Meet rising pros Sam Stokes and Darryl Church

Sam Stokes

SAM STOKES and Darrell Church are two budding Essex pros trained by Mark Massow at the Mi-Gym in Chelmsford. Both are with busy promoter Steve Goodwin and hope to be out next in December.

Stokes, from Basildon, is a middleweight with a 6-1 (1) record. The defeat came last time out in July when he was disqualified for headbutting Bulgariaโ€™s Daniel Borisovs in round one.

โ€œMy missus was suffering from post-natal depression,โ€ explains Stokes. โ€œI had a lot of things going on outside the ring and my head wasnโ€™t right. The Board of Control have been very supportive about the fight and Iโ€™m going to counselling twice a week.โ€

From a Romany gypsy background, Sam had a dozen fights as a junior amateur then started doing the unlicensed at 17. After 11 fights, all wins, he turned โ€œBoard proโ€ as a light-heavy. But now Sam, who works as a personal trainer, is down to middleweight.

โ€œI work with Kell Brookโ€™s nutritionist Greg Marriott,โ€ he explains. โ€œGreg texts me every day. Heโ€™s really good, because Iโ€™m never weak.

โ€œIโ€™ve sparred people of title level and held my own, but itโ€™s about converting that form into performances in actual fights. Maybe nerves hold me back in the ring. Whatever, Iโ€™m 26 now and not hanging about.โ€

Church, 27 and from Witham, knows Stokes from their unlicensed days, when they boxed for the same club in Maldon. Explains Darrell: โ€œI went to the only boxing club in Maldon and it turned out to be unlicensed. I won 14 and drew one, and was number one at light-heavy, so I moved to pro boxing.โ€

After two wins, Darrell lost a decision to Angelo Crowe in June 2015. He recalls, โ€œIt was my first loss ever, unlicensed or pro. I didnโ€™t agree with it but a rematch never happened.โ€

Church didnโ€™t box again for 10 months, explaining: โ€œI work for myself in public maintenance and decorating. I had to put work first for a while, because Iโ€™ve got a little girl and a mortgage to pay.โ€

His comeback in April 2016 brought a draw with experienced Mitch Mitchell. But thereโ€™s a story to that.

โ€œIt was the last fight on the show and it started about 12.30am!โ€ laughs Darrell. โ€œTheyโ€™d turned the lights up at York Hall and were sweeping the stage when our fight was on! Mitchell is a tough guy and a hard puncher, much better than his record.โ€

Now settled at light-heavyweight, Darrell wants a couple of wins before moving up to six-round level by next May.

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