Everyone will get to the wedding on time now that Shannon Willey is appearing on an alternative fight night.
A new date has seen him switch to BCB Promotions’ show tonight.Willey debuted in February, in Birmingham, where he outpointed Naeem Ali at the H Suite, on another BCB offering, after making the long trip from Exeter.
The 27-year-old welterweight dropped just a share of one round, over four sessions, to roll over Ali, through a 40-37 scoreline with referee Shaun Messer.
It follows on from his amateur grounding, where he amassed 44 bouts, with 19 wins, which were mostly for Lympstone Boxing Club, after starting out at Exeter BC.
The punching plasterer also boxed overseas, before turning pro, in Australia, where he faced the likes of Valentin Kondakov, who represented Samoa at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Willey now trains in Torquay, under the tutelage of coach Gareth Hogg, and will have his workforce in tow, after the change in plan. He said: “I was supposed to box a week earlier, but my mate from work has his wedding the next day, so a few of the lads might not have been able to watch me.
“I’m a plasterer (for NC Building in Exeter) and Rob is a painter and decorator there, so I’m really looking forward to watching him getting married.
“Now that I’ve been moved on to this show, I can still go to the wedding and my mate can come and see me box. It’s turned out nice!
“I’m getting quite used to the West Midlands now, having made my debut there. I’m used to boxing away from home, I did it a lot as an amateur, so that helped me.
“I loved making my debut and I can’t wait to do it all again. I thought I’d be more nervous, I was actually quite relaxed and more excited than anything.
“I thought I boxed reasonably well, although my coach (Gareth Hogg) told me that I didn’t get out of second gear that much. We’ve been working on that, setting more of a pace.
“I was told, by my corner, that my opponent would tuck up and throw swinging shots, so they weren’t best pleased when I got caught with one.
“It was in the second round, it was a nice left hook to the head. I felt it, but I wasn’t rattled enough to be in serious trouble. I suppose it shows I can take a punch.
“I think that was the round I drew, so to win the other three, with me being a bit more cautious in the third and fourth, proves that I was the one who was in control.
“These are the things that you learn from, so I just want to get more experience and climb up the rankings. It’s about getting the win and looking good.”
Tickets are £45 on the door from 6.00pm this evening.
