Ionut Baluta

Sam Daly finally comes back home to fight with a first ring date in his hometown since back in his amateur days.

He returns to the ring when BCB Promotions stage a Friday fight night at the Park Inn Hotel, in Northampton town centre (Silver Street), on November 18.

The show was due to take place on September 9, at the same venue, but the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the day before, led to the British Boxing Board of Control ordering a postponement, as a mark of respect.

Daly’s pro debut was originally supposed to be in Northampton, in March 2020, but he would have to wait until June of this year to turn over.

Nearly four years of frustration were expelled on his bow, where he outpointed George Rogers without losing a round, the referee calling it 40-37.

The 26-year-old super welterweight was back in action 42 days later, recording a points shut-out over Paul Cummings, the verdict on that occasion 40-36.

Daly comes from a fighting family and has an amateur grounding under his father, Arthur, at Kings Heath Boxing Club, which saw him come close to becoming a national champion.

His amateur career saw him rack up 36 wins from 47 amateur bouts and he reached the final of the 2013 National Association of Boys and Girls Clubs (NABC) competition.

He’s now coached by James Conway, training out of the Team Shoe Box gym in Northampton, where his next assignment will take place.

Daly said: “My first scheduled pro debut was supposed to be in Northampton, so I’m really looking forward to this one. I’m excited about it.

“There’s no more pressure on me than when I actually made my debut, which is the most nervous I’ve ever been and that includes a national final (as an amateur).

“That was tough for me, having been out of the ring for so long, but I’ve felt a lot more comfortable in the ring since then. I’ve eased back into it and come into my own.

“I think that you will see a more accomplished performance from me and I’ve only drawn one round since my debut. I won all four rounds, last time, so I was happy enough.

“On the night, I was confident of getting him out of there, but I caught him with some good shots and he wasn’t going anywhere, so a comfortable points win was all I could ask for.

“I was standing there for too long and getting caught with silly shots, on my debut, so my movement and the way that I changed angles to throw my punches was better.

“I think I’m doing a pretty job of developing, so I’m content with where I’m at and I feel more and more confident in sparring, because I’ve improved a lot.

“If the option is there of a stoppage, I’d love for that to happen, but I just go in there with the mindset to outclass and school my opponent. The rest should fall into place.”

Owen Cooper believes he can outwork Jamie Stewart and take the Midlands welterweight title from the champion.

They clash at the Telford International Centre on Saturday night (November 19), as part of Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions show, with the BT Sport cameras rolling live.

The two battle for the belt in a 10-round contest, which Stewart has completed when taking the crown and defending it once, beating Alex Fearon before drawing with Ben Fields.

The title holder, who makes the trip from Longton in Staffordshire, also has an eight-round draw with unbeaten prospect Florian Marku on a 3-2-2 pro record.

Cooper, from Worcester, is 6-0 with a full six rounds under his belt, from last time out at the same Telford venue, where he defeated Richard Helm.

That was one of four points wins on the 22-year-old’s pro slate, which includes a first round TKO over Daryl Pearce, who was down twice prior to the stoppage.

He built upon that to remove Des Newton in the fifth of a six-rounder, before outpointing Helm in April. Over four rounds, he’s seen off Paul Cummings, Fonz Alexander and MJ Hall.

Cooper, who is trained by Malcolm Melvin and sponsored by Jobsworth Recruitment amongst others, is highly-rated and was a decorated amateur, having landed national honours in the England Youth Championships, before turning over.

His ledger finished on 41 outings, with 32 wins, including 17 successes over fellow national champions. He represented England on four occasions, recording three wins for his country.

His amateur ledger finished on 41 outings, with 32 victories, including 17 successes over fellow national champions. He represented his hometown outfit, Worcester City Boxing Club.

Cooper said: “This has been, hands down, the best camp ever, everything has gone right. There hasn’t even been any letdowns for sparring, I’ve had plenty of lads come and help me.

“I’ve probably had more sparring in this camp than the rest of them put together. No messing about, just getting lots of rounds in. There has been a lot of hard work done.

“This is an easy one to get up for. You’ve got a title on the line, against a lad who has had some good results. He’s the champion and won’t just hand that to me.

“He’s done 10 rounds, on a couple of occasions, whereas I haven’t (in an actual bout) but I’m not worried about that, because I’ve done it in the gym, no end of times.

“I know that it’s going to be tough, but I feel more than ready. I know that I’ve done everything that I possibly could have to be prepared, so I’m confident.

“It would be nice to get him out of there early, but I’d never go in there looking for the stoppage. I’ve given him the respect that he deserves, by training tirelessly.

“I can match him for desire and work-rate, I will show that on the night. I won’t have to go looking for him and that could be in my favour.

