Page 35 - Muscle & Fitness (February 2020)
P. 35
By Jeff Tomko
n his biggest film role since
becoming an actor, Chris-
topher Evangelou’s name
could easily have gotten
I lost in a who’s who cast of
A-listers in The Gentlemen.
Director Guy Ritchie’s all-star
ensemble—starring Matthew
McConaughey, Charlie
Hunnam, Colin Farrell, and
Hugh Grant—could’ve made
most cinema cubs a bit
nervous, but after Ritchie,
a BJJ black belt himself,
recognized the former British and headlined a fight card at retire. That’s when he shifted
welterweight champion, it London’s Wembley Stadium in his focus to acting. “It worked
made the big-screen filming 2013, a year before he won the out well in the end,” he says.
experience much smoother. British welterweight title. While Evangelou still works
“[Ritchie] came over to me, While champion, Evangelou, as a boxing instructor in Lon-
and we started talking about who also wrote and starred in don, his training nowadays
fighting,” Evangelou says. “He the short film Shadow Boxer, centers more on bodybuild-
knew who I was, so there received a surprise call from ing. He proudly says he’s leg
never was any awkward the handlers of legend Floyd pressing more than 1,000
moments.” Mayweather, who wanted him pounds. “I make sure to take
The Gentlemen is about a to fly to Las Vegas to help with the day off before leg day,” he
British drug lord who tries to sparring—and to possibly take says. “It’s brutal.”
sell off his empire to a dynas- his boxing career stateside. “It
ty of Oklahoma billionaires. would’ve been huge,” Evange-
W O R KO U T
In the film, Evangelou plays lou says.
“Primetime,” a scrappy, gang- However, he was training A G E N T L E M A N ’ S L E G -
ster-type fella. “He’s kind of a with a broken hand, and it
gypsy street fighter,” he says. became severely damaged T R A I N I N G R E G I M E N
“He has kind of that Tyson during the sparring session.
O P P O S I T E PAG E : N E I L G L OV E R . T H I S PAG E : S T UA RT T R E E ; C O U RT E S Y O F M I R A M A X
Weighing at 176 pounds, Evangelou
Fury type of dialect.” As a result, he was forced to says he’s leg pressing more than 1,000
Evangelou may be new to pounds thanks to this leg workout.
the silver screen, but he’s no Besides The Gentlemen
newb in the world of combat. (below), Evangelou wrote DIRECTIONS: Evangelou says to
and starred in the short film keep the reps and sets the same, but
Shadow Boxer (top). increase the weight with each set.
E X E R C I S E S E T S R E P S
SMITH MACHINE 3–4 10–15
SQUAT
LYING LEG CURL 3–4 10–15
CALF RAISE 3–4 10–15
3 3
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0 / M U S C L E & F I T N E S S
