Fighting spirit saves Glamour Boy’s career
NEW English super-flyweight champion Brad Watson said his professional career was on the line in his title fight on Friday.
The 27-year-old Guernsey boxer produced a terrific, gutsy performance to stop the previously unbeaten Loua Nassa in the 10th and final round at the Ponds Forge Arena in Sheffield, having been behind on the scorecards, to win the belt.
‘He’s only 21 – it was make or break for me, he can come again,’ said ‘Glamour Boy’ Watson, who had not had a competitive bout for 15 months.
‘He had his success, he’s boxed I don’t know how many times this last year, I know they are only little four-rounders he’s done but he’s been active. I’ve only just got back with my old coach [Paul Rees] and a month isn’t long enough.
‘We’re going to go back to basics now, get out in another two months’ time, probably do two eight-rounders, I want to be out as soon as possible and I know with Paul I can win more titles.’
Rees concurred with his boxer’s assessment of the predicament they found themselves in after Nassa had started strongly, before Watson turned the bout on its head with a sixth-round knock down of the home fighter.
‘Fortunately he had great sparring with Ben Jones and Dylan Draper and that really stood him in good stead,’ Rees said of Watson.
‘He was sparring with boys over a stone heavier than him, so he had the conditioning and then the fight didn’t go the way we had planned, but when does that ever happen?
‘He just had to dig it out and I said to him at the start of the eighth, “you need to stop him, your career’s on the line, you need to stop him” and he did it. He did what I asked him to do, so fair play to him.’
More in Tuesday's Guernsey Press.
