After an appeal over his conviction and sentence for assault, Swindon boxer Jamie Cox tells MICHAEL REEVES about his regrets over the incident that led to his prison spell - and his determination to get his career back on track

‘I REGRET what I said. They were silly remarks – disgusting, to be honest.’ 
That is how Jamie Cox looks back on the night that would eventually see him jailed for 26 weeks before he was freed last Friday after his conviction for common assault was quashed on appeal.

On July 16 last year, one week before winning the WBO European super-middleweight title at Wembley Arena, the 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medallist headed to the home of his former girlfriend Viktoria Gribovskaja.

But what happened that night in Lambeth, south London, saw Cox charged, convicted and jailed for assault, harassment, criminal damage and violence to secure entry after he was accused of trying to strangle her.

However, following the sentencing in April at Croydon Magistrates Court, where the southpaw boxer, who was heard on a 999 call recording saying: ‘I will knock you spark out’, was jailed for 26 weeks for assault and harassment, 20 weeks for violence to secure entry and 12 weeks for criminal damage. Cox and his legal team launched an appeal against the assault conviction and sentence.

Last Friday, at Croydon Crown Court, the 29-year-old, who had been residing at HMP Highwood since Monday April 11, had his appeal upheld and the sentence on the remaining three charges suspended for 18 months.

Now that Cox is a free man, he can once again start working towards securing a world title shot.

“I regret what I said. They were silly remarks – disgusting, to be honest” Cox told the Advertiser. 

“It was in the heat of the moment and in the heat of the moment, you say stupid things. I was disgusted with what they said I had done, I would never hit a woman – that is disgusting. 

“I always knew that the truth would come out. There were no marks on her because I never hit her.”

Having served 25 days at Her Majesty’s pleasure, the former Commonwealth light-middleweight champion says that his time behind bars is something that he will never forget.

“I wouldn’t treat a dog like that, but they have a job to do and you are there to be punished at the end of the day, and that is what you are,” Cox said,

“But the reason why I was there was for something that I didn’t do.

“It is good to be back home and eating proper food not genetically-modified chicken. It is definitely a punishment – it was an eye-opener and a punishment. 

“I never thought that I’d end up in a place like that. I never thought that I’d find myself in that position. I never ever want to go back to a place like that.”

Before his conviction, which subsequently led to his boxing licence being suspended by the British Boxing Board of Control, Cox’s promoter Frank Warren revealed that the WBO had asked for the former Walcot and England amateur to fight in a final eliminator for their world title.

However, since the verdict in March, Cox was removed from the governing body’s world rankings and it remains to be seen whether he will be reinstated when their ratings for May are released later this month, or whether he remains their European champion.

“It was a big setback,” Cox said. “It was not just about being sent to prison. You train when you can but it is not the same as being in a boxing gym being told what to do, but it was the whole process.

“The whole thing was hanging over my head for almost a year. 

“All my friends and family knew that I would never hit a woman, but when you are in a court room, they don’t know you – they don’t know what you are like.

“I’m keeping it small. I have my friends and family around me. They all stood by me. 

“Ricky Mazzatta, my mum Belinda, my trainer John Costello, to name a few; they stuck by me and were there for me and I’m so grateful.

“It is about getting back to doing what I have been doing since I was a boy – boxing.”

During the appeal, it was revealed Cox was pencilled in to box on the undercard of the highly-anticipated Tyson Fury-Wladmir Klitschko rematch in Manchester in July.

However, while he still hopes that could happen, the former Greendown School pupil must get the suspension lifted on his boxing licence first.

“There is a process that you have to go through with the British Boxing Board of Control to get your licence back,” said Cox, who claimed three first-round knockout wins in 2015. 

“That is happening right now and my understanding of it is that because I have been cleared of assault, then it shouldn’t take too long.

“I want to get back to working towards that world title shot, but whatever Frank and John tell me, then I will do it.

“I’m not too worried about the (WBO European) belt. I just want to be in the big fights. 

“Boxing has been a bit boring and I want to bring the excitement back by being in those big fights. 

“I want to see big, exciting fights, just as you want to see Brazil play Italy or England against Germany in football. I want to be involved in the big, exciting fights.

“I think that the aim is to be out in July. There is still that possibility (of being on the Fury-Klitschko bill), but it depends on what Frank has already sorted out with the show.

“I will be ready for July. If it is not that show, then I think there are one or two more in July that I could fight on.

“I just want to excite the fans. If that happens to be a first-round knockout, that’s great. 

“I’m just going to keep working with John Costello, my trainer, at the Butcher’s Shop (gym, in Solihull) and Des (Witter), my conditioner.”

  • This report was edited on May 25 at the request of the Metropolitan Police, which issued a court record to media organisations showing that the appeal against conviction for assault had been dismissed. In a statement on May 27, the press bureau at New Scotland Yard said: "The court has now confirmed this was incorrect and the appeal against conviction was allowed. I do apologise for the inconvenience caused."