Ollie back with bout in front of home fans

Ollie Cooper...fights in October after suffering broken hand

TOWERING, unbeaten middleweight Ollie Cooper is back after his climb to the top was stalled by a broken hand.

The Richie Carter trained fighter, who last boxed in April, returns next month.  He’ll look for win number nine in his hometown of Cannock, Staffordshire, on Scott Murray’s Sunday, October 13, public show at the Premier Suite.

For Cooper, at 6ft 4ins, near staggeringly tall for the 11-and-a-half stone division, the time away has been frustrating and costly. There was talk of an imminent Midlands title shot before his left hand needed repairs.

“It did my head in,” Ollie, who works in the building industry, admitted. “You can’t get that momentum and rhythm, you can’t get the wheels turning, but I’m still young. Time’s on my side.

“When I broke my hand, there were a lot of complications with the NHS and, in the end, I went private. I’ve always trained, but I started sparring two or three week ago and it was like I’d never been away.”

It’s good to see Cooper and light-middleweight Zach Evans at the forefront of a pro boxing revival in Cannock, once famed for its coal pits. Local businessman Scott Murray has brought the game back by signing home talent, promoting open shows and launching the exclusive Excelsior Sports Club.

He’s confident Midlands title fights can be secured for Cooper, whose last three contests have been in Cannock, and Evans sooner rather later.

“That’s all I want, a Midlands title fight,” said Ollie, who turns 24 this month. “I feel that’s what I deserve, what the people around me deserve and those who support me deserve.

“I want the Midlands now and I want to climb the rankings. I think I’m ranked 28th now and I want to keep moving up.”

He’s going in the right direction, with respected Wolverhampton coach Carter teaching the tricks and traps needed to succeed as a professional.

Watching Ollie in action, I’ve long pondered how he squeezes that long frame into the middleweight division. The boxer himself now admits a move to super-middle (12st) beckons.

“I think I’ve been in a bit of denial about my weight,” Cooper added. “I have a thin frame, but I’m just growing outwards as I get older. Super-middle is probably where the future lies.”

The Midlands super-middle belt is currently held by fellow unbeaten prospect Liam O’Hare from Hereford. He and Cooper for the belt would be a barnstormer of a main event.