Brad Pauls wants to make history against Nathan Heaney in British title rematch

BRAD PAULS believes losing to Tyler Denny last year was the best thing that could have happened in his career.

Their 10-round clash at Wembley Arena for the British middleweight title was a close affair, but Denny never looked in real danger of losing in his second defence of the belt. The scores of 98-93, 97-93 (twice) were a fair reflection of the night and Denny has gone from strength to strength since then. And four weeks ago he picked up his biggest win of the campaign when he knocked out Felix Cash to claim the European 160lb title.

The younger Pauls will once again look to win the British middleweight championship on Saturday night (July 20) at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham against Nathan Heaney, four months after their first fight – at the same venue – ended in a draw.

“You have to give him [Denny] credit, he did it the hard way,” Pauls said Boxing News few days ago.

“He fought very hard on the small field. [circuit] and put himself out there. Look at what happened to him, European champion and beating the big names. I think it was the best thing that ever happened to me, fighting Denny and getting that loss. If I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have changed everything in camp. I wouldn’t have had a nutritionist, a mindset coach and really looked at everything. It was hard to see at the time, but it was a huge blessing in disguise. You can see the improvements without a doubt. Everything happens for a reason.”

Many modern boxers are surrounded by a team of people whose job is to improve the athlete and bring them to a competitive level that is increasingly difficult to achieve on their own.

Pauls credits mindset coach Terry Stewart as just one example of his team making a difference in his preparation, which they hope will see Pauls walk out of the Resorts World Arena as the new British middleweight champion.

“I have more experience and I know what I need to do,” Pauls said.

Explaining the benefits of having Stewart on board, Pauls said: “You can always say you are confident as a fighter, but you can always be more confident.

“There are ways to get more out of your training camp, make it more efficient. Add what works, remove what doesn’t work. How you apply your mind to the task and how best to execute.

“I’ve been working with a mindset coach since 2019, but I’ve really doubled down on whatever percentage I can do. Meditation, ice baths, grounding, the best ways to get the most out of my sleep. He helps me with whatever percentage I can do. It’s what’s at the top, it’s a fine line and a fine margin at the top so any percentage is necessary.”

Pauls was just one point away from winning the British title from Heaney in March. After 12 rounds of two bouts, referee John Latham scored the fight 115-114 for the champion, Victor Loughlin’s card favoured Pauls 116-113 while Kevin Parker scored it 114-114.

Just before talking to BN, Pauls ran a personal best on his final fast run before settling down for the race week, where he and Heaney will go head-to-head once again.

“I’m just entering my prime,” said the 31-year-old.

“I feel like the experience I got from that last fight will help me a lot in my next fight. My first 12-round fight, I’m still coming from a small hall. [shows] I’m getting used to the big shows, now I’m even more used to it. I have more experience and I know what I need to do. I’m going into this fight with things I didn’t know last time, that gives me a few more percent and a little more confidence.”

Pauls admits he is “his own worst critic” as he recalls the first game against Heaney and his own performance.

“I think I started slow. I think I threw a lot of easy, simple shots in the first four or five rounds that I shouldn’t have gotten hit with. But I think I showed my power later in the fight and I came out strong, I showed I could dig deep.

“So for me to win on Saturday, I think I need to do the same but a little bit better. It’s all the same, just a few percent better in every aspect.”

Pauls still hasn’t forgotten the time he played in small arenas, where he had to sell out and lose money… “You wonder why you did it.”

But he still held on to hope of reaching his current position. Giving up was not an option when leaving would leave behind regrets and countless what ifs in his mind.

But the Newquay man sees winning the British title as much more than a career-best result and the coveted Lonsdale belt on his shoulders. The victory also represents history.

“There has been no Cornish-born English champion since [Len Harvey in] 1939 and I think it would be great for my county to have a British champion from a little seaside town like Newquay. That’s all I’ve ever wanted, the triple crown of boxing, Regional, British, British. That’s my goal and that’s my world title. I’ll give it my all and do whatever it takes to win it.”