Johnson Looking To Move Up In New Year

Cole Johnson back in action next month

Cole Johnson reckons he’ll have paid his dues with four-round action after next stepping the ropes for the scheduled distance.

Unbeaten Johnson has completed the duration each time in a quartet of pro outings, so he’s looking to ramp up the rounds for fight number six.

He first features on BCB Promotions’ offering in the Stadium Suite at the Banks’s Stadium, Walsall Football Club, on Saturday December 7. The bill is titled ‘Battle at the Banks’s.’

A fifth paid victory would stand him in good stead going forward, having yet to lose a round in any of his previous pro exploits, which were all points successes.

The 25-year-old, from Stoke-on-Trent, made his debut in October of last year, bashing around Simas Volosinas on his bow for an emphatic 40-35 points whitewash.

Volosinas clung on so grimly in the third round that the referee scored the session 10-8, as Johnson looked for an introductory TKO.

He next tackled Spain-based Nicaraguan Reynaldo Cajina, but was suffering from the effects of illness. A 40-36 points landslide was still recorded, though.

That same verdict has subsequently been recorded against Dean Evans and Ibrar Riyaz since, so Johnson has been progressing nicely.

The Orme Boxing Club graduate has only been in the sport for four years, spending time on the unlicensed circuit before becoming carded.

He won a national title for the club, claiming England Senior Development honours in 2017, and left the amateurs with a record of 24 wins from 27 bouts.

He said: “I’ve been sparring with a few of the amateur lads for this one, back at Orme, and they’ve been a lot heavier than me.

“That helps when you’re in there with journeymen, as they lean on and try to manuvoere you around, so I’ve been working on my movement and not getting tied up in the ropes.

“I think that when I step up, people will see that I have power a lot more. I’ve had opponents that have come to survive so far.

“I hurt Volosinas on my debut, but he got through by holding so much that the referee took a point off him. Had it not been for that, I might well have stopped him.

“I thought I had Riyaz, at one point, with an overhand right but he was going nowhere. I knew better than to get into gunslinging with him.

“I’m expecting this to be my last four-rounder, I feel like my apprenticeship as a pro is already done so I’m looking at going up to six after this.

“It’s good to squeeze another in and stay active, I don’t want big breaks and I’ve already had time off because of an injury, but I’m almost back on track now.

“I’ve literally gone from one training camp to another, so I’m ready to get in there and wrap up my year. I’m switched on and the ball is rolling again.

“I just want to keep pushing on and see where I can get to. By the end of next year, I could well be ready to go for a Midlands title.

“I can see that being at super feather, because I don’t find it all that hard to make lightweight. I’d be stronger there.”

The main event at Walsall FC will see the vacant Midlands featherweight title contested, over 10 rounds, between James Beech Jr and Luke Jones.

Unbeaten Beech, from Bloxwich, is on a quest to become a two-weight area champion with his 12th straight pro win, after 11 victories from 11 pro fights with two TKOs.

Beech, a second generation boxer as the son of local favourite Jimmy Beech is a graduate of Pleck Boxing Club, who he represented 80 times with 50 wins.

Jones, of Chasetown in Staffordshire, has two losses but has also recorded six successes from his nine pro outings, all on points.

He’s completed the duration on all but one occasion, with a technical draw against Alec Bazza ending after one round, as both men were badly cut by a clash of heads.

Hot prospect Liam Davies leads the way on the under-card, with another significant contest expected after an impressive impact last time out.

His bout with Jose Aguilar was scheduled for six, but was over in the fourth when Davies kept up his undefeated streak with a second TKO as a pro.

Davies had previously taken out Pablo Narvaez in two as part of his five wins from five outings, with all three of his other opponents visiting the floor but seeing the final bell.

Edward Bjorklund, Stefan Slavchev and Khvicha Gigolashvili climbed off the canvas and clung on against Davies, who has yet to drop even a round.

The 23-year-old super bantamweight, who hails from Donnington in Telford, comes from good stock after a stellar amateur career, where he racked up exactly 100 contests.

He recorded 78 wins and represented England at youth level, becoming a 2010 Schoolboys champion in the process.

Another second generation fighter, he’s the son of ex-pro Tristan Davies and represented his father’s Donnington Boxing Club in the unpaid ranks.

Ricky Summers, from Tipton but now a resident of Wombourne, Wolverhampton, has competed for the British light heavyweight title.

‘Digger’ now targets a 17th paid victory, with five TKOs previously recorded, and there are still just two defeats on his pro ledger.

Summers was valiantly outpointed by then-champion Frank Buglioni for the British crown two years ago and again to Andre Sterling in a final eliminator last February.

Troi Coleman, from Burntwood in Staffordshire, is also 5-0 as a super middleweight having reeled off a series of points victories since switching sports from kickboxing.

‘The Hawk,’ who still trains out of the Platinum gym in his hometown, has seen off Lewis van Poetsch, Darryl Sharp, Kevin McCauley, Scott Hillman and Owen Jobburn so far.

Southpaw Lauren Johnson, from nearby Willenhall, will lace on the gloves for the first time in nearly 18 months and is going up a weight to super welter.

‘The Black Widow’ returns after claiming the eight-round British Challenge strap in her previous outing, by making it a hat-trick of paid points results.

Teenager Owen Cooper will be keen to build upon his successful debut, where he outpointed Paul Cummings without dropping a round.

He joined the welterweight ranks after a stellar amateur career, where he became an England Youth national champion.

The teenage prospect, who is just 19, represented England on four occasions, recording three wins for his country.

His amateur ledger finished on 41 outings, with 32 wins, including 17 successes over fellow national champions. He represented his hometown outfit, Worcester City Boxing Club.

The show in the Stadium Suite will start at 6pm and end by 9pm, where screens at the venue will then broadcast the world title fight between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr.

Joshua attempts to regain his WBA ‘super,’ WBO, IBF and IBO belts from Ruiz in Saudi Arabia, who are three hours ahead of UK time.

Tickets for the bill are on sale now, which are priced at £35 standard or £65 VIP which includes a hot fork buffet.
.
They are available by calling the BCB Box Office on 07493 582 261. It will be £40 for entry on the door.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

I accept the Privacy Policy