Ollie Cooper: the fire is back in my belly!
Ollie Cooper…makes a ring return at Wolverhampton’s Hangar venue
TICKET-seller Ollie Cooper believes he’s benefitted from a near year on the sidelines.
And he aims to prove that on BCB Promotions’ Friday night (April 28) bill at Wolverhampton’s Hangar Events Venue.
As the man himself said: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
Just eight days shy of 12 months will have passed since Cooper last extended his unbeaten pro record to 4-0 under the Hangar lights.
The 22-year-old southpaw, from Cannock, took on recently-retired Lewis van Poetsch and prevailed after four rounds through a 40-36 whitewash scoreline.
Cooper registered the same result over Kevin McCauley, on his 2021 debut, and has also outpointed Paul Cummings and Josh Cook, both 40-37 verdicts.
Ollie, who stands at 6ft 4in, has used his height to his advantage so far, and already has aspirations of becoming the Midlands middleweight champion.
He came close to a national title at amateur level after reaching the final of the England Youth Championships. His unpaid run saw him clock up 26 bouts, 18 victories.
Cooper, who is trained by ex-pro Richie Carter, has reignited his love for the sportand wants to pick up where he left off.
He said: “It’s coming up to a year since I last boxed, but I felt on top of my game on that night. I’d got to 4-0 and I was enjoying it because of the performances that I’d put on.
“I was only planning to have a couple of weeks off, but I felt that my body was telling me something and I decided to have a break. I needed to take some time for myself.
“It was a bit spur of the moment, but a pro career is a long process and this might help me in the long run. The final judgement on that will come in the ring.
“I’ve been back in the gym since January, I can feel the fire in my belly again and I’m training 10 times harder now than I was before.
“It was hard, at first, coming back, particularly when it came to competitive sparring against good lads. I’m moving around fine now, though, and the sharpness is there.
“I’ve only done four-rounders, so I need to pick up another win and get back out, in June, for a six-rounder. I’m aiming to go for the Midlands title, at middleweight, by the end of the year.
“I haven’t lost a round yet in the pro game, and I think that I’ve taken to it pretty well. I just want to keep moving up and see where I can go with it.”
Tickets for the Hangar bill are available, priced at £40 standard or £75 VIP ringside, directly from the boxers or by visiting myfighttickets.com.