logo
Bevan 'can't wait' for south coast showdown

Bevan 'can't wait' for south coast showdown

BBC News19-05-2025

Unbeaten super-middleweight Taylor Bevan has vowed he will be "flying" this summer as he plans on boxing "closer to home" for the first time.Bevan claimed another impressive victory at London's Copperbox Arena on Saturday night, forcing the referee to stop his contest against Argentina's Juan Cruz Cacheiro.The 24-year-old won a silver medal representing Wales at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and in late 2024 signed a promotional deal with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing. Bevan - who was born in Southampton - says he plans on boxing on the south coast this summer for the first time as a professional."I'm going to be boxing a bit closer to home next time, I think there will be big numbers," Bevan told BBC Sport."I can't wait, it's going to be amazing and it gives me a good bit of time to rest before having a big training camp going into it - I'm going to be flying when the time comes."Boxing in the south is getting bigger and bigger, you've got a lot of names down here now and it's exciting times."So far, all four of Bevan's professional fights have ended in technical knockout in either the first or second round.His promoter Hearn said he is hopeful the super-middleweight will fight on the soon -to-be-announced show featuring super-featherweights Ryan Garner and Reece Bellotti in late July.
'Unbelievable' support on the road
A large group of Bevan's supporters populated a section in the upper tier of the arena on Saturday.They were easy to spot, all wearing branded red t-shirts and chanting their fighter's name as the contest got under way.It has become a familiar sight at each of his fights so far, and Bevan believes it is just the start. "The support so far has been amazing and it is what motivates me when I'm training," he told BBC Sport."I know people have paid their hard-earned money to come and watch me box, travelling over the country and taking time off work. I hope I'm doing everyone proud."The demand for each fight gets more and more, as my career progresses I think it will increase."Even his promoter Hearn has been impressed by the backing so far, addressing Bevan's fans on the microphone in the ring after the stoppage.He teased that they would only need to take a short drive down the road to see him in action next."The support is just unbelievable," Hearn told BBC Sport. "People ask, at what point do we get excited about Taylor Bevan? And I say to them about a year ago!"There will be an announcement this week about his next fight and it will be on the south coast which will be nice for him, he'll [hopefully] be on a card in Bournemouth and it's a step for him to keep building his career and fanbase."We have been in talks with Queensberry and we will let them make the announcement and hopefully Taylor Bevan will be on that (Garner v Bellotti) card."

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

I've found the perfect gift for athletic dads this Father's Day — it can be worn in and out of the gym
I've found the perfect gift for athletic dads this Father's Day — it can be worn in and out of the gym

The Sun

time14 minutes ago

  • The Sun

I've found the perfect gift for athletic dads this Father's Day — it can be worn in and out of the gym

'ATHLEISURE' isn't really a word that factors into my life. There are clothes I use to exercise — usually a ratty t-shirt and gym shorts — and clothes I wear out and about. However, I was recently sent some gear from Gym + Coffee, and my eyes were opened to the possibility of clothes that do both. 2 2 As you might be able to tell from the name, Gym + Coffee makes garments designed to take you from your workout to your post-gym social commitments. They might not be smart enough to wear out to dinner, but their sleek, minimalistic design means they're certainly nice enough to wear out to brunch or to run errands. They tick the box that I think all good gym gear should tick: they make you excited to do exercise. Gym+Coffee: Quickfire Q&A How much is it? Moderately priced, if you ask me. My T-shirt was £30, shorts were £40 and the quarter-zip mid layer was £60. Who's it best for? People who like their workout clothes to do the heavy lifting outside the gym as well as in. What we loved: Every item feels really well-made, the sizing is spot-on and it's a welcome change from a sea of Gymshark and Lululemon. I also thought it was really What we didn't: Honestly? Not much. There are a lot of stock issues at the moment, which makes ordering a pain. RATING: 9/10 Coffee Tee in Petrol Blue Coffee Tee in Petrol Blue, £30 from Gym + Coffee In many ways, this is just a standard, breathable workout t-shirt. There's nothing too fancy about the material; it's 88% recycled polyester (which is a nice eco-friendly touch) and 12% elastane, which gives it a nice form-fitting stretch. I really loved the fit of this tee; it's got just a tiny bit of extra length, which means that you won't be exposing your stomach every time you reach your arms above your head. I also liked that it doesn't go over the top with the stretchiness — it's tight enough to be form-fitting, but loose enough that you won't look like an idiot if you decide to go for a pint after your workout. It's also super breathable, soft to the touch and, at £30, it's not silly money. Relentless 1/4 Zip in Petrol Blue Relentless 1/4 Zip in Petrol Blue, £60 from Gym + Coffee BUY HERE This was the surprise standout for me. The Relentless 1/4 Zip is made from ..... It's also a nice design touch to include a raglan sleeve, which extends in one piece up to your collar, rather than stopping at the shoulder. It gives you a bigger range of movement than an ordinary sleeve. While that's nothing groundbreaking, it just shows an attention to detail that I appreciate. Other neat little features include a size pocket with an invisible zip and thumb holes. It says a lot that it's recieved nothing but five-star reviews on the Gym+Coffee site, and that's from 50+ reviews — no mean feat. I think I echo the sentiments of this review: "Fits like a glove. Nice and tight on the arms and chest while not showing off the dad gut. Love it. Highly recommend." Essential 6" Shorts in Petrol Blue Essential 6" Shorts in Petrol Blue, £40 from Gym + Coffee BUY HERE I've always liked a shorter short, especially for working out, but it's worth mentioning that Gym + Coffee sells two versions of these shorts: a six-inch version and an eight-inch version. Weirdly, though, if you have your heart set on Petrol Blue, you'll have to be happy to show some thigh — you can't get the colour in the eight-inch shorts. As with the quarter zip, there's an attention to detail here I like. They have the sort of thick waistband I usually associate with yoga pants, for example, which helps them to stay in place during high-intensity sports. And as a person whose primary form of exercise is tennis, I appreciated that I could fit two tennis balls in the pockets. Some reviewers have called these the best shorts they've ever worn, and I have to agree — they're comfortable, lightweight, and made from a fabric that feels soft, stretchy and high-quality.

