Sam Daly is willing to be thrown in at the deep end again as he aims to make his mark in the pro ranks.
He resumes his efforts when BCB Promotions host their next show at the Park Inn Hotel, in Northampton town centre (Silver Street), on Friday February 24.
Daly featured at the same venue in November, in what was a homecoming for him, having been born and raised in the town.
His amateur grounding came at Kings Heath Boxing Club, which was run by his father Arthur. He’s now coached by James Conway, training out of the Team Shoe Box gym.
That amateur career saw him rack up 36 wins from 47 bouts and he reached the final of the 2013 National Association of Boys and Girls Clubs (NABC) competition.
Daly turned pro in June of last year, outpointing George Rogers in four-round action, through a 40-37 scoreline. He then whitewashed Paul Cummings, due to a 40-36 verdict, on July 22.
The 27-year-old middleweight faced a much sterner test in November, at the Park Inn Hotel, when he took on Bulgarian Angel Emilov.
Emilov posed problems during their four-rounder, but Daly got over the line, by a point, having peppered his adversary with loaded punches.
Daly regards the competitive nature of their clash as a positive and is ready to go again in 2023, in what could be a breakthrough period for him.
He said: “I’ve been ticking along. I only had about two weeks out of the gym, after my last fight. At this stage of my career, I don’t need long off.
“I had a little bit of a break between Christmas and New Year, too, but I’ve got on it fully, in the gym, since then and I’m feeling good.
“I’ve been getting the rounds in with Michael Stephenson (BCB and Team Shoe Box stable-mate, Midlands super middleweight title contender).
“He’s a bigger guy than me and I’d like to think that I won’t get it harder than he has put it on me. We have sparred quite often and it’s good.
“I’m big at the weight and so is Ethan (James, super lightweight) and Kieron (Conway, middleweight), who I train with. They must put something in the water around here!
“My last opponent (Angel Emilov) was a bit lively! He’d just come off a draw, against a lad with a good record (John Harding Jnr, English middleweight title challenger, 11-2-2).
“I wasn’t expecting him to come out in the way that he did. I thought that he’d tuck up and go on the outside, but he proper came forward.
“My shot selection was good and I couldn’t miss him with the right uppercut, when he lent over his front foot. It wasn’t your typical prospect versus journeyman fight!
“It made for entertainment, which is what I wanted for the fans. After watching it again, I have to give myself a pat on the back, for how I dealt with him.
“I was a bit disheartened by the score (39-38). I thought he only won one round, probably the third, and I’d caught him with another couple of good shots, in the fourth.
“The first two rounds were clearly to me, I used the jab and that was a positive. I’ve picked my shots, in all of my performances, but I need to start throwing more combinations.
“But it’s all going well, I’m happy with the pace that I’m going at. I had three fights last year and I want that again, at least, so it’s good to get out.
“I might only be 27, but that’s quite old in this game, so I might not have the time to muck around. I want to be busy and see where that takes me.”
Tickets for the Park Inn bill are available, priced at £40 for unreserved seating or £75 VIP ringside with buffet, directly from the boxers or by visiting myfighttickets.com.
