Fighting ‘on the road’ is not the easiest way for a boxer to make a living. While regular work is almost guaranteed, win one too many fights – or upset the wrong applecart – and a journeyman may find the phone stops ringing. The life of a road warrior also involves additional sacrifice, suppressing as it does a level of personal ambition innate to most fighting men and women. Craig Derbyshire seems to be managing this delicate balance with real deft.
The 36-fight Doncaster veteran can regularly be seen in small halls, providing the nation’s hot prospects with tough but winnable rounds. However, when he drops down a level, is afforded sufficient notice and, more pertinently, feels as if he can triumph without endangering his future prosperity, Derbyshire gives it all he has. In short, he takes a little something for himself.
This he did with great skill and determination on September 29 in Bolton, stopping the 6-2 Lee Clayton for the vacant Central Area bantamweight title. In doing so, the Stefy Bull-managed 27-year-old became a two-weight Area ruler, no mean feat for a supposed trialhorse. Impartial observers may decree that extending the likes of British champions Charlie Edwards and Kash Farooq is an achievement of greater significance, but I think we all know which means more to the tireless Craig Derbyshire.
Words by Danny Flexen
@dannyflexen
MyFightTickets.com is a website hub designed to connect fans with fighters, helping the fighter to sell tickets easily and focus on training whilst enabling fans to benefit from ‘face-value’ tickets in the process.
Of greatest relevance to those fighting in smaller venues, MyFightTickets now recognises an Under the Radar Boxer of the Month, chosen from those who have fought during the month. This award compliments the existing MyFightTickets.com Boxer of the Month which has just selected Callum Smith the 7th such award.
The panel deliberating on behalf of MyFightTickets.com, at the invitation of Kevin Campion, is comprised of Martin Theobald of NewAgeBoxing.co.uk, Danny Flexen of BritishBoxingNews.co.uk and I.
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