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Former soldier Alex Jones can’t wait to step into the frontline when he turn professional next weekend.
The Tiverton boxer will make his debut on BCB Promotions’ summer offering at Walsall Town Hall, with fight night coming up on Saturday July 6. The show has been titled ‘The Heat Is On.’
Jones started boxing at 13 and went on to represent Tiverton ABC before joining the army at 18.
After seeing active service in Iraq and Kenya, after 5 years, the 23 year-old left the Forces in May of this year and immediately turned pro under the watchful eye of Plympton-based trainer, Carl Robson.
“I’m very excited to make my professional debut,” he told bcb-promotions.com. “I have been saying for last couple years it’s something I’m going to do and to be doing it finally I’m over the moon.
“I’m from an army background, I was deployed to Iraq and Kenya, but the boxing is something I’ve always wanted to do since being a kid.
“Training has gone really well, really enjoying working with Carl he is a top bloke who really knows his stuff, we get on really well and have a laugh in the gym. It’s a really good place to be.
“People have said in the past that I’m never in a bad fight, I’d like to think that won’t change. As a British fighter I think the goal should be the Lord Lonsdale belt but I’ll take it one fight at a time and see what happens.”
Tyler Denny is back in action elsewhere on the Town Hall card, in his first outing since vacating the Midlands middleweight title.
Denny, from Rowley Regis, has also challenged for the English crown and is determined to land himself another meaningful opportunity.
‘Ruthless’ will be looking to build on his 11 wins, with still just the one defeat and two draws on his pro record.
Lee Glover will continue his quest to make up for lost time, with just his second bout in three years. ‘The Tipton Slasher’ ended a 33-month spell on the sidelines in September.
An over-the-distance success over Dean Jones at the Town Hall made it 10 victories for the 32-year-old, having previously halted three adversaries early on.
He’s also been beaten four times, having gone twice for the English title at super feather and the Midlands crown at feather. He was also downed by Choi Tseveenpurev in Prizefighter.
Levi Ferguson is Walsall born and bred and is unbeaten after four pro contests, as a super welter, having already gone six rounds.
Troi Coleman, from Burntwood in Staffordshire, is also 4-0 and all points successes. ‘The Hawk,’ a former kickboxer, still trains out of the Platinum gym in his hometown.
Sid Bowater, another Wolverhampton boxer, will lace on the gloves again, after two years out, looking to rebuild in the welterweight ranks.
Bowater vanished after conceding his ‘0’ to Nathan Hardy, after three victories. At the age of 29, there’s still time to plot a path towards success.
Southam’s Amy Tinlin completes the bill.
Tickets, priced at £35 standard or £65 VIP ringside with a buffet and waitress service, are on sale now from the Town Hall Box Office on 0845 111 2900. It’s £40 for entry on the door.

