Whitehead closes-in on area title chance
Ryan Whitehead…At 29, his professional journey has just begun
IT’S very early days, but the local game is beginning to sit up and take notice of Ryan Whitehead.
And the Telford super-middle is within touching distance of a Midlands title after only three wins all scheduled for four rounds.
Ryan hopes to fight the winner of the Andy Owen-Michael Stephenson title clash, which takes place on March 10 at Wolverhampton’s The Hangar venue.
He’ll be on the bill, taking part in his first six rounder. An opponent is yet to be named
At 29, the father-of-three is something of a late bloomer and progress to the game and progress has been a little stop-start. He made his debut, with a points win over Kearon Thomas, back in February, 2020, and was out for two years before again fighting competitively.
Whitehead looks a useful addition to the paid ranks. He’s defensively solid, strong and has stamina to burn.
A personal trainer by day, he told me: “After my debut, I felt I’d done what I wanted to do, but in my head I couldn’t settle on retirement.”
As a Donnington amateur, Whitehead gathered a record of 11 wins in 20 contest. Ominously, he won nine of his last 10 unpaid bouts, which shows Whitehead is a work in progress.
Like good wine, he appears to be getting better with age.
“When I first thought about going pro, I was just looking to go on the road to make money, I was hard-up for cash,” Whitehead admitted.
“I’ll never say I’m a world beating fighter. I had my first fight when I was 20.
“I think the pro game definitely suits me better, people can outbox you over three rounds. My engine is my biggest thing, people struggle to push me back. I’m not a one punch knockout artist, but the volume of punches gets to an opponent. I come forward and keep coming forward. I’m confident I can do that for 10 rounds.”
The athlete certainly has the training ethos for boxing marathons. The fitness fanatic also excels at distance running.
Whitehead is a man with both feet firmly on the ground. He refuses to make grand boasts about what the future holds.
“I take every fight as it comes,” he said. “I’d be very disappointed if I didn’t take a Midlands title. If I got that, I’d be happy, everything after that would be a bonus.”
Whitehead has asked to thank the following sponsors:
Associated Telecom, Milan Lounge, Severnside Roofing Specialists Ltd, DLR Maintenance, GJ's Window Cleans, Wenlock Home & Garden Services, Tradetrix Property Services, Dave Breese Bricklaying, Evans Plumbing and Heating.