“If he comes forward, he’ll walk on to a few shots and my style is to get at my opponent, so I’ve got all bases covered. I’ve been given an opportunity and I’m going to take it.”

Ben Vaughan wants to keep busy as he gets on a similar track to the one that landed him a host of honours at amateur level.

He goes again when BCB Promotions stage a Friday fight night at the Park Inn Hotel, in Northampton town centre (Silver Street), on November 18.

The show was due to take place on September 9, at the same venue, but the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the day before, led to the British Boxing Board of Control ordering a postponement, as a mark of respect.

Vaughan is highly-regarded, having undertaken 69 amateur bouts, emerging victorious on 54 occasions, with all but one contest representing Kings Heath Boxing Club.

He became a four-time national champion, going all of the way in the England Schools, Juniors (twice) and Youth tournaments.

His last competition fight came in the 2020 England Elite event, where he won by first round stoppage, but the pandemic curtailed any further progress.

The 23-year-old super lightweight initially became involved in combat sports through Kung Fu, before taking up boxing at the age of 11.

He turned pro in October of last year, outpointing Ezequiel Gregores before repeating the trick against Naeem Ali in April. Both were by virtue of a 40-36 scoreline.

Vaughan dropped Carl Turney in his last outing, but had to settle for another points success, through a 40-35 scoreline, taking him to 3-0.

He said: “It’s just been about maintaining fitness and sharpening up, along with getting as much sparring in as I can. I’m planning everything that I want to do.

“I’m always in the gym, but that may change when I step up and put myself through the eight to 10-week camps, where you need a good rest afterwards.

“I’m in the early stages of my pro career, so I’m still learning, but I’m already looking at the level above me, because I’ll fight anyone.

“I was pleased to get my first knockdown, in my last one, but it caused me to make some mistakes, in going out looking to finish him, when I should have stuck to the game-plan.

“He was a tough opponent, who was game and came to have a go. We were both throwing punches, which made it easier for me to see the gaps.

“I feinted a one-two, in the second round, threw a left hand and he went down. There were only a few seconds to the end of the round, so I knew that it wasn’t going to end there.

“I went after him, in the third, and started taking risks that I shouldn’t have. I got a telling off, when I got back to the corner, for wasting a round.

“I corrected that in the fourth, so it was a good learning fight for me and, ultimately, a comfortable win, but I’d still love to get a stoppage!

“When I turned pro, I had the ambition of becoming a world champion and that hasn’t changed. When my first opportunity comes along, I will treat that like a world title shot.”

Nico Michael has already broken through the pain barrier to get himself in optimum condition for his pro debut.

His introduction is set for when BCB Promotions stage a Friday fight night at the Park Inn Hotel, in Northampton town centre (Silver Street), on November 18.

He’s had to overcome an appendicitis since making the decision to punch for pay, after a final amateur appearance fell by the wayside.

Michael was supposed to be a part of the MTK Box Cup in August, only for the tournament to be cancelled, from which he then fell ill.

His amateur career concluded with nine wins from 13 bouts, having started out at Northampton Boxing Club, before moving on to Kings Heath BC.

The latter switch saw him move over to a pro-am establishment, bringing him under coach James Conway’s tutelage and they will work together again in the pro ranks.

The 27-year-old super flyweight, who grew up in Kingsthorpe, first become involved in combat sports through kickboxing and didn’t take up boxing until the age of 20.

Michael piled on the pounds, after having his appendix out, but has shed the weight at a similar pace, as part of a revamped training schedule.

He said: “It’s been a hard camp, mainly because of the weight that I’ve had to shift. Because I’ve been unwell, I did put it on, but I’m in better shape than I’ve ever been now.

“I had an appendicitis. I was watching Sam (Daly, stable-mate and fellow professional signed to BCB) box one day and, all of a sudden, my (right-hand) side started to hurt.

“I was walking around and it was still bothering me, so I went to see a doctor, who told me that I needed to have my appendix out, which meant a few weeks out of the gym.

“When I was ready to come back, I got in touch with a nutritionist (Jack Coak) that I’d seen on Instagram, working with Billy Joe Saunders (former world champion).

“I had about 8kg to lose, but we put together a nutrition plan that fueled me up properly and was actually quite enjoyable. I wasn’t once tempted to go against it, even for chocolate!

“I’m an IT engineer and I work from home, a lot of the time, which helps me to plan my meals out and means I’m never far away from being able to train.

“I used to do kickboxing, when I was young, but I started boxing, when I was 20, and I’ve never looked back. I might have come into it late, but I believe in myself.

“Now I’m going to live the dream, of being a pro boxer, but I’m not just here to have fun. I’m fully focussed and I’ll be going in there to do a job, starting with my debut.

“I’m strong at the weight so, hopefully, I’ll be a heavy hitter at super fly. I can come forward or box on the back-foot, as required, and I punch correctly.”