Tyler Denny believes ramping up the rounds could be a dress rehearsal for bigger things as he chases more battles for belts.
The former Midlands middleweight champion and English title challenger is determined to build a path towards further opportunities.
He first headlines BCB Promotions’ summer offering at Walsall Town Hall, with fight night coming up on Saturday July 6. The show has been titled ‘The Heat Is On.’
‘Ruthless’ is scheduled to top the bill in an eight-rounder against Serge Ambomo, who is Sheffield based but highly ranked in his homeland of Cameroon.
Ambomo has seen the final bell with the likes of JJ Metcalf, Ekow Essuman, Mark Heffron and even former WBA world champion boss David Avanesyan.
Denny will have turned 28, four days before he steps through the ropes, and remains ambitious about his future in the sport.
The southpaw, from Rowley Regis, immediately looks to build on his 11 wins, with still just the one defeat and two draws on his pro record.
He outpointed Tom Stokes in 2017 to claim the area crown, which he recently relinquished without ever making a defence.
That earned him a crack at the vacant English strap last year, but he would lose his ‘0’ to Reece Cartwright in painful fashion under the Town Hall lights.
Denny sustained a horrific split lip and substantial swelling by his right eye, but kept on fighting until he was medically withdrawn.
As the injuries were ruled to be caused by punches, it was ruled an eighth round TKO. Denny has bounced back with two points victories since.
His training regime has again taken him to Tenerife, where soaring temperatures have proved the ideal backdrop for him to put in the hard yards.
He said: “I love it out there, it’s a different experience training in warm weather and this is the second camp in a row that I’ve done it.
“I didn’t actually get much sparring, I just missed Metcalf (now a Commonwealth champion) and Scott Fitzgerald (WBA International title challenger).
“I don’t actually go for that, it’s the altitude runs in the mountains that really do it for me. I’m feeling mega fit and ready to go.
“I’m expecting a tough opponent and perhaps it will go the distance, but I’ve proved I can do it on more than one occasion.
“I’m a boxer, but I can have a scrap if I need to, so we’ll see what happens. My target is just to win convincingly and look good doing it.
“The original plan was to fight for an international title on this show, with one of the world’s governing bodies, but that never came off.
“I’m not really bothered about going for the Midlands again, I’ve been there, done it and won it. I’ve given it up and that’s that.
“I’m hoping the English will come up for grabs again, Cartwright never ended up defending it and Jack Cullen has it now.
“Cullen is going for the Commonwealth (with Felix Cash) the same night I’m next out and he’ll probably have to vacate the English, if he wins.
“All I want are meaningful fights, I’d even be up for boxing away. I’ve never really done that before and it would be a good trip for me and my fans.”
Lee Glover will continue his quest to make up for lost time, with just his second bout in three years. ‘The Tipton Slasher’ ended a 33-month spell on the sidelines in September.
An over-the-distance success over Dean Jones at the Town Hall made it 10 victories for the 32-year-old, having previously halted three adversaries early on.
He’s also been beaten four times, having gone twice for the English title at super feather and the Midlands crown at feather. He was also downed by Choi Tseveenpurev in Prizefighter.
Levi Ferguson is Walsall born and bred and is unbeaten after four pro contests, as a super welter, having already gone six rounds.
Troi Coleman, from Burntwood in Staffordshire, is also 4-0 and all points successes. ‘The Hawk,’ a former kickboxer, still trains out of the Platinum gym in his hometown.
Sid Bowater, another Wolverhampton boxer, will lace on the gloves again, after two years out, looking to rebuild in the welterweight ranks.
Bowater vanished after conceding his ‘0’ to Nathan Hardy, after three victories. At the age of 29, there’s still time to plot a path towards success.
Amy Timlin, from Southam in Warwickshire, completes the line-up having previously debuted at bantamweight with a spotless points success over Roz Mari Silyanova.
Tickets, priced at £35 standard or £65 VIP ringside with a buffet and waitress service, are on sale now from the Town Hall Box Office on 0845 111 2900. It’s £40 for entry on the door.

Sid Bowater will end a two-year exile from pro boxing determined to right what he feels were the wrongs of his last experience.

It’s taken quite some time for Bowater to pledge his future to the sweet science again, after losing his unbeaten status.

He now returns on BCB Promotions’ summer offering at Walsall Town Hall, with fight night coming up on Saturday July 6. The show has been titled ‘The Heat Is On.’

It was April 2017 when the 29-year-old welterweight, from Wolverhampton, last stepped through the ropes for a bout against Nathan Hardy.

A shock defeat ensued against the unheralded Hardy, after four rounds, in a 39-38 points decision Bowater felt was unfair and unjust.

He’d previously got to 3-0 and shown promise in those three outings, outpointing Ali Wyatt on his 2015 debut.

A first knockout followed when he flattened Dwayne Sheldon with a right hand over the top and a second points whitewash, this time over Kevin McCauley, also came in 2016.

He was managed by Kellie Maloney, before his spell under the sidelines, but has returned to the BCB stable with Errol Johnson and Paul Mann coaching him.

Sparring with the likes of British middleweight champion Jason Welborn has got him ready for fight night, with Bowater eyeing his own glories going forward.

He said: “I’ve seen journeymen run rings around prospects before and not get the decision, but that’s not what happened. I thought I boxed his head off.

