**With Slideshow**

© Jane Warburton / Saddo Boxing

On Friday, January 23, 2009, at the Fenton Manor Sports Complex in Stoke-On-Trent, England, Frank Maloney and Impact Boxing will be staging an exciting fight night for the Stoke fans which sees local-man Chris Edwards topping the bill.

Entitled ‘Stoking the Fire’ - it will be a double-whammy for Edwards as he takes a drop in weight to challenge for the British and Commonwealth Flyweight titles.

His opponent - Grimsby boxer Wayne Bloy - hasn’t fought since his loss to Andy Bell 12 months ago, ironically, the same Andy Bell that Edwards lost to last time out.

SaddoBoxing went along to the Impact Boxing Gym in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, today to see how Edwards was shaping up.

A small guy, but with a big grin, Edwards was clearly fired-up and ready to go when I asked how he was feeling about his title shot. “I’m excited, I‘m really looking forward to it and I just want to get in there now.” the likable Stoke man enthused.

“I’ve been training hard here at the gym and then doing swimming and fitness at the local centre, only allowing myself two days off over Christmas. It’s great to be fighting in Fenton - I’ve not fought there before and last time I fought in Stoke was more than two years ago. I’ve been checking out Bloy’s ‘form’ and I think it should make for a great fight.”

Having taken a couple of photographs, I stand to one side while trainer Lindon Newbon gives instruction to his ’charge’, before Edwards begins power-skipping.

“Training has gone very well,” Lindon begins, “we’ve concentrated on a lot of fitness conditioning and he‘s done quite a bit of running. Chris does 12 rounds of conditioning in the morning, a five mile run in the afternoon and between 6-12 rounds of sparring at night intermingled with weight sessions. His last full training session will be Friday.”

At that, Lindon jumps in to the ring with Edwards and they do several rounds on the pads. Edwards is fast and moved around so much I couldn’t get a face-on picture of him!

After the pads session, Edwards moves on to the punch bags. Pounding away - he works at three different bags. Sweat dripping from his face and his track-suit soaked, Edwards does his final session - a gruelling ‘circuit’ which included press-ups, sit-ups and stomach-crunchers using the medicine ball - with each ‘set’ interrupted by a run up and down the gym carrying a 25 kilo [55 pound] ‘bag’.

The stomach-crunchers particularly looked like agony and Lindon encourages Edwards by reminding him that this will be the last of these sessions in preparation for his fight night. Edwards looks relieved when it’s over - but he’s worked hard and is obviously in great shape.

Impact Boxing's Scott Lawton, Jimmy Doherty, Alex Ibbs and Scott Miller will also be on the Fenton fight-card.

Share/Save | (0) comments | Add your comments
Click to read more boxing articles by Jane Warburton

Discuss in Boxing Forum

---

Related Boxing Articles...

• Boxing Update: Edwards Added To Doncaster Undercard

  The latest member of Team Impact to prepare for action in the ring is the diminutive Chris Edwards. At 5’ 3” and billed as flyweight Edwards often goes un-noticed however, >
  
  

• Frank Maloney Boxing: War Of The Little Big Men

  Britain's tiniest fighter Usman Ahmed will be thinking big when he challenges reigning champion Chris Edwards for his British and Commonwealth flyweight titles later this month. 'Ussie', 27, who weighs just >
  
  

• Frank Maloney Boxing: Edwards Looking To Cement Hold On Flyweight Division

  Chris Edwards will spend the rest of this year showing Britain's young flyweights who is the daddy of the division. British and Commonwealth flyweight champion Edwards, 33, has young guns Usman >
  
  

• Frank Maloney Boxing: Red Hot Flyweight Paul Edwards Added To “Stoking The Fire”

  Paul Edwards might have only had two professional bouts, but he's already eyeing up a British Flyweight title fight. The 5ft 5in scouser boxes on the undercard when Chris Edwards and >
  
  

• Blazing Flyweight Edwards Added To Stoke Show

  Red hot prospect Paul Edwards sees action for the third time this year as the flyweight will appear on Frank Maloney's fight card this Friday at Fenton Manor Sports Complex >
  
  

• Impact Boxing: Chris Edwards Earns WBC Ranking

  British title hopeful, Chris Edwards received a boost to his preparations today when he learned that had become the first member of Impact Boxing’s fledgling stable to earn a world >
  
  

• Frank Maloney Boxing: Lawton Predicts Edwards Will Stop Ahmed In Eight

  Scott Lawton predicts Impact Boxing stablemate Chris Edwards will topple Usman Ahmed in eight rounds later this month. Edwards, 12-13-3, risks his British and Commonwealth flyweight titles against Britain's tiniest fighter >
  
  

• Boxing Info: Johnnie “Lumberjack” Edwards

  By Brian Kennedy In what looks like the perfect match-up on paper, Johnnie "Lumberjack" Edwards looks to continue his winning ways when he takes on Olivier Lontchi on Friday, August >
  
  

• Chris Edwards - Dean Robinson II Confirmed as British Boxing Title Clash

  Christmas came early for Potteries’ boxer Chris Edwards when Impact Boxing confirmed that the English flyweight champion will face Dean Robinson again but this time for the coveted British title. >
  
  

• Chris Edwards – “It Was a Team Effort”

  As the dust settles on Chris Edwards’ historic victory, the first boxer from Stoke to win a British title for 85 years took time out to thank the team at >
  
  

---

Boxing News Tags: , Chris Edwards, Craig Docherty, Frank Maloney, Gary Buckland, Henry Castle, Mark Thompson, Phillip Kotey, Scott Lawton, Stoking The Fire, Wayne Bloy