Sikh warrior Powar craving for ring glory

Gully Powar…wants a piece of the action on big Wolverhampton show

GULLY Powar, the Wolverhampton fighter who flings punches like some latter day Henry Armstrong, has issued a plea to major promotional outfit Boxxer: put me on your televised, November 18 bill in my home city.

Powar, unbeaten in six, is chomping at the bit for TV exposure and titles. Next month’s show, at The Halls (formerly Civic Hall) and topped by Tyler Denny’s European title bid, would provide the perfect canvas.

He is, however, among a number of high-profile local fighters who want a slice of the action on November 18, Birmingham featherweight sensation Nyall Berry among them.

Now that’s a fight – Berry and Powar, although the latter has stressed his future lies at super-bantam.

And surely Sam Eggington is a candidate for the Black Country show.

Powar, just 21, may still be something of a secret in this country, but his stock is rising rapidly in India. This week his Instagram following swelled by 1,000 courtesy of a full page article in one of the country’s leading newspapers.

He is among a handful of Sikhs pursuing a professional career in Britain. Coventry’s Dylan Cheema is probably the most famous of the bunch.

There’s a lot to like about the lad. In the ring, he’s all action and, to use street slang, possesses plenty of “minerals”. “He’ll spar anyone,” an independent trainer told me after one session. “No questions asked, he gets stuck in.”

Gully’s thirst for boxing seems unquenchable. “I love the sparring, the training, the fighting,” he said. “It’s a journey and I relish every part of it.”

Powar is also a student of the game, spending his spare time studying past legends. “Recently, I’ve been watching (featherweight great) Salvador Sanchez,” he told me. “He was young, ambitious, relentless and had great head movement.”

He’s yet to prove himself a puncher, with only one opponent stopped, but stressed the knockouts will come at super-bantam.

“I think putting me on the Wolverhampton bill would be a great call,” he said, “it would be a great platform. My style is very unique – I just want to go in there and get those guys out of there. I’m a fighter people want to watch because I have that killer instinct.”

Gully craves titles and is eyeing the winner of the forthcoming English super-bantam title clash or a shot at the Commonwealth silver belt.

“My time is coming,” he assured me, “I’m destined for big things. I’m in the gym all the time, I’m the real thing.

“I want a couple more six rounders, but I’m ready for a title next week. The power will be there at 122 pounds (super-bantam). I’m hurting people in the gym, but the guys I’ve been fighting are lightweights and light-welters.”

Powar says he’s on a mission to inspire the next generation of boxers and raise the game’s profile within the Sikh community.

“I regard myself as a Punjabi Sikh, but I was born in the UK,” he said. “I want to build on that and bring more Sikh fighters in, but I want to inspire every young boxer in my community.

“I want to create something so big, I want to create a legacy.”

What Powar will achieve remains a matter of conjecture, but if the fight game was solely measured on ambition, dedication and belief, Wolverhampton has a world champ in the making.