A big power in Ryan Aston's corner

Dudley's Ryan Aston will box again in September after plans for a third fight in a month fell through - and backer James Dickens could be joining him in the corner.

Aston will appear at Birmingham's Tower Ballrooms on September 23 on a Dave Coldwell-promoted bill, which will also see the professional debut of Coseley welterweight Tommy Ghent.

Both fighters are the pride of Priory Park Amateur Boxing Club in Dudley and have signed three-year contracts with David Haye's promotional company, 'Hayemaker.'

And, while 'Hayemaker' plot their path to success in the pro game, Dickens will be supporting them every step of the way.

The 28-year-old is a successful businessman and chief executive of a national company, Edgbaston-based property developers Hackett & James.

His influence has not only landed Aston and Ghent stable day jobs as contractors, but has also allowed Priory Park to embark on a radical new extension that could change the club forever.

If their plans come together, a second main room will provide space for an additional ring, more punch and speed bags, along with the capacity to hold more than one class at a time.

A builder recently quoted a cool £250,000 - a fair price by today's standards - for the work they want done but Dickens is hoping to get that down to £100,000, barely above the price of materials.

His company will use their own labour force to make Priory Park's dream a reality and, thanks to a fundraiser organised by Hackett & James, the club are only £30,000 away from their target and have already been granted planning permission.

A sound platform for Priory Park's future is a fair way down the road and it looks as if Dickens, who trains and has boxed for the club, will be a part of boxing for some time to come.

The wheels are in motion for Dickens to take his 'seconds' licence, allowing him to be in the corner when Aston and Ghent step through the ropes.

Aston already has two wins as a pro, inside the space of seven days, with number two against Bulgarian Zahari Mutafchiev on the undercard of David Haye's tussle with Wladimir Klitschko in Germany last Saturday night.

Dickens joined Aston on the trip and the 20-year-old middleweight feels he owes a debt to 'the boss.'

He said: "Wherever I go in the pro game, I will have a lot to thank James for and he will be there with me.

"He loves the sport, he's always going to be behind us and, whatever way he can help us out, he will do it.

"You want people with you who are all for the good of boxing, not the bad. I don't just work for him, he's one of my mates.

"He's the best boss in the world to work for, I have got no stress and worries outside of boxing and that will help me get to where I need to be."

Aston now has a two-month break from action but could have been boxing in two weeks time, after lining up a fight on a Matchroom show in Cardiff.

That fell through when one half of the main event, European lightweight champion Gavin Rees, pulled out with a hand injury.

But Aston is still on cloud nine after his part supporting the sport's biggest heavyweight title fight for a decade, which went against Haye on points.

The Black Country lad rubbed shoulders with the likes of George Foreman, Lennox Lewis and Michael Buffer at Hamburg FC's Imtech Arena, as well as boxing on the show.

Haye's constant barracking of Klitschko pre-fight saw him take the flak in defeat, which was partly blamed on a broken toe.

Aston was sat yards away when Haye picked his moment to reveal the injury, standing up on a table at the post-match press conference.

Haye's stock plummeted further as a result but Aston insists his stable-mate is not what he has been portrayed to be.

He said: "I have spoken to David loads of times, he knows I am a 'Hayemaker' fighter and he's seen me spar a lot at his gym.

"I even spoke to him after the fight, he took it all pretty well and congratulated me on my win, I told him how good it was to box on the biggest boxing show for a decade and he just smiled back at me.

"There's a lot of people who have gone against him because of what he has said, but people who know about boxing know that's just hype to get people watching the fight.

"Most of the public have a perception of him but he's not like that at all - he's a really nice, genuine guy.

"Away from it all, he's not got a bad word to say about anybody really."