The Ross County midfielder who was an 11-time world champion kickboxer

When Kaedyn Kamara tells you he is up for the fight, Championship opponents should perhaps be wary.

Ross County’s Liverpudlian loan signing from Preston North End was a national boxing champion and world champion in kickboxing up to the age of 14.

His elder brother Odel is pretty handy too, an English international boxer.

Far from bringing a violent edge to his game, though, County’s Kamara reckons the intense discipline required by his boyhood sports have helped make him a better footballer.

The switch in sporting direction came in secondary school with Kamara unable to resist ditching dreams of big senior fights in the ring for the chance to join Burnley’s youth academy.

He is unlikely to turn a flurry of blows on an opposition player, no matter how heated the action gets.

The 20-year-old revealed: “Boxing and kickboxing have helped me a lot in football, believe it or not.

“They keep me disciplined and focused on the job.

“In martial arts, you get taught discipline, so you know you can use it but you don’t just go around using it all the time.

“I was an 11-time world champion kickboxer, and a one-time British national champion in boxing.

“I stopped when I was 14, although I carried on the training.

“But I just loved football, so that’s what I decided to go full force in.

“It was a big decision I had to make, because I’m the only person in my family to kick a ball.

“Nobody had ever done it, everyone’s into martial arts, so my mum and dad were a bit wary because they didn’t know anything about the sport – but I loved it, so I wanted to play football.

“My brother Odel is on the GB team and should be going to the Olympics.

“Does it help me during a game? Football is a full-contact sport. You have people kicking you and talking to you trying to get in your head.

“I think it has definitely helped me, more mentally than physically, to stay disciplined on the pitch and not lash out.”

Relishing new challenge

Kamara has come north to County after past loan spells with Workington, Marine and Cork City, determined to complete the transition from academy cub to first team regular in the men’s game.

Well aware of County’s predicament at the foot of the table before signing up, Kamara said: “I’m really enjoying it to be honest.

“Obviously, it’s a lot quieter compared to the city life I’m used to in Liverpool, but I feel like you can stay more focused up here.

“There aren’t many distractions, so you can just knuckle down and work on your football.

“Coming from the under-21s set-up, and turning 20, I feel like I want to prove myself in first team football and really start my career.

“Ross County being such a big club, I thought this would be a good step for me.

“I was aware of the recent relegation and the current struggles before coming here, but I thought it would be a good challenge and a chance to go and test myself.

“I joined the under-21s at quite a young age, so it definitely did help me develop.

“But I just felt like I was past that now, and I needed to step into first team football to kickstart my career.

“I was training with the first team sometimes, and I made my debut at 17, but the squad was so big, it was tough.

“You have to be patient, but instead of just sitting there waiting around I wanted to go and test myself in first team football.”

A thrill to face Salah

One appearance for Preston came in a friendly match against Liverpool, where he found himself up against none other than Mo Salah.

He recalled: “It was pre-season this past summer, the memorial game to Diego Jota.

“He’s a hero to me, I’m a Liverpool fan, so he’s definitely the biggest name I’ve come up against.”

Looking ahead, Kamara is just determined to help County as much as he can and draw on the full experience of Scottish football.

He added: “I feel like I’m a proper first team player when I come up here. That’s what I want to be as a professional footballer.

“I went on loan to Cork, so I got a little taste of it there, but before my Ross County debut I had forgotten how good it feels to be in a proper game of football, where it means something to the fans to get a point, or all three.

“With where we are at the minute, that was definitely the case at Ayr, so it was good to get the buzz back.

“Every game of football means something, but with the position we’re in every tackle, header and pass means something.

“We’re in a dogfight to stay up, so that’s what we’ve got to do, and it feels good to be a part of it all.

“I just give 110 per cent. I like to tackle, and I can get on the ball and go forward.

“I’m really energetic, and I’ll just give everything.”

[Source: Press and Journal]