{"id":293329,"date":"2023-10-29T08:31:22","date_gmt":"2023-10-29T08:31:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/?p=293329"},"modified":"2023-10-29T08:31:22","modified_gmt":"2023-10-29T08:31:22","slug":"england-star-lewis-ludlam-watched-dad-get-punched-in-face-in-unsavoury-setting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/rugby-league\/england-star-lewis-ludlam-watched-dad-get-punched-in-face-in-unsavoury-setting\/","title":{"rendered":"England star Lewis Ludlam watched dad get punched in face in ‘unsavoury’ setting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lawes reviews England’s Rugby World Cup semi-final loss to South Africa<\/h3>\n

England flanker Lewis Ludlam decided to go against his family tradition by getting into rugby as a youngster and has not looked back since. The 27-year-old made three appearances at the Rugby World Cup for Steve Borthwick’s side before they were knocked out by South Africa in the semi-finals last weekend.<\/p>\n

Ludlam grew up in Ipswich as part of a family who followed boxing and football and things could have ended up very differently for him if he had followed in his father’s footsteps. He spent much of his childhood watching his dad compete in white-collar boxing events in ‘unsavoury’ environments, which saw him exposed to violence and drug use from a young age.<\/p>\n

“He started off in football and boxing as a kid,” explained Ludlam in an interview with i earlier this year. “Later on in life he just said: \u2018I\u2019m going to pick up the gloves again\u2019, and I remember going down and watching him fight.<\/p>\n

“Being in old nightclubs in white-collar events and there\u2019s people doing lines of cocaine beside him in a changing room and he\u2019s just up into the ring, job done, go home. I was 14, 15 [years old] and a few dodgy things happen, like people running off with money at the end of the night and no one getting paid and people getting knocked out and no weigh-ins and no doctors at events.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

“I think you\u2019ve got an understanding when you\u2019re that age when things aren\u2019t quite right, and it\u2019s uncomfortable. I think he probably wanted me to go in and see that. He\u2019d always supported me through football, through rugby, when I was younger, so to be able to watch him was something I wanted to do as well.<\/p>\n

“He didn\u2019t want to get knocked out in front of his son, wanted to put on a good show in front of everyone that was watching, and show me that you\u2019ve got to remain true to yourself in some pretty unsavoury environments.”<\/p>\n