Dave and Rob: Twins look to hit the peaks

Dave (right) and Rob Jones….returning to action next month

WE now know what to expect from Dave and Rob Jones, the game’s only identical twins.

They are larger-than-life, laugh-a-minute individuals outside the ring, tough, uncompromising fighters in it.

The former army champs who turned from khaki kings to professional boxers in February are only weeks away from their next show.

The Shirley welterweights have their second pro bouts on Saturday, May 31, at the Holiday Inn, Birmingham Airport. The poster describes them as the “crashing, bashing Jones twins” – that sums up what I gathered from their debuts.

“They are crowd-pleasers,” manager and trainer Lee Beard said. “Really nice lads, fun characters, happy go lucky. But in the ring they are not the type of lads to pot-shot and move around the ring - they perform better when they are engaging. They are going to be in crowd-pleasing fights.

“They are tough kids and a lot more disciplined than people realise.”

At 30, the twins have turned over late and want to be fast-tracked towards titles. Lee said: “It would be nice to get three, four, five fights as soon as possible, get a Midlands title shot, then look for the English. At present, we’re taking it fight by fight and seeing how the progression is.

“Dave naturally suits the pros more with the style he has. Rob is very adjustable, he listens, and he understands the difference (between the two codes) more and more.”

Only one of the twins celebrated debut victory. Dave clearly outpointed Paul Cummings, Rob had to settle for a draw with rugged Connor Meanwell.

That verdict still doesn’t sit well with their manager. “I don’t understand that decision,” Lee, who was prevented from attending the bill through illness, said. “I’ve watched it back a couple of times. Rob boxed really well and did some nice things – I had him winning three rounds with one shared.

“He was stressed afterwards, he thought he won. It’s an emotional rollercoaster, a debut.

“Dave boxed behind his jab and established himself. He was a bit tense in the shoulders, but did better as the rounds went on. He was catching Cummings with some nice shots.

“It’s been a case of looking at the things they did right and did wrong and righting those wrongs.”

If the twins progress to title level, there’s a potential problem to address. They’re both in the same weight division but wouldn’t fight each other. Someone would have to move up or down.

Lee added: “Rob is naturally slightly heavier by a couple of kilos, he’d probably be a weight above Dave, but that’s not something we’re looking at yet.”