New kids ready to take on the block
Myles Holder and Chris Truman prepare for action at Wolverhampton Civic Hall next Friday night aiming to steal a march on the rest of the young guns in the 'First Team' camp.
No fewer than eight boxers from the West Midlands have already made their paid bow in 2009, a record number of intakes over a year for the stable.
Willenhall's Holder and Aston's Truman make up two of those newly listed as 'active,' after punching for pay for the first time in May and July respectively.
With such a high number of fighters looking to make their first real waves in the camp, competition is fiercer than ever to get ahead.
Holder's bright debut in outpointing Matt Seawright was the right sort of start, but it came the same night fellow debutant Sam
Padgett burst onto the scene with a stunning knockout at the Venue in Dudley.
With one earth-shattering punch of Steve Spence, Padgett had stolen all of the 20-year-old's thunder.
Now the Porto Bello middleweight, who will fight at the Civic for the first time with his mentor Steve Saville topping the bill, wants it back.
He said: "Steve got me into boxing when I was a kid, so I am real excited to be fighting alongside him. He has always given me good advice on what to do in the ring.
"Our families all know each other, so we are good friends. For this fight, all he has to do is remind me that if you train hard you fight easy.
"Hopefully I can put in another good effort and get noticed this time."
No one needs tell Truman the importance of performance as a pro, the amateur star seems only too aware.
The young lightweight bested Karl Taylor in the Birmingham veteran's 150th professional fight on the last Civic bill, and will be out to build momentum and show he is no one-hit wonder this time round.
He said: "Now I am a professional, I can't really afford to lose a fight. It's a lot different to being an amateur, it's my life now and if I want to make something of it I have to produce.
"The one thing I am learning is that you get no second chances. There is no way I want a blemish on my record holding me back.
"This is it for me, competition is fierce and I am going to give it everything I have got to be successful."
To be there for fight night, contact the box office on 0870 320 7000 or promoter Paul 'PJ' Rowson on 07976 283 157.
