Andrew Cooke is making the jump from the unlicensed circuit to the pro ranks, and his debut will come on April 12th at the BCB Promotions ‘Collision Course’ at the Eastside Rooms in Birmingham.
The 29-year-old cruiserweight from Shrewsbury is working under the guidance of former Midland’s title challenger Kieron ‘Slammer’ Grey at the trainers gym in Broseley.
“Slammer is a great coach and puts a lot of time into everyone at the gym, said Cooke. He will meet me in the morning to train before work on weekdays or weekends, and he fully commits to pushing me to my peak. My family have been really supportive and my sponsors have been great in backing my dream of providing a good life for the people close to me.”
Introduced to the sport by his best friend Jack at 17, Cooke spent years on the unlicensed circuit, having success winning several bouts, including a prizefighter-style competition. However, the journey to the paid ranks wasn’t straightforward.
“Jacks dad was an ex-professional and world champion contender, Roddy Doran. I had a few fights under his coaching, winning 3-4, then he moved forward and went to train in Oswestry, so I decided to join with Luke Merrifield, who was a good friend and great athlete.
“He started doing training and running shows on the unlicensed circuit, so I jumped on board. Then Luke introduced me to Slammer. I went to his gym training a few times a week and was in discussion of turning pro. Then COVID hit. I had a lot of time away from training, and everything went wrong. I gained a load of weight and was thinking of giving up altogether, but I jumped back on board with Roddy, who pulled me out of the hole and got me back to my winning ways before finally signing, actually putting in the work, and getting ready for the pros with slammer.
The show on April 12th is headlined by dual Midlands title fights at welterweight and light heavyweight. There aren’t many Midlands-based cruiserweights, and that belt is vacant, but Cooke isn’t certain if it will be the weight class he settles into in the long term.
“Cruiserweight is not the best for me, as I’m not the tallest by any means, which means I need to be in great shape to work on the inside of taller opponents, which is what me and Slammer have been working on in the gym. Powers are not an issue, as I may not be the biggest, but I can hit as hard as the best of them.
“My goals this year are to get in that ring, do what I do best, get experience under my belt, and start looking for bigger fights. My favourite boxers were the likes of Hagler and Ali, but the one I looked up to most was my coach, as he’s from Shrewsbury, fought for the world title, and does a lot for Shrewsbury boxing. People coming on the 12th should expect a big stoppage. That’s what we are training for; I’m coming for war.
Tickets for ‘Collision Course’ are now available, priced at £40 standard and £80 Ringside VIP, from the boxers directly or by emailing info@bcb-promotions.com.
