On Saturday night, a decorated amateur boxer and a Royal Marine Commando made his professional boxing debut at Wembley Arena during the Magnificent 7 London event. George Crotty, who has a decade-long experience in the amateur circle, took a leap of faith last month and was quickly signed under Queensbury Promotions by its head Frank Warren.

With Sab Leo as his new trainer, Crotty made a successful debut by defeating Dylan Courtney in a 4-round fight on points. It was a remarkable debut and promised an exciting future ahead for the 30-year-old. After the event, Not Just Boxing interviewed the Hertfordshire native, wanting to know more about his experience in the Navy.

George Crotty’s proudest day

The interviewer asked George Crotty about his time in the Marine endurance test, as only a select few have passed the strenuous course. The question took the 30-year-old a decade back when he first gave the test. He explained the PFT and revealed that there are 4 tests during the Commando course. He then went on to explain every test, one by one, showcasing just how difficult the entire selection process is.

“The first one is a 9-mile speed march,” began Crotty. This test evaluates the physical stamina and endurance of Marines, especially Force Recon or the Marine Raider Regiments. The goal of the task is to march a 9-mile course with a loaded backpack with a time limit of 20 minutes per mile. Which is followed by the Tarzan course, “which is the ropes. I think it’s 12 minutes to finish it,” added Crotty.

The Tarzan course takes place to check the aerial confidence and assault capability of a marine. After doing the commando slide, every corps member has to climb a thirty-foot vertical rope within 12 minutes. “The endurance course which is a couple of miles over Woodbury,” follows the Tarzan course. It includes a six-mile run, “Through the tunnel, through the sheep dip. And then a four-mile run back to back. You have 10 shots at a target. You got to shoot, get seven on target,” in under 73 minutes.

“Then the last one is a 30-miler over Dartmoor, on the Saturday. The 30 miles, you do it. You got eight hours to do it. You finish it and then you get presented with your green beret,” explained the Royal Marine officer explaining the last course. A marine has to wear full fighting gear as well as additional safety equipment while navigating the way themselves.

Despite the difficult days and the tough selection process, Crotty admitted, “That was definitely the proudest day that I’ve had. ” He stated that the friends he made during his time on commando tests “they became like mate for life.” So much so that after signing the contract with Queensbury, the 1-0 boxer revealed that he would possibly be accompanied by some of his mates during a possible title fight in the future.

Bond of life

After signing with Frank Warren, Crotty also sat down with Boxing Social for an interview. He commented that he is “really excited to be signed by Frank and Queensberry because I feel like they are the biggest and are taking over at the minute.”

George Crotty believes that his time in the Royal Marine has given him enough confidence and strength to last for all 12 rounds in a fight. Further mentioning that he won’t change his dependency on hand movements as fighters like Joe Calzaghe and Dmitry Bivol inspire him.

While making his debut is a proud moment, he wants to go higher. He will still remain an active Royal Marine officer and will try to make his friends and country proud in the coming days. He mentioned that, “when I am fighting for an English or British title, a couple of the lads will walk with me,” during his entrance, further highlighting the unbreakable bond between Marine Corps officers.

With a vast amateur experience and a dominating performance in his debut, George Crotty’s future certainly looks promising. However, he still has a long way to go. Let’s just hope that the Royal Marine officer finds his feet inside the boxing ring and completes the dream of a title fight.

What are your views on George Crotty’s debut? Let us know your thoughts down below.