FAN-FRIENDLY puncher Brad Pauls remains determined to recreate his proudest achievement in boxing, setting his sights firmly on the coveted Lonsdale Belt.
‘The Newquay Bomb’ dethroned Nathan Heaney last July, flooring the popular Staffordshire man before claiming his British middleweight title with a stunning 12th-round finish.
Prior to that, the pair boxed to a draw, while also delivering a pulse-pounding spectacle, in one of 2024’s most thrilling encounters on UK shores.
With Pauls, 19-2-1 (11 KOs), emerging from their rematch victorious, it was only right that he entered another domestic dustup, this time against Denzel Bentley, last December.
Despite producing a titanic effort, the 32-year-old was ultimately forced to suffer a unanimous decision defeat and, in turn, take himself back to the drawing board.
Regardless of his setback, though, Pauls never once lost hope that – after headlining back-to-back Queensberry Promotions cards – his next outing would, at the very least, feature on a TV slot.
But following what will have been more than six months of inactivity, the Essex-based bruiser must instead return to the grassroots of his sport on May 31.
“I’m just happy to be active again,” Pauls told Boxing News. “There’s nothing worse than sitting out the ring – it absolutely kills me.
“It would’ve been nice to get back on a Queensberry card, and it’s frustrating not to, so I guess it’s back to the small hall scene for now.
“It’s a bit like getting rejected by a bird. She’s pied you off, and all you really want is to go on another date with her.
“She keeps saying no – sometimes doesn’t respond to your calls – and you keep trying, keep trying. But eventually, you have to look elsewhere.”
While he remains eager to put himself back in the shop window, Pauls is, at the same time, no stranger to the less glamorous process that comes before any career-defining opportunity.
Sure enough, it was a long, arduous road that led him towards British honours the first time around, with each twist and turn forcing him to question whether all the sacrifices had been worth it.
And yet, once that Lonsdale Belt was finally clenched within his grasp, an immediate outpouring of emotion gave Pauls all the answers he had been looking for.
“It was the best night of my life,” he recalled. “Where I didn’t have anything for so long, most people would’ve given up.
“Half the time, I thought I was mental for even thinking it was going to work out. So, for it to actually work out, it just justified everything.
“When I was created, they didn’t put the bit in me that makes you quit. It was by hook or by crook – to get what I wanted out of boxing.
“I could’ve moved back in with my parents, paying no rent and living a cruisy life in Cornwall. But I could never have lived with myself if I didn’t give it everything I had.
“So now I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I’ve given boxing everything.”
With that moment resting soundly in his memory bank, Pauls only hopes that an equally enthralling night will materialise before long.
And so, with Kieron Conway and Gerome Warburton colliding for his old strap this Saturday, there is seemingly one option, in particular, that remains at the forefront of his mind.
“It wasn’t long ago that I had the title, and as soon as I get a win, lobbying me as a mandatory [challenger for the winner of Conway vs Warburton] isn’t out of the question,” Pauls explained.
“So I’ll be keeping a close eye on [Conway vs Warburton]. Whether I’m mandatory, or the winner picks me for a voluntary [defence], I’d love the chance to win back my British title.
“I like Kieron – he’s a nice bloke. And after sparring him, I just think it’d be a great fight. I think [our styles] would gel well, and I fancy my chances against him. That’s one for the future, hopefully.”
