Ben happy to weight at the middle
Essington's Ben Wilkes dropped the best part of six stone to make the weight for his last fight - now he wants to shed more pounds over the coming months.
The 22-year-old made his debut at super-middleweight by outpointing wily Welsh farmer Mark Phillips last month, now he returns to the Wolverhampton Civic Hall on Friday week to face another tricky opponent in Davey Jones.
His entry into the pro ranks came at the end of a long journey, starting with joining a boxing gym again after 10 years out of the sport at the weight of 18st, ending by tipping the scales at exactly 12st to face Phillips.
He has shed even more weight for his next test but the has ultimate aim of moving down a division to middleweight - 11st 6lb.
With Dudley's Darren McDermott - also from the 'First Team' camp - gunning for new British champion Matthew Macklin, who took just three rounds to take the title from Wayne Elcock in the 'Battle of Brum,' the end of that rainbow is fiercely contested.
And that's just fine by Wilkes.
He said: "I am boxing under super-middleweight anyway, I am hoping to come in at about 11st 8lb on the night. I feel a lot more comfortable as a lighter style boxer and, with the first fight under my belt, hopefully a lot of the butterflies I had last time will be gone.
"I see myself as a middleweight, I think I would be very strong in that division. So my focus over the coming months is to get myself down, in the right way - fit, hydrated and feeling good. I feel as strong now as I did when I was at my heaviest, I have lost none of my power.
"It's a good competitive weight - you only have to look at the fighters in our own camp to see that - and thats what I want. I perform better if it is a challenge for me."
To be there for the big fight night, contact the box office on 0870 320 7000 or promoter Paul 'PJ' Rowson on 07976 283 157.