“I’d cut him by the eye in the first round and beat him up a fair old bit, he did catch me with good shots and I might have given him the last round, but I shouldn’t have lost.

“He looked shocked to have won, everyone was booing and I’d dedicated eight weeks of my life training for that. It put me off fighting again, I have to be honest.

“I could have tried to bounce straight back but, with the time off, I know what I want now. It’s titles and to collect as many belts as I can.

“I’d rate myself as 80 per cent over it now, I won’t be 100 per cent until I’ve got in there and I’m back to winning ways. That will happen on July 6.

“This is sort of my last chance in boxing, I’m back with Errol and Paul now so the camp has been second to none, as per usual.

“I’m not looking to mess around climbing the ladder, I’m going to push towards getting the best opportunities as soon as I can.

“You can spar as much as you want, but nothing really replaces being in the ring. I’m expecting a bit of rust, but that will soon go and I’ll get into my rhythm.

“I just want to get the victory and to show people that I’m back. I’m determined to impress and put on a good performance.”

Tyler Denny is back in action elsewhere on the Town Hall card, in his first outing since vacating the Midlands middleweight title.

Denny, from Rowley Regis, has also challenged for the English crown and is determined to land himself another meaningful opportunity.

‘Ruthless’ will be looking to build on his 11 wins, with still just the one defeat and two draws on his pro record.

James Beech Jr has relinquished the area strap at super feather, as he’s looking to come down to a super bantam.

The second-generation fighter makes the short trip from nearby Bloxwich, featuring in the paid ranks for a 10th time after nine wins, with three stoppages.

He’s the son of Jimmy Beech, who featured 31 times as a pro at lightweight between 1999 and 2008. He’s a graduate of Pleck Boxing Club, who he featured for 80 times with 50 wins.

Lee Glover will continue his quest to make up for lost time, with just his second bout in three years. ‘The Tipton Slasher’ ended a 33-month spell on the sidelines in September.

An over-the-distance success over Dean Jones at the Town Hall made it 10 victories for the 32-year-old, having previously halted three adversaries early on.

He’s also been beaten four times, having gone twice for the English title at super feather and the Midlands crown at feather. He was also downed by Choi Tseveenpurev in Prizefighter.

Levi Ferguson is Walsall born and bred and is unbeaten after four pro contests, as a super welter, having already gone six rounds.

Troi Coleman, from Burntwood in Staffordshire, is also 4-0 and all points successes. ‘The Hawk,’ a former kickboxer, still trains out of the Platinum gym in his hometown.

Black Country girl Kirstie Bavington, from Wolverhampton, is gathering some momentum since joining up with coach Shaun Cooper at Coops Boxing Camp in Brierley Hill.

‘Bavvo’ could only draw with Borislava Goranova on her paid bow at welter, but has since outpointed Elaine Greenan and halted Katarina Vistica in two.

Amy Timlin, from Southam in Warwickshire, completes the line-up having previously debuted at bantamweight with a spotless points success over Roz Mari Silyanova.

Tickets, priced at £35 standard or £65 VIP ringside with a buffet and waitress service, are on sale now from the Town Hall Box Office on 0845 111 2900. It’s £40 for entry on the door.

Image (c) Mark Jones Photography

Sean Davis travels to Doncaster to challenge for English honours this evening..

The likeable Brummie steps up to featherweight to challenge unbeaten Reece Mould for the vacant English strap. The bout, on VIP Promotions’ show in Doncaster, was originally slated for March but injury ruled Mould out.

 “The fight is very important to me because it give me a platform to move up to major domestic titles,” Davis told bcb-promotions.com. “I’m at a cross roads in my career now and another loss at title level would be a bitter pill to swallow.

“I don’t know much about Reece except what little bits I’ve seen and heard. He is a good, solid, well schooled fighter so I’m doing the work ready for a hard night. My trainer, Shaun Cogan, has been putting a plan together and I’m very happy with what we are doing.

