Cornwall’s first professional boxing champion in more than a century is preparing to write another page in the history books when stepping into the ring at London’s Wembley Arena this weekend, writes Tom Howe.
Dubbed the ‘Newquay Bomb’, the undefeated Brad Pauls goes into Saturday’s English middleweight title decider boasting an unblemished record of 16 wins from as many professional fights with more than half of those ending in stoppages.
Standing between him and glory is champion Tyler Denny, who is set to make the first defence of his title in front of the Sky Sports cameras as part of an all-star bill that includes Adam Azim, Caroline Dubois and Viddal Riley.
Pauls, the challenger and former Southern Area holder, is under no illusion as to the size of the task but says the pressure is off as he prepares to pit his powerful persona against a formidable foe.
“It is definitely going to be my toughest fight,” the philosophical former Newquay Tretherras and Truro College student told Cornwall Sports Media. “There is no doubt about that but this is still a fight I am very confident of winning.
“This is the fight that you will learn the most about me. You will figure out how good I am, if I am good enough or if I am not. I am the underdog with the bookies which I absolutely love. With this fight, there is so much to gain. For a start, I can win the English title and get a shot at the British one [currently held by Denzel Bentley].
“A win opens up so many doors. There is no pressure on me, really. I am the underdog and I am fighting a guy that is meant to be one of the up-and-comers. I have got everything to gain and nothing to lose which is a really nice position to be in.
“I have a lot of respect for Tyler. He is the guy to beat at the moment. He has worked his way up and done it the hard way with no handouts. He has taken the tough fights. He is slick, slippery, has a good engine and can dig deep when he has to. He can be vulnerable at times though and is beatable.”
Currently unsigned after his time with Wasserman Boxing came to an end, Essex based Pauls returned to Newquay recently where footage of him in the gym, sprinting up hills and tackling the cold seas were shared to a social media following numbering over 10,000.
Despite not fighting since a breakthrough scorecard victory against Darren Kelly in May 2022, Pauls remains a fearsome competitor and is eager to utilise the opportunity to carve out another significant milestone in a career that began with 44 wins from 56 amateur outings.
“Training camp has been hard,” continued Pauls, Cornwall’s first professional boxing champion since Helston’s Bob Fitzsimmons more than 100 years ago. “My coach [Terry Steward] is on me all the time but it is all good. I will do whatever it takes. I have loved it and am very disciplined and dedicated.
“I have been flat out with all my eggs in one basket, that is all that I can do. It’s been nine months but I have trained the whole time and not just sat wasting away on the couch. It is not ideal but is just one of those things. Things will be busier this year.
“It is going to be all eyes on me [come Saturday]. I have had a lot of support and sold a lot of tickets, most of them coming from Cornwall. It looks like there are a lot of people from Newquay coming up to watch me.
“It has taken longer than I thought to get where I am now, to be honest. I have boxed for 19 years and been a professional for seven. Nothing has been handed to me and everything I have done feels like the long way round. It has been a long journey. I am 30 this year so it is about time I brought some belts back to Cornwall.”
Pauls’ return to the ring will be televised live from the OVO Wembley Arena in London on Sky Sports Arena this Saturday (February 11). Coverage begins at 8.00 pm.