Fail twins back together as Northampton boxers bid to bag big titles after turning pro

Carl and Ben Fail have turned professional with the powerful MTK organisation and, after five years apart, they are back training together again.

They divide their time between the North London base of trainer Luke Portanier and the Far Cotton gym where their story began more than a decade ago with John Daly.

“We trained together every day for years,” said 23-year-old Carl, “and then we were separated for five years.

“I had to go up to Sheffield to train with the Great Britain squad and Ben stayed in Northampton. Now we are back together again.

“We see each other six days a week – at least. We have always been best friends. We get the best out of each other. We are better when we are together.”

The Fail twins have been through so much since the Chron first took their photograph at the Towcester Road gym when they were around 12 years old.

The cutting is glued to the walls of the gym and Carl remembered: “We kept bursting out laughing when the photographer pointed the camera at us. We were really shy back then.”

But they always aimed high.

“Ever since we started, we wanted to be professionals and be world champions,” said Carl.

Every fighter says that, but the Fails have a chance.

They have the amateur pedigree, the dedication and find their drive in the tragic loss of their father, Mark.

He turned his twin boys into fighters.

“We were getting bullied at primary school when we were eight or nine,” remembered Carl.

“Dad came to pick us up one day and we were crying. He asked us what was wrong and when we told him, he took us back into school, made us point out who had been picking on us and said: ‘Right, let’s go out on the green and sort it out now.’ We were going to fight them, but they didn’t come out.

“Dad made us stand up for ourselves. He wanted us to feel unbeatable.”

The tragedy is, Mark hasn’t seen his twins reach the heights as amateur boxers and, more importantly, turn out to be decent young men.

He died when they were 15 years old.

“We thought dad was coming out of hospital and then we got a call saying he had fallen into a coma and we had lost him,” remembered Ben, the elder twin by all of a minute. “We went straight to the gym and said: ‘Our dad just passed away. We will see you soon.’”

The twins stuck with boxing.

“There were a lot of distractions at the time,” said Carl, “and we could have gone one way or the other.

“We had a good family around us. Mum (Barbara) brought us up right. She gave us good morals – and the gym kept our heads straight.”

Coach John Daly would insist that after school, the twins should head to his gym.

“We would be there every day,” said Ben, “training or cutting the grass.

“We never had any money growing up and John never charged us a penny. He let us use the gym seven days a week. We could ring him at any time and he would open the gym for us.”

Daly has been rewarded with some of his best memories from a life in boxing.

Carl was called up to the Great Britain squad after being untouchable in 2016 and won silver medals at the European under-22 and European Union Championships.

Had it not been for a bicep injury that kept him out of the ring for several months, he might have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics.

Ben won National Association of Boys Club honours, struck gold at the Haringey Box Cup and when he lost, it wasn’t by much. “Ben either won by knockout or unanimous decision,” said Daly, “or he lost on a close split decision.”

Of the two, Ben was the brawler, the puncher. He was always a fans’ favourite and promises more excitement in his professional career. “It’s the entertainment business,” he said. “It’s about knocking people out.”

Carl boxed rather more how a tall southpaw might be expected to box. He kept fights at long range, used his feet as his defence.

“I haven’t changed my style (since turning professional),” he said, “but I’m making adjustments. I know I can’t bounce up and down for 12 rounds.”

Ben looks set to launch his professional career at the end of next month, while Carl is going to wait until nearer the end of the year.

“We want to make our family proud,” said Carl. “Dad always told us we should be proud to be a Fail, proud to have the name.”

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