Goodchild Goes Global

Connor Goodchild is ‘going global’ after racking up the miles to accelerate his progress as a pro fighter.

He’ll be looking to put that into practice when BCB Promotions stage their next show at the H Suite in Edgbaston, Birmingham, on the Friday evening of June 10.

His preparations have seen him jump on a plane and travel over 5,000 miles to Mexico, joining up with an old amateur cohort to head out for top-class sparring.

It’s a long way from Goodchild’s home in Kings Norton and his amateur roots, which were spent with the Pat Benson Boxing Academy to the tune of 40 bouts, containing 30 victories.

The 24-year-old welterweight is now led by the father-and-son team of Spencer McCracken Snr and Jnr, who operate as his manager and coach respectively.

The boxing builder is making an impact in the infancy of his pro boxing career, having clocked up a TKO when last in action on April 29.

He piled the pressure on Sultan Ahmet until he folded in the third round, building upon February’s four-round points whitewash over Paul Cummings.

Goodchild now returns to the H Suite, where he made his pro bow, with a 2-0 record and notable stamps in his passport, after a trip that was anything but a holiday.

He said: “I’ve got a friend (Ben Hussain) out there, he sorted me out the flights and put me up in accommodation. When I got there, he took me round the gyms for sparring.

“He’s been living in Mexico for about a year and he’s having his pro debut there, but he’s from Birmingham and I know him from back in my amateur days.

“I’ve been in Tijuana, which has been called the most dangerous city in the world so, thankfully, he’s been looking after me! I was there for two weeks.

“These Mexican boxers seem to all be the same, they come forward like there’s no tomorrow and have great engines, whereas I rely on my boxing skills.

“The sparring has been amazing, in fact it’s been harder than both of my pro fights put together. Some of the pressure has been unreal and I loved the experience.

“It felt like I was living the life and, one day, I want to become a full-time boxer, so I’ve had a taste of what that’s like. I’d even want to have a pro fight in Mexico, if that’s possible.

“I got the stoppage in my last one and, after this training camp, I could see myself getting another. I’m feeling very fit and strong.

“I started a bit slow, that time, but I warmed into it from the second round and, really, the referee could have stopped it then, because he was taking some big shots.

“I went out all guns blazing, in the third, and caught him with a lot of punches, in a short space of time (43 seconds), that finished him off.

“I’ve watched it back and it was a combination (right-hand, left hook) that did the most damage. He was in the ropes and the referee made the right decision.

“He was a last minute opponent, I only found out about him the day before, but I don’t think it would have mattered who it was. I was going in there to make a statement.”

Tickets for the H Suite bill are available now, priced at £40 standard or £75 VIP ringside with buffet, directly from the boxers or by visiting myfighttickets.com.

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