“The extra camp means I’m hungrier and fitter than ever. I’ve also enjoyed World Class sparring as part of Kid Galahad’s camp for his fight with Josh Warrington so I’m in great shape.

“I’ve sparred much bigger guys which has developed my strength ready for the move up to feather which I feel a lot more comfortable at. The last four pound would kill me a super bantamweight and now I don’t have to do that I’m certain I will carry my strength into the fight.

“I can’t wait. Thanks to BCB and big thank you to my sponsors D & S Brickwork Ltd and Unibox boxing ring hire for all their help. I’m bringing that belt back to Birmingham.”

Davis and Mould meet at Doncaster Racecourse this evening. The show will be streamed live via VIP Promotions.

Tom Stokes will be determined to make the most of an unexpected second chance at the Midlands middleweight title tonight.

He has been called up to co-challenge with Nathan Heaney for the vacant crown, which has been relinquished by Tyler Denny.

It was Denny who outpointed Stokes in September 2017 to claim the strap, which he never ended up defending.

Hometown hero Heaney was due to take on Ryan Aston, who has pulled out. They were set to headline BCB Promotions’ show at King’s Hall, in Stoke-on-Trent, on Friday June 21.

Stokes, from West Bromwich, will now step in and take Aston’s place in the main event, with unbeaten Heaney standing between him and glory.

Heaney is Stoke born and bred and has raced to 6-0, with two stoppages, the last success coming over former Gennady Golovkin opponent Daniel Urbanski over eight rounds.

Stokes is also on the back of a win, though, and was already due to feature on the King’s Hall card in a keep-busy contest.

It will come 27 days after Stokes beat Chris Blaney, one of Ricky Hatton’s proteges, on points when they were a part of the BCB show at the Deco in Northampton.

He became only the second man to beat Blaney, who has been lined up for a shot at the Irish title, in outpointing him by a round, recording a 58-57 result.

Pro fight No 13 certainly wasn’t unlucky for Stokes, who improved his ledger to 11 victories with two in a row since back-to-back disappointments.

He racked up eight points successes and a maiden TKO, over Paul Hilz, before defeats to Denny and Nicky Jenman, the latter his only stoppage loss.

He’s rebuilt by vanquishing Lewis van Poetsch and Blaney on points and has now been handed a golden opportunity at the top of the bill.

Stokes said: “I was over the moon with my last win, I got a text with two weeks notice asking if I fancied it and I’d seen Blaney box before.

“It looked like a good 50-50, on paper, and it turned out to be close, so it was nice to have something go my way.

“I had nothing to lose, so I went for it and the gamble paid off. It was a bit scrappy, he was trying to be awkward and tie me up.

“I think he was trying to get his own shots off and then smother my work, but I kept going and felt like I deserved to get it.

“I’d seen him gas, in what I’d watched, so I was pretty confident that I could outwork him, even though I was only about 80 per cent fit.

“I had a couple of days off, after the fight, and then I was straight back on it. I’ll be 100 per cent by the time I get to Stoke and I want to take this shot with both hands.”

Tickets are £40 on the door from 6.00pm.

Jason Welborn is considering moving back up to middleweight after Saturday’s disappointing defeat.

The 33-year-old fighter missed out on the vacant super welterweight CommonwealthTitle as he was stopped by undefeated prospect JJ Metcalf in Leeds.

The former British Champion could not continue after a body shot in the eighth round but there was controversy as Metcalf had been docked a point for a low blow earlier in the round.

And Welborn, who also injured his hand in the early stages of the bout, insists the low blow was a ‘bad one’.

“Obviously, I’m gutted. I trained as hard as I could,” he told the Express & Star. “In the second round, my hand went.

“I didn’t know how bad it was at the time as my hand was numb. It was a bit of a messy fight, and I got frustrated, arguing with the ref. It was probably the worst fight I have ever been in.

“I checked my hand the next day, and it had ballooned. I got it scanned and, fortunately, there was no break or fracture, but it went in the first couple of punches, and it was killing me and I couldn’t really lift it up.

“It was just frustrating, a terrible night. My heart got me up after the low blow.”Your adrenalin gets you up, but you aren’t going to recover from a shot like that. It was a bad one.

