Ryan thrives on meal of jam and chicken!
Ryan Griffiths celebrates victory over Paul Cummings
EXPECT a refuelled Ryan Griffiths to be at work when he steps through the ropes for his second pro ring assignment.
His sequel will come at Dudley Town Hall, on Saturday night, June 10, on a show hosted by BCB Promotions.
Griffiths debuted at the same venue, which is a short walk from his home, in March and outpointed Paul Cummings, through a landslide 40-36 scoreline after four rounds.
He then treated himself to a holiday overseas, with a mix of sun, sand and good food leaving him with work to do in order to reach a fighting weight again.
The 22-year-old has fellow pro Macauley Owen on board for nutritional advice, though, and now swears by a special meal, just before sparring or fighting.
Griffiths said: “I only had a week off, after my debut, and I’ve been back on it in training ever since, but I certainly made the most of the time off.
“I jetted off to Spain on an all-inclusive holiday and I really enjoyed the food. So much, in fact, that I ballooned to more like a super welterweight!
“Going back to the gym, after that, was harder because when I went into my first fight camp I’d already been following a nutrition plan from Macauley (Owen) for months.
“I’d done a stupid thing and over-indulged after fighting and Macauley was like, ‘we have been working hard, for seven months. You’ve had your break, let’s get back to it’.
“We took it in steps and I had to hit a target weight, at points, so it came off in smaller increments. I was still pushing my body to the limit, though, in training.
“I’ve kept my diet almost the same as my last camp. The only thing that I’ve done differently is to have a pre-sparring meal, two hours before.
“It’s a tortilla wrap, with a roasted chicken breast and strawberry jam, which tastes like a chilli jam wrap from Nando’s! I have it with rice cakes and a Gatorade.
“That fuels me for the session and I don’t feel tired or sluggish. It seems to give me just the right release of energy and plenty of carbs, to fall back on.
“On this show, it will be a same-day weigh-in, so I’ll be having the same meal as soon as I get off the scales. I’ll be ready to go then.
“I’ve got another holiday booked, too, and I’m off to Greece for a week after the fight. It’s all-inclusive again, but I won’t be making the same mistake!”
Griffiths is finding his way into the pro ranks after switching sports from kickboxing, which landed him a WKU Commonwealth title.
He then started boxing on the unlicensed circuit, which saw him gain experience from 22 bouts, with just two losses.
His training is juggled with being a shift manager at the Tesco Express store in Cookley, Kidderminster.
Griffiths said: “I’ve been working with Paul Mann (coach) a lot on my footwork and movement, which could have been better on my debut. I still performed well, though.
“Paul was supposed to be in the corner then, but he was away on holiday, but I still had Matt Sturgess and Ben Wilkes (also coaches) and they were good.
“I came out quite quick, even though I was composed, and Paul (Cummings, debut opponent) was taller than me, so I had to work on the inside. I have a lot of respect for him.
“I was technical, with everything on the jab, and a lot of my shots were clean. I was finding the angles and not getting hit, which is what boxing is all about.
“I’m looking to get one more fight in, after this, towards the end of the year and then I can look at a six-rounder. I’m in no rush, but I want to make progress.”
*Tickets for the Town Hall bill are available, priced at £40 standard or £75 VIP ringside, directly from the boxers or by visiting myfighttickets.com.