British Promoter Dave Coldwell Looks Back At 2013

2013 has given thriving promoter, Dave Coldwell, a lot to smile about.

The head of the Coldwell Boxing family heads into the New Year on the back of a successful twelve months that have seen a number of his stable make rapid developments with a chosen few occupying positions in the prestigious title class.

A heap of prospects also continued their ring education under Coldwell’s guidance and he’s looking forward to seeing what 2014 brings.

“Overall, I’m a very satisfied man with the way everything has gone in the last year,” said the promoter.”We had guys like Curtis Woodhouse and Maxi Hughes fighting for titles on big Sky Sports shows in front of big audiences.

“These guys have had a small sample of what a big fight atmosphere is all about and it’s down to me to make sure that they get the chance again. Curtis has got a big opportunity against Darren Hamilton up at 140 early in the New Year and Maxi is making huge progress with Gary Lockett as his trainer and he can make a massive impact at super-feather next year.”

As well as delivering multiple belt chances for a number of his stars, Coldwell has also been busy mentoring a large quantity of the country’s prospects.

Chad Gaynor appeared on the welterweight division’s frantic radar at the beginning of the calendar with a solid Prizefighter outing and is on the verge of participating in championship matches of his own.

Liverpool’s Robbie Davies Jnr is another Coldwell Boxing starlet who enjoyed a stellar 2013 with four solid outings, confirming his status as one of Britain’s leading protégés.

“It was nice watching the young lads do their thing,” buzzed an ecstatic Coldwell. “Everyone in boxing is well aware that I like to match my prospects hard from an early stage. Boxing is a tough sport and the fighters need to realise that early on. I want them to have guys in there throwing punches back because when a true test arrives, they’ll be ready.

“It’s good to gamble sometimes, look at Rod Smith from last Friday. I put him in with Liam Cameron and there were people who thought I was crazy but I genuinely believed that he could go in there and get the win.

“There’s always a risk matching a young prospect but you’ve got to look at what the experience can do for the fighter. That’s what I look at. If the fighter comes through it and learns plenty then it’s good for his future chances.”

Coldwell added, “Boxing is a ruthless and competitive business so you’ve constantly got to keep coming up with new ways to keep your audience and one of the ways I do it is by putting on good fights.

“I’ve tried to match my younger fighters tough to give them a proper taste of what boxing is all about but I also have a duty as a promoter to deliver quality fights whenever I can. Boxing is entertainment and if I was to put my guys in with one round blowout jobs that you see fighting all over the country – then the fans would stop coming in. I’ve operated that way since day one and it’ll continue next year and beyond.”