“I’m still cramped up now. I was glad when it was over really.

“It has wound me up, but I am just going to have a holiday and then see how I am.”I can’t change anything, what’s done is done.”

The defeat was Welborn’s first outing since he lost his world title bout with Jarrett Hurd back in December, and he now has a 24-8 record.

But he has fared well at middleweight, where he picked up the Lord Lonsdale belt with in a BBBoC Fifght of the Year with Tommy Langford in 2018, and added:

“I’ve had thoughts of going back up to middle. There are options. I’m strong enough to go up to middle, and I’m good enough.

“I’m 5-0 at middle(weight) and that last week training at light middle is murder.

“Even if I had won the fight, I still would’ve thought about going to middle.
“The fights have got to make sense still, as I still think I have got those big fights left in me. I do not want to go out on a fight like that.

“I want to perform how I know I can, and go out on a high. We’ll see what’s around the corner, but that isn’t the last of me.”Images (c) CR Media

Nathan Heaney is expecting a tougher test than he originally planned after a late change of opponent ahead of his Midlands Area Title showdown in Stoke tomorrow evening.

Heaney was slated to take on Ryan Aston for the strap but, after the Dudley man pulled out, West Bromwich’s Tom Stokes answered the call.

Stokes knows all about the area crown having lost to former Champion, Tyler Denny, last year. Heaney knows all about Stokes too and is expecting a hard night’s work whilst remaining in confident mood.

‘The change of an opponent is an expected part this game” Heaney told bcb-promotions.com. “I was disappointed; mainly due to the fact that when my original opponent accepted I thought to myself ‘I reckon this lad will pull out as it gets closer to’ and I was right.

“But, I now have a tougher opponent in the form of Tom Stokes, who has fought for the title before. It is set to be a fantastic night. Styles make fights and I have no doubt ours will be an exciting one to watch. The atmosphere is going to be electric and I can’t wait!”

The pair weigh-in at King’s Hall, Stoke, today at 2.00pm ahead of tomorrow night’s showdown at the same venue.

Tickets, priced at £35 standard or £65 VIP ringside with a buffet and waitress service, are on sale now. It will be £40 for entry on the door.

Connor Parker has recovered from a neck injury that has delayed his progress of late.

The Midlands Area Super Lightweight Champion returns to action on Friday as he takes part in BCB Promotions’ King’s Hall, Stoke, show.

The 24 year-old takes on Plymouth’sDes Newton over four rounds as he looks to blow away the cobwebs since his last outing back in December.

“I injured my neck in training and late February and it set me back a bit,” Parker told bcb-promotions.com. “It was very painful whenever I trained so I had to have a few weeks off training while I got treatment, which was very frustrating.“I’ve recovered really well though and everything is all good now. I’ve been back training since April and everything has gone really well.

“I haven’t boxed since December so I’m looking forward to getting back in there, it will be good to be back. Des is a decent fighter who is full of heart and work rate so it will be a decent comeback fight for me.”

The main event at King’s Hall will see hometown hero Nathan Heaney, from Stoke, collide with Tom Stokes for the vacant Midlands middleweight title.
Heaney puts up his unbeaten record after racing to 6-0, with two TKOs, and hasn’t even lost a round as a pro so far.Tom Stokes has previously challenged for the area crown at middleweight. The 24-year-old, from West Bromwich, is on the back of a win.

Stokes beat Chris Blaney, one of Ricky Hatton’s proteges, on points when they were a part of the BCB show at the Deco in Northampton.
Pro fight No 13 certainly wasn’t unlucky for Stokes, who improved his ledger to 11 victories with three in a row since back-to-back losses.

Luke Caci, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, is another product of the Orme gym in action and is unbeaten himself, with seven points successes.
The 29-year-old is maneuvering his way down to the super middleweight division, having boxed mostly at light heavy so far.
He hasn’t conceded a round so far as a pro and has a good grounding in the sport, having become a national titleist as an amateur.
The 29-year-old is maneuvering his way down to the super middleweight division, having boxed mostly at light heavy so far.

