A week has passed since Jeamie TKV battled his way to a split decision victory over Frazer Clarke. The upset win earned the 32-year-old Londoner the vacant British heavyweight title.

Slowly but surely, TKV, real name Tshikeva, is getting back to reality and was spending Wednesday morning at home with his children when The Ring caught up with him.

Beating Clarke changed the public perception of TKV but while he has quickly become used to people calling him 'champ', to his children he is still just 'dad'.

For the time being at least.

“They can't speak just yet but I'm sure if they could speak they would be saying just that too,” TKV (9-2, 5 KOs) told The Ring with a laugh.

“I was supposed to be a British champ a long time ago, so it's only right for me.”

Since the fight, a delighted TKV has had to listen to pundits congratulate him on the win whilst also telling him that they thought the fight was a poor, ugly spectacle.

The satisfaction of victory will ease any frustration that his efforts weren’t better received but it is okay to be offended on his behalf.

The fight was a hard, gruelling battle that built to a crescendo.

TKV stayed composed under some heavy early fire and steadily tightened his grip on the fight. The 32-year-old Londoner put an exclamation mark on his performance with a brutal 11th-round barrage that almost brought an early end to matters.

The fight may have had its scruffy, messy moments but as well as a dramatic finish, it also had enough skill to keep hardcore fans invested and the type of two-way action that prevents casual viewers from flicking channels.

“Frazer was leaning on me to tire me out - which is a tactic in itself - but these guys don't understand that. I was trying to work, even though he was leaning on me,” TKV said.

“I tried to work which eventually got to him. You can't please everyone. A lot of people are still happy with the fight. They love the fight. People are negative and I just don't even take them in. I just stay positive and I keep it moving.

“He tried to take me out and he stayed on the inside so I just said, 'You know what, I'm going to take him out on the inside.'”

“It played right into my hands, man. It was perfect for me, what he did.”

Most post-fight analysis has centred round why Clarke chose to get involved in TKV’s kind of fight. Not many people have given TKV credit for taking Clarke’s legs away from him.

Inside fighting remains an under-appreciated, misunderstood aspect of boxing.

Fighters who can move and keep things long are classed as boxers. Those who like to get close and stay close are pigeonholed as pressure fighters or brawlers.

It is far easier to see and recognise an accurate jab followed by a straight right hand than it is to understand how a knowledgeable inside fighter creates space or takes away his opponent's leverages with clever hand and head placement.

Clarke stands 6-foot-6 tall and was talented enough to win a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympic Games. Forcing him to neglect his advantages is a skill in itself.

“It's a whole different skill, it's a whole different punch selection. You've got to know when to throw, what to throw so it can land,” TKV said of his inside game.

“I made sure I was catching him in between so I was throwing uppercuts, then I was going to the body, then going to the head so I don't hit his arms. I was going straight to the openings.

“I'm actually a very good inside fighter, outside fighter. I can fight mid-range, but not many people see these details. I'm a good inside fighter but I still feel like I could have shown more. It's just the way the fight was happening. The way you're leaning on me, I wasn't able to show too much. I know I can even show more.

“But most of my fights, I'm very unpredictable in the sense where you can't prepare for me 100% because every fight I come different.

“I'm known for my stamina, but I'll be honest with you. I probably had the worst camp I've ever had.”

The rib injury that caused the fight to be pushed back a month from its original October date is common knowledge but that was just one of a catalogue of setbacks TKV had to deal with during his preparations.

The damaged intercostal muscle had been proceeded by a cut eye and a back injury.

When he was finally able to return to training, he had to make up for lost time despite suffering with a heavy bout of flu that prevented him from running and forced him to spend days away from the gym.

At the weigh in, TKV scaled a career heaviest 264.9 pounds. That wasn’t a tactical choice.

“It was the best I could do with what I had. That was the heaviest I've ever been and so that was because of my sickness,” he said.

“I was ill for four weeks. Even a week before the fight my whole team was concerned because I was doing pads and I couldn't breathe. The BBC came to film us and I couldn't breathe and everyone was frustrated.

“I was like, How am I going to get to this fight? How am I going to do 12 rounds and I can't even do two rounds on the pads?'

“Usually after fights I'm overcritical but I've been over the moon because I wasn't even able to do two rounds of pads the week before but I was able to go through a war with Frazer.”

TKV travelled to Derby’s Vaillant Live arena aware that he was widely expected to be a bit part player in Clarke’s coronation as British champion.

Despite tearing up the script, he has continued to be spoken about as a part of other people’s stories.

Before the debate about Clarke’s tactics, corner team and future had died down, TKV was being lined up as a target for fan-favourite, Dave Allen.

“You know what? Once I beat Dave Allen they will stop talking and they will give me that respect that I deserve,” he said.

“Frazer's the Olympian. Frazer was expected to win. No one expected me to win.This is considered an upset but, in myself, I already knew that I was supposed to win. I was going to win. For others, they consider it an upset but once I beat Dave Allen - which I know I will - they should give me the respect that I deserve.”

Those are discussions for another day.

TKV can spend Christmas as a proud British champion, the beautiful Lonsdale belt serving as a constant reminder that he is perfectly positioned for a major 2026.

“I keep looking at it,” he said. “It's a good feeling, man. Every time I look at it, I'm like, 'wow, I've actually done it.'”