BRADLEY Rea says it’s time to push on now after picking up the Commonwealth Silver light-heavyweight title with a thumping third-round stoppage of Adam Hepple. The Farnworth headliner, along with the rest of the card, was streamed on Boxing News’ YouTube channel. Rea’s raking bodywork had Hepple down and nearly out in the opener, but the Sunderland man sucked it up and braved it to the third, where identical attacks finally saw him crumble.
“Tough, tough man, I’ve watched his fights, I know he’d not back down,” said Rea, who thought at the count of eight his opponent might just stay down. “All credit to him. Tough bloke. He nearly took my head off in the second round!”
The slicing left hook to the body is one Rea’s favourite shots and he had to disguise it and avoid overuse in order to make the former Northern Area super-middleweight titlist feel comfortable.
“He’d probably been watching my fights and knew that, so I tried early on in the fight to get attention elsewhere. [I was] trying to distract him with other things and went back there in the third round. I’m happy, it’s my first title as a pro and I’m looking at pushing on now. I’ve said I want big fights this year and they’ve just not come. Hopefully, this is going to get my foot in the door and get some big fights.”
Rea is making a habit of knocking people out as this is the fifth fight in a row where the opponent has failed to make it past the third round. The Stretford man, 19-1 (9 KOs), reckons that if he just keeps up that kind of momentum an opportunity will present sooner rather than later.
“What more do they want from me?! Give me a big fight, come on!” he laughed. “I know, apart from tonight, he was a good kid, the level of opposition hasn’t been there, but I still got him out in one or two rounds. Hopefully, next year’s going to be the time and the big fights are going to come.”
The Hepple fight also served as an eliminator for the English title at 175 pounds. Rea’s sole career loss came at English level, down at middleweight, back in late 2022. Those divisions will not be revisited. Show promoter Steve Wood agreed that the stature and height suits Rea at the elevated weight. Any particular names or belts Rea wants next?
“Anyone, I’ll fight any of them. It’s where I belong. As a little kid I used to watch Saturday night and dream of fighting on them shows. I had a little taste and it’s hard to take but I feel like I belong there.”
