams.

But there is categorically no chance that they will ever fight one another.

Asked if he could ever see himself coming up against brother Ben, Carl said: “No, that is out of the question.

“With going professional we are lucky because there are so many options and so many people to fight that it will never be an option for us.

“We will find a different way.”

Asked to expand on the situation, Carl added: “We sparred as kids when we were growing up.

“I think we got to about 15-years-old and then the power starts coming in and people start putting on weight and getting bigger.

“I remember one day Ben hit me with a shot, and usually when you hit someone with a good shot you think ‘right, let’s press’, but he stopped in the middle of sparring and said ‘I just don’t want to do this’.

“It wasn’t a nice feeling landing a good shot on your brother, so from that day we never sparred.”

Ben also aired his thoughts after his professional debut, and simply said: “There are hundreds of people to fight in the world, why would I pick my brother?”

The pair do train alongside each other all of the time though, and one of their trainers is also part of he family - their cousin Tim Fail.

The duo’s other coach is Luke Portanier, but Carl says it is a huge help to him having his brother and cousin so close to him, as they know what really makes him tick - and likewise he knows how to get the best out of Ben.

“We know how to push each other, and we know what to say,” said Carl.

“When I train alongside Ben it gives me that extra 10 per cent more than I would usually give, and then I have my cousin Tim as coach as well.

“He also pushes me, and they both know me so well.

“They know if I am feeling sorry for myself, they can see the little things, and they will snap me out of it and keep me focused, and I am really lucky with that.

“Me and my brother do really push each other on.”

The pair are of course only just starting out on their professional journey, but having tasted national and international success as an amateur, Carl says he and his brother are setting their sights high in their new career as well.

“Everybody’s dream is to become world champion, but I think it is important to stay level-headed and take one fight at a time,” said Carl, who as an amateur won two national titles, and claimed a silver medal at European level.

“Me and my brother we both give everything to boxing, and we have since we were 11 years old.

“We have given our lives to it and the dream is become world champions, but it is all about one fight at a time, and taking the right fights at the right time, and I believe we can both get there.

“I think we can both get to the top, do something big for Northampton, and hopefully sell out Sixfields Stadium one day!”

A town professional boxing show is surely something that will happen sooner or later.

The scene in the town is really taking off, with world champion Chantelle Cameron and Inter-Continental champion Kieron Conway leading the way, and others such as Eithan James and Ben Vaughan as well as the Fails grabbing attention.

“There are some really good fighters from the town doing some good stuff,” said Carl. “Hopefully me and Ben will be able to jump in the mix with them and get involved.”

This weekend may well be Carl’s first foray on the professional scene, but he says that he and Ben intend to be busy men as the boxing and sporting world hopefully starts to return to normal in what, fingers-crossed, will be a post-Covid-19 pandemic world.

“I am looking to be active, and so is my brother,” said Carl.

“He picked up a hand injury in his last fight so has been out for a while, but he is back now and sparring, so we are going to speak to our manager but hopefully we will be back fighting again in April if we can.

“We stay working in the gym, and I will have a few days off after the fight, but as soon as I feel good to go I will go again. My brother and I don’t drink or anything like that, so I will always be ready and hopefully can go again maybe a month later.”

Carl is currently in the bio-bubble in Bolton ahead of Friday night's clash against Dujon.

The Londoner, who hails from the West Ham ABC, is three years older than Fail and has a professional record of four wins out of four.

CARL PAYS TRIBUTE TO FAR COTTON COACH JOHN DALY

ON the eve of his professional debut, Carl Fail took time out to pay tribute to Far Cotton Amateur Boxing Club boss John Daly.

Fail and his twin brother Ben first walked through the doors of the club’s Towcester Road gym as 11-year-olds, and Daly took the pair under his wing.

Although both Carl and Ben at times had to travel elsewhere to train as their amateur careers took off, they would always return to Far Cotton and Daly. The pair still call it home now, and although they are professionals, they want Daly in their corner as soon as Covid-19 will allow.

“Since we were 11 we have trained at Far Cotton,” said Carl. “And I trained with John Daly until I got into the GB team when I was 19.

“I then spent four years with them, but now we train with cousin Tim Fail, and Luke Portanier, and we are still going to have John about.

“With Covid, I am only allowed to have one coach in my corner, but we did plan on having John in our corner with us and we are going to try as much as possible to keep him involved.

“We have been with him since we were 11 and he has been a big part of our success and our journey, and we would like to keep him with us.

“When I trained with him I won two ABA titles, two GB titles, and then even when I went with GB I was still training alongside John and I won two European medals.

“A lot of it is him, and he pushed me from a young age.

“With me and Ben he was always sparring and travelling with us, driving us up and down the country.

“From when we were about 13 we couldn’t really afford to pay for the gym, and I don’t think he charged us, he has been great.”

Carl would have liked to have had Daly and brother Ben with him for his debut professional fight against Jordan Dujon in Bolton on Friday, but he said: “Ben will watch it at home with the family.

"It is unfortunate but it is how it is at the moment and we have to just deal with the situation.

“So I will focus on my fight and then hopefully in the next one, or the fight after, that we will have everybody there.”