Big night awaits hot prospect Mudway
Max Mudway…believes he’s got what it takes to win British title
MAX Mudway – now firmly established as a fighter to watch – takes a significant step towards major honours on Tommy Owens’ June 10 show at Planet Ice, Solihill, dubbed “Summer Brawls II”.
The light-middle has been handed an English title eliminator. In the opposite corner will be Newcastle’s Basi Razaq.
It’s reward for a string of fine pro performances by Max, now 7-0 and attracting a big following. The 27-year-old shifts an awful lot of tickets. What’s more, those within the game are beginning to sit up and take notice.
The Stroud, Gloucestershire, prospect said: “He’s coming for a fight, but there’s only going to be one winner.
“We were supposed to fight last year, but he pulled out with an injury. The fight was made for earlier this year, then I fractured my ankle. It’s been a bit of a palaver.”
The former carpenter - “I hated that job,” he laughed - has, in the early stages of his career, proved a revelation. As an amateur, he won around 24 of 27 contests, captured a handful of titles and reached a national semi-final.
Yet the man who carries the nickname “Maximus” turned over without fanfare and with little expectation on his shoulders.
“I never had a massive plan to turn pro,” he said. “I had a two year break from my amateur career, took a white collar fight for a bit of money and it gave me the buzz back.
“When I first turned pro, I wanted to rush, rush, rush. But as you go through the process, you realise the process works for you. You realise it’s more to do with what you do outside the ring than inside the ring – the training, the weight-cutting, the driving for sparring…”
With each impressive performance, Mudway’s confidence has grown. Max now believes he has the boxing DNA for titles. In his sixth fight, he showed he had the power by sparking out Thodoris Ritzakis in one round with a booming right.
“I believe I have a very different style,” he said matter-of-factly. “I do like to have a tear-up, but, at the same time, I can box as well. I like to think I can change my game plan and have multiple dimensions.
“I have a great following in Stroud and a massive crew in Gloucester.
“I want the British title, 100 per cent. I believe I can achieve it, I believe it’s in my grasp. When I first turned pro, that was something I didn’t think of. I’ve sharpened my tools, I’m mixing it (in sparring) with top lads and holding my own. I wasn’t even planning on turning pro, now I believe.
“We’ve been trying a few weights, from welter to middle, but super-welter (light-middle) suits me now more than anything. Just after turning pro, I became a boxing PT which means I’m always around the life-style.”
Mudway is free from the temptations that have put the skids under so many bright prospects. He’s not a party animal.
“I have a little boy who will be two in June and free time is family time,” he added. “My partner, basically, does everything for me. For her, it must be like looking after two kids.
“She really is my rock.”
The market town of Stroud is known as the “Covent Garden of the Cotswolds”.
If Max’s rich run of form continues, it may be known for producing a British champ.