Former Midlands welterweight champion Rob Hunt hails from Stafford and will be undertaking his 33rd bout, at 33 years old.Hunt, who has been a pro for 13 years, recorded his 25th and last victory under the King’s Hall lights, outpointing Ryan ‘Stewart’ Davies for British Challenge honours.

Telford’s Liam Davies completes the card.

Tickets, priced at £35 standard or £65 VIP ringside with a buffet and waitress service, are on sale now. It will be £40 for entry on the door. For more information, contact the boxers.

Luke Caci will undertake his first six-rounder next time around and is looking to make the most of the extra time.
Unbeaten Caci is targeting an eighth win from eight pro contests for the next time that he steps through the ropes.
Seven points victories have come his way so far, in two years since turning over. He features on BCB Promotions’ show at King’s Hall, in Stoke-on-Trent, on Friday June 21.
The Orme Boxing Club graduate, who is from Newcastle-under-Lyme, is still planning to drop down a division to super middleweight.
His last outing was at light heavy and under the King’s Hall lights, where he outpointed Raimonds Sniedze after a shaky opening to the contest.
Caci dropped the first round and a share of another to the Latvian, but still came out on top with a result scored 39-38 by referee Chris Dean.
The 29-year-old is expecting a different scenario when he laces on the gloves again, although he has gone past six rounds before.
He won the eight-round British Challenge title last year, where he survived a late gut check to beat Chris Dutton on points.
It was a comfortable win, in the end, with referee Shaun Messer again officiating and having him well ahead by four rounds, in a 78-74 decision.
Both of those bouts came at the happy hunting ground of King’s Hall, where Caci has recorded three straight victories.
He said: “Camp has been brilliant, the training has been spot on and I’m feeling great. It’s reasonably close to my last fight, so I’ve just stayed in the gym.
“It’s good to pick up where you left off and this is my first six-rounder, so I’m looking forward to it. I’ve done four and eight rounds, but never six.
“I did well over eight but, all of a sudden, I felt tired over the last few rounds. I was fine for six, though, so that’s a good omen.
“I can be a bit of a slow starter but, hopefully, I’ll just relax and get into this, because I’ve got a bit more time to play with.
“I definitely lost the first round last time and, when you do that in a four-rounder, you’re giving a quarter of the fight away.
“He came to have a go, to be fair to him, but I certainly felt like I was in control for the second half of the fight and by the end.
“I’ve been busier this year, I only got out twice in 2018 so I’ve already matched that. It’s my target to be 10-0 by the end of the year.
“I’ll be ready when the right opportunity comes along, I’m always fit, just in case something comes up. I’d fight anyone as an amateur and I will as a pro.
“I don’t over-think things, I have my own plan that I stick to and I’m only really concentrating on myself, but I am ambitious.”
The main event at King’s Hall will see hometown hero Nathan Heaney, from Stoke, collide with Tom Stokes for the vacant Midlands middleweight title.
Heaney puts up his unbeaten record after racing to 6-0, with two TKOs, and hasn’t even lost a round as a pro so far.
Tom Stokes has previously challenged for the area crown at middleweight. The 24-year-old, from West Bromwich, is on the back of a win.
Stokes beat Chris Blaney, one of Ricky Hatton’s proteges, on points when they were a part of the BCB show at the Deco in Northampton.
Pro fight No 13 certainly wasn’t unlucky for Stokes, who improved his ledger to 11 victories with three in a row since back-to-back losses.
Former Midlands welterweight champion Rob Hunt hails from Stafford and will be undertaking his 33rd bout, at 33 years old.
Hunt, who has been a pro for 13 years, recorded his 25th and last victory under the King’s Hall lights, outpointing Ryan ‘Stewart’ Davies for British Challenge honours.
Swadlincote’s Connor Parker and Telford’s Liam Davies complete the card.
Tickets, priced at £35 standard or £65 VIP ringside with a buffet and waitress service, are on sale now. It will be £40 for entry on the door. For more information, contact the boxers.