Knockout performance sees Cannock boxer land top promotional deal

Cannock boxing star Ollie Cooper has landed a major promotional deal thanks to his latest knockout performance.

The 25-year-old announced himself on the big stage with an eighth round knockout of James Osborne to win the English super-middleweight title last Friday night, writes Matt Bozeat.

It was Cooper’s first live televised appearance but won’t be the last after he agreed a deal with promoter MFPro Boxing.

Cooper, a big Hednesford Town fan, will have caught the eyes of viewers both with his performance both in and out of the ring, having winked at ringsiders and stuck his tongue out at Osborne before flattening him.

The words of his coach at Wolverhampton boxing club, Richie Carter, are clearly getting through.

“I tell all my boxers: ‘You have to be a character in this sport. You need to be different if you want to get noticed’,” said Carter.

“Look at Ben Whittaker. People want to watch him because he is a character and he is counting the pound notes.”

Cooper is not the only boxer from Carter’s gym who can win while putting on a show.

Two days after Cooper’s victory, Penkridge teenager Lexie Walker headed to Portugal for the Portimao Box Cup and came back with the gold medal after a jaw-dropping finish to her 60 kgs final.

Walker stood in front of European under-17 champion Karolina Kollarova, dropped her hands by her sides and then launched a couple of left uppercuts onto her chin.

The Slovakian was dazed and the referee jumped in to give her a third standing ‘eight’ count and then wave the bout off in the second round.

Walker hopes to show off her skills on the world stage this year.

The World Under-19 Championships are held in Montenegro in October and further ahead, she wants to compete at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

Tony Wilson – a former gym mate of Carter’s – competed in the games the last time they were held in Los Angeles, reaching the quarter finals in 1984, and Walker has been told to watch plenty of YouTube if she wants to emulate him.

Carter said: “I tell all my boxers to watch Floyd (Mayweather), (Naoya) Inoue, all the greats.

“You need to study the game, take it all on board and then try it. Some moves will work and some won’t.

“Gully (Powar) watches Salvador Sanchez and Roberto Duran and when he fights, you can tell.”

Powar is waiting to hear when his British featherweight title rematch will go ahead.

Boxing bosses ordered Powar to meet Rhys Edwards in a rematch after they fought out a controversial draw in Cardiff in April.

Most ringsiders had Powar ahead after 12 all-action rounds and manager Errol Johnson has won the right to stage what will be one of the most anticipated rematches of the year in British boxing.

Carter said: “The rematch should go ahead on a big show. Everyone who watched the first fight will want to see the rematch.”