‘I was an Invincible and boxed in my spare time – but I never told Arsenal’
A member of Arsenal's Invincibles squad used to box in his spare time – unbeknownst to the club.
The Gunners went unbeaten in the Premier League in the 2003/04 season with the help of former right-back Lauren. And the ex-Gunner revealed that his secret boxing training sessions kept him fit for the gruelling campaign.
However, the retired Cameroon international kept his fitness hobby away from the club as it was seen as a "taboo" activity. So he would only engage in the training when he was abroad with friends in Spain, where he took up the hobby over two decades ago.
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Lauren kept a group of friends in Spain where he began his football career, first with Ultrera, then Sevilla B, before joining Mallorca who flogged him to Arsenal in 2000. And despite keeping his penchant for boxing quiet, he still indulges in the combat sport to this day.
The 46-year-old told Sports Lens: "I still like to train with childhood friends over in Spain, I’ve moved into kickboxing over the last seven or so years and away from just simply boxing. I started boxing 23 years ago, but I could never say I did it when I was a professional at Arsenal because it’s sort of like skiing and a bit taboo. But every summer, I used to come back to Spain with my childhood friends and we would spar in their boxing gym.
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“I did it because it kept my fitness levels so high, the training sessions and the intensity were so demanding.
“I returned to Arsenal so fit because it was so demanding and so tough. Mentally, I switched during tough games because I knew I had put myself through the hard work.”
Lauren put his fighting nous to effective use during the infamous 'battle of Old Trafford' which resulted in him being sent off with several other Arsenal players after a brawl with bitter rivals Man United. A raging Lauren shoved Ruud Van Nistelrooy and grabbed Phil Neville by the neck.
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But despite receiving the heftiest fine out of the group for his actions, Lauren has no regrets. He said: "I faced the toughest punishment in the aftermath of that game – the highest fine and the longest ban, but even when I look back on it today, I can honestly say I wouldn’t have done anything differently.
"I have always protected my team-mates, and that’s all I was doing on that day. It’s not a reaction I’m proud of, nor is it one I would show to kids, but I have no regrets at all."
League leaders Arsenal have the chance to lift the Prem title for the first time since Lauren and his peers did in 2004. And the ex-defender has no doubt that they'll get the job done although they missed out on a few transfer targets in January's transfer window.
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