Hull FC back-rower Holmes retires at 32
Hull FC back-rower Holmes retires at 32

BBC News

time22 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Hull FC back-rower Holmes retires at 32

Hull FC back-rower Oliver Holmes has been forced to retire at the age of 32 because of a knee joined the Black and Whites on a two-year deal for the 2025 season but his sole appearance for the club came in the Challenge Cup win over York Acorn in former Castleford Tigers and Warrington man won one cap for England in 2018 and lifted the Challenge Cup with Leigh in 2023."Calling it a day has been one of the hardest decisions I've made throughout my career. The head still wanted to go, but unfortunately the body was saying no," he told the club website., external"I gave myself every chance to get back playing again, but unfortunately that just didn't happen and that's the way it is in sport sometimes."We've tried different injections and I've been for surgery, but things just haven't worked out how I wanted them to on the medical side of things and now's the time to call it a day sadly."

What could Rangers fans expect if Martin takes charge?
What could Rangers fans expect if Martin takes charge?

BBC News

time27 minutes ago

  • BBC News

What could Rangers fans expect if Martin takes charge?

Russell Martin is, according to some, on the brink of becoming the next Rangers manager. Others say a deal is still some way off. Some would have you believe other candidates are still very much in the wonder Rangers fans don't know what to believe but a section among them don't seem overly enthused by the prospect of former MK Dons, Swansea City and Southampton boss Martin taking are presumably unconvinced by his English Premier League experience last term, which led to his sacking and Southampton's eventual that view does ignore the work done in getting into England's top flight and the increasing evidence to support the idea that the transition from the Championship to the top tier is an ever-expanding bridge to what could Rangers expect on the pitch if Martin takes charge and are there parallels with former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou? What's his style of play? Martin himself told the BBC's Match of the Day last month that a key element of taking on any job would be "how the style of play will fit" and "how convinced the ownership and people in charge are with how we do things."That seems to suggest he retains faith in his coach and analyst John Walker has undertaken extensive analysis of Martin's managerial career and believes many people misunderstand his style."I think there's a misconception of it being very passive in possession for possessions sake," he told BBC Scotland."To me, anytime I've watched MK Dons, Swansea or Southampton - more the latter in the Championship - it was actually really forward attacking play. "It was very fast forward. It wasn't too dissimilar, though not the exact same in patterns, to Postecoglou's Celtic. "That's probably why I'm such a champion for him taking over Rangers because I believe it's a style of football, with aggression, that can work in Scotland."Ironically, it was in the aftermath of a 5-0 drubbing by Postecoglou's Tottenham Hotspur that Martin was sacked by Southampton. His next game in the dugout could come with Rangers. Is Martin too reliant on one approach? A reluctance to adapt is an accusation Postecoglou and Martin both share. But the latter's former Norwich City team-mate, Angus Gunn, would dispute came up against Martin's Southampton team in the English Championship en route to, what turned into, their unsuccessful return to the Premier League."They were a tough team," the Scotland goalkeeper said. "We had a couple of good games against them. One was 4-4, one was 1-1, so quite contrasting."When we first played them they were quite open. Then when we played them again, they were a little bit pragmatic and I think that shows a coach that can adapt and change the way his team plays. "Watching his teams over the few years that he was there, I thought he did that even though some people probably said that he was reluctant to change a lot. "I thought he did that quite well, especially in the Championship."The narrative around the former Scotland defender, particularly with Southampton in the Premier League, was that he was too stubborn and needed to adapt. The former Rangers defender's response was firm. "There is a difference between being stubborn and having conviction," he told BBC Sport. "If you really believe in something as a coach, manager, leader, then the logic for me is that you stick with it and try to be better at it."It suggests the principles of Martin's approach won't deviate, if he gets the Ibrox job. Squad overhaul required to suit style? It seems there will be a significant, if not seismic, change in squad personnel at Rangers, with fresh funds available after the takeover led by Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises. But just how big would that need to be to allow Martin to implement his ideas?Walker believes wholesale change is required at Rangers, but insists Martin would be unfazed by such a task."I don't think many of the players that are currently there will survive," Walker said. "When he went into Swansea, I think they had 18 players leave over the summer so they had to make 17 signings."When he went into Southampton there were 20 people wanting to leave. "So he's got experience of building a squad and almost instantly implementing the style of play. I would expect a massive squad overhaul if he comes in."I think with the style of play, you're going to also experience teething problems, a lot of goals conceded to start with. "I think the exciting part will be there'll be lots of goals for Rangers."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store