Boma: my goal is to be a world champ
Boma Brown…gained his first pro stoppage last Saturday
THE fuse has been lit, now it’s a question of waiting for colossal Boma Brown to explode on the pro scene.
To date it’s been something of a slow-burn journey. On the opening bout of last Saturday’s major Telford International TV show, topped by Liam Davies, the heavyweight notched up his second win, forcing Jake Darnell to retire after two of a scheduled four.
That victory came eight months after Boma’s debut.
“I don’t really why it took so long between fights,” the 28-year-old told me, “but it’s been time well spent.”
Birmingham’s Boma was a very familiar face on the West Midlands amateur scene, fighting out of Mick Maguire’s Jewellery Quarter gym, then the Pat Benson Academy. In a 21 bout career, he collected two Midlands titles and an Elite Midlands belt.
As a pro learning the ropes under Paul Stevenson in Liverpool and promoted by Frank Warren, Brown has been eased-in with scheduled four rounders.
“As an amateur, I didn’t do much, really. I just felt it was the right time to turn pro,” Boma said. “I just felt I had the right sort of team around me, Paul Stevenson is a well respected coach. It was either turning pro or another cycle of ABA championships.”
Boma won his debut on points, then showed the firepower the public expects from boxing’s biggest men against Darnell. The Blackpool man has now won only two of 23, but only failed to hear the final bell on four occasions.
“It was good to get the stoppage,” said Boma, who stands 6ft 6ins and weighs 18 stone. “I know he’s no world-beater, but he doesn’t get stopped too often.
Boma has certainly travelled in the quest for ring success. Father to a one-year-old daughter, he’s from Wembley, made his mark as an amateur in Birmingham and is now fighting out of Liverpool’s Everton Red Triangle gym.
He moved to the Midlands to study business and law at Coventry University, graduating with a 2.1.
He said: “I remember watching the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight years ago (2015) and it made me want to try out the sport. It sounds like a cliche, but once I tried it, I fell in love with it straight away and never looked back.
“I took myself to a local gym in Coventry called the Red Corner Boxing Club and did a few classes before they referred me to an amateur club called Bell Green and I boxed there before moving to Birmingham and joining Jewellery Quarter ABC, that was unfortunately closed down during Covid and we all moved to Pat Benson’s Boxing Club, which is the old Small Heath Boxing Club.
“So I boxed there and had 21 fights, with 14 or 15 wins. I would say I’m a puncher, anybody who has been in the ring with me or sparred me will talk about my power and it is something I do have in abundance.”
This morning Boma told me he’s aiming for the very top: “The goal is to become a world champion. When you turn professional, that has to be your goal.
“The pro distance suits me better – the longer a fight goes, the better I get, but we’ve been working on making a faster start. Under Paul, I’ve been working on combination punches, I’ve always had the power. After eight to 10 fights we’ll be looking at titles.
“There’s added pressure on heavyweights because people expect stoppages, but that makes me train harder.”
Boma is among a raft of heavyweights signed by Warren’s Queensberry promotional group.
When he signed on the dotted line, Frank said: “Boma is going to be an exciting addition to the heavyweight ranks and we are blessed here at Queensberry to have such a stronghold in the division.
“The fact he is being trained and prepared by Paul Stevenson in Liverpool suggests to me that Boma can make a huge impact and go far in the sport. If Paul can conjure up a heavyweight version of Nick Ball or Andrew Cain then we really will be onto something special.
“We are getting to the point where we could fill a card with heavyweights and I am looking forward to seeing what Boma brings to the party in the near future.”