Dave Coldwell Looks Back On Eventful Season

With the boxing season nearing closing time for a vast portion of the industry, Dave Coldwell has managed to locate a rare moment’s peace to assess the various emotions enjoyed and endured by Coldwell Boxing throughout the last year.

Titles were won and lost, prospects tasted victory and swallowed defeat and then there was Kieran Farrell, the Heywood prospect whose career was cut short following a hellacious battle with Manchester rival, Anthony Crolla.

Farrell, who has rebounded massively since December’s setback by setting up a highly successful gym in his community, is the first name Coldwell chooses to discuss.

“That was a really hard time for Coldwell Boxing so God only knows how Kieran must have felt,” revealed Coldwell. “The build-up to that entire event was something really special and the atmosphere inside the Bowlers that night was something else.

“Everything was in place for Kieran to push on and carve out a really good career for himself but unfortunately that wasn’t to be. I’m just so grateful that Kieran managed to pull through and I’m majorly confident that he’ll still have a big role to play in boxing because he’s one of the most enthusiastic kids I’ve been around. We definitely haven’t seen the last of him.”

With Farrell’s premature retirement providing plenty of distress for those within the sporting community, a happier tale occurred in March when Curtis Woodhouse made international headlines following an online altercation with an internet troll.

Days after controversially losing his English strap to Shayne Singleton, Woodhouse was the victim of vile abuse which prompted the former footballer to track down his tormentor. This act of vigilantism forced the culprit into an embarrassing backtrack and the whole episode led to a number of high profile media appearances for Woodhouse.

Coldwell is confident that all future hype regarding Woodhouse will be centred on his boxing accomplishments.

“Without sounding bitter, it still amazes me that Curtis isn’t the English champion because he was on the wrong end of a somewhat suspect decision against Singleton. In typical Curtis style, he’s bounced back and he’ll have a good fight in Hull on July 13 when he takes on Joe Elfidh in a cracking little battle.

“I’ve made no attempt to hide the fact that I would like to make Curtis vs. Derry Mathews in the new season for some sort of title and that’s a fight for proper boxing fans who like their fighters to get in the ring and leave every last thing in there. Fingers are crossed that they both come through their respective battles in Hull.”

Moving on to Mathews, Coldwell is delighted with the form that the Liverpool man has shown since making his Coldwell Boxing bow last December with a first round victory over Georgian import, Asan Yuseinov.

Mathews followed up his quick demolition job with a hard-earned draw against previous foe Crolla and at time of writing he is scheduled to face Hull’s Tommy Coyle for the vacant lightweight Commonwealth title. Coldwell is delighted to be associated with such an entertaining act.

“Derry has been nothing but a joy to work with ever since he came to Coldwell Boxing and I’m still convinced that he’s got a lot of great fights and big titles ahead of him.

“As a company, we were looking to make a big move into the Liverpool area because there’s a lot of potential there and the fans are great and we believe that Derry is certainly one of the people who can help us prosper there and give the city good fight nights on a regular basis.

“His focus is fixed on Coyle at the moment but a big homecoming in the new season is something we’re definitely looking at.”

In the second part, Coldwell will discuss other members of his stable such as Matthew Hatton, Chad Gaynor and Nav Mansouri. There will also be a focus on Coldwell Boxing’s next generation as we look at Coldwell’s hopes for his young prospects.