UNDEFEATED Lewys Parfitt made his pro debut last June on the undercard of two Welsh title fights. That night, Angelo Dragone, at the third time of asking, dramatically defeated Jake Tinklin for the Welsh super-lightweight strap.
Now vacant, Aberdare’s Parfitt will have the opportunity to claim his first professional title as he takes on Rashid Omar (8-3, 1 KO) for the same belt at the Vale Sports Arena in Cardiff on September 13.
Omar, who goes by the nickname ‘Brickfists’ despite overcoming Scotland’s Luke Bibby in a Celtic title eliminator earlier this year in Swansea, does come into the contest on the back of a tough defeat against Anton Haskins.
For Parfitt, (4-0, 1 KOs), this allows him to return to the same arena where he made his debut, but this time around it’s his biggest fight to date.
“Winning the Welsh title would mean the world to me, it really would,” said Parfitt, who trains under the guidance of Brett Parry at Maerdy Boxing Club in the South Wales Valleys.
“I’ve been on the boxing circuit for some time now and have won several amateur titles, so to win this title would be the icing on the cake in Wales before moving on to further honours.”
Some notable achievements before becoming a professional included claiming the NABC Welsh championship, the Welsh 75kg Elite title in 2023, and reaching the final of the Celtic Box Cup in Dungarvan, Ireland.
After making his professional debut, Parfitt soon picked up his first stoppage victory against Kasey Bradnum, where he had the man from Essex down four times in the scheduled six rounds.
Then he recorded a comfortable 60-54 victory before facing Ryan Frost at Swansea’s LC2, when he won narrowly 58-56 on judge Chris Jones’ scorecard in his most recent outing.
Despite that, the 30-year-old believes this fight on Saturday night is the perfect opportunity to move forward in his career. “I just feel I’m ready to test myself at this stage of my career,” he added.
“Having had four professional fights and nearly fifty amateur fights, plus the fact that I was late turning over. Now is the perfect time, especially having turned 30 this year.
“Sometimes it’s tough working full-time, but you’ve just gotta do what you gotta do. I’m on a journey to be the best I can possibly be in this sport, so I know I’ve got to put the work in.”
However, Omar has done something that Parfitt will be aiming to do this Saturday: he’s claimed a Welsh title. Back in February 2023, he narrowly defeated Conor McIntosh for the lightweight belt.
When asked who the pressure is on more in this fight, Parfitt added: “I feel all the pressure is on him (Rashid) to be honest.
“He has a lot more experience than I do. Both in the amateurs and in the pros.
“A lot of people are saying this fight is too early for me, but I believe in my own ability, and I am prepared for the best version of Rashid.
“I’ve obviously known of Rashid since the amateurs and we was even suppose to fight once or twice but that never happened for whatever reason.
“We are expecting a tough fight come Saturday. He is experienced and is very durable, plus he carries some power, but I’m prepared for what is thrown at me as we have had a great camp.”
