Brandon Jones reckons he can emulate his amateur exploits in the pro ranks after going back to his first-ever coach.
The introduction comes on home turf at the H Suite in Edgbaston, Birmingham, during a weekend double-header of shows staged by BCB Promotions, set for September 16 and 17.
Jones’ paid debut, on Saturday, comes with John Costello in his corner, who trained him when he was a child first taking up the noble art, at his gym in Chelmsley Wood.
The boy has now grown into a 22-year-old man, who completed 38 amateur fights having won 30 of them. Most of that, however, was not with Costello.
A teenage Jones switched over to represent Wayne Elcock’s Box Clever outfit, where success on the national stage followed.
Under the tutelage of former British champion Elcock, Jones won national titles in the 2014 England Junior Championships and the NABC competition (2016).
He’s since spent long periods out of the ring, but returning to Costello’s guidance has given him a new lease of life and renewed his passion for boxing.
Jones is now putting the light heavyweight division on notice that he remains ambitious to obtain further honours, which may even start at area level.
The Midlands title at 178lbs hasn’t been contested since 2008, with a potential clash between Ricky Summers and Joe Sherriff in 2017 failing to materialise.
Jones said: “We originally thought that I was going to be fighting in August or September, so I’ve been training hard since well before then.
“I’ve been boxing since I was 8, John (Costello) was my first coach and I had eight bouts with him. I won six, so that got me going.
“I went with Wayne (Elcock) when I was 13, I had the rest of my amateur career with him and I was his first national champion. We had some great times together.
“I haven’t boxed in four years, for a few reasons and, during the pandemic, I lost the motivation to do it at all. Once I got back in the gym, the bug bit me again!
“I feel like I’m back where I belong, in a few ways, with John where we all started together. There’s a good buzz about the camp.
“When it’s time for my debut, I going to do what I’ve always done, which is box on the back-foot and look for openings. I’m a counter puncher.
“I’m sure I’ll be nervous, but I like a bit of nerves, because it helps me to perform better. I need to be focused on the job.
“I want to get the win and get another fight in, before the end of the year, then I can really start going for it in 2022. The next two years are big for me.
“I won two national titles, as an amateur, so I would like to think I can do the same now I’ve turned pro. The Midlands title would be a good place to start.
“I won’t put too much pressure on myself, because I didn’t go out to win two national titles. It just sort of happened. I’ll just do my best and see what I can achieve.”
Tickets for the two Birmingham bills are available now, priced at £40 standard or £75 VIP ringside with buffet per day, directly from the boxers or by visiting myfighttickets.com.
