Tommy Loach looks to make a splash
West Bromwich's Tommy Loach is expecting to take to professional boxing like a duck to water when he makes his debut on Saturday's fight night.
Loach will first punch for pay against veteran Ali Wyatt in a four-round affair at Walsall Town Hall this weekend,
The 24-year-old welterweight works for Severn Trent and is used to juggling his job with the water company around his boxing.
He first laced up the gloves when he was 11 and had a long amateur career, representing Wednesbury Boxing Academy.
He steps up with high ambitions of achieving success and believes the hard work he puts in could make all of the difference.
He said: "I work with Severn Trent, as well as boxing, so it is difficult to manage my time. Sometimes, it can be a real nightmare.
"I will get back from training late after work and I have no time to myself, but it is what you have to do so I just make sure I can get through it.
"I want to be as active as possible. Hopefully, I can just keep stepping up the levels in my career and keep progressing onwards.
"I have set my aim on reaching British title level and then we will see what options open up and see what is available to me."
Loach feels his precise punching style will be better suited to the pros, after spending nearly 12 months preparing for the change.
He freely admits he grew tired of the unpaid code and now wants to pit his wits against the likes of Wyatt, aged 39 and a 54-fight regular.
Loach said: "Everything has gone to plan in training and I can't wait to get in the ring now and put on a performance.
"I'm really excited to make my debut because I have been training for about a year for this, but I know it will be worth it the night comes.
"It was difficult to adjust to the switch from amateur to the professional side at the start, but I'm getting to grips with it now.
"I feel like I suit the professional game more than I do the amateur. My style is much more about timing my shots and making each punch count, rather than where loads of punches are thrown.
"I'm more than ready to make the switch to the pro game. In the end, I fell out of love with the amateurs. I've been boxing there since I was 11.
"I just lost heart with it and I wanted something different and a new challenge. If I was still doing it now I think I would have finished boxing, so I am glad to be out."
The show's main event will see Paul Holt and Louis Fielding battle for the belt in a vacant Midlands super featherweight title fight.
Nuneaton-based Brummie Holt and co-challenger Fielding, from Tamworth, take the starring roles for a show titled 'High Stakes,' in tribute to show sponsors Grosvenor Casino Walsall.
Manny Zaber, from Old Hill, is an emerging area contender at super feather and will be looking to reel off his eighth win without reply.
In the other corner will be the country's most experienced professional Kristian Laight, who celebrated his 247th paid bout by beating Sean Crowley on points earlier this month.
Wolverhampton's Joshua Burke will also be looking to get busy again, two months later than he was hoping. He was due to box at the Town Hall in July, but had a wrist injury.
Burke has one win and one defeat as a cruiserweight but has already gone six rounds, in an unsuccessful points effort against old amateur rival Courtney Richards.
Now fully recovered from the issue, he'll drop back down to four sessions to tackle the winless but never-stopped Jason Jones.
Birmingham's Luke Walker is in action at super welter, looking for his fourth victory with all three of his previous paid bouts taking place at the same venue. He's taking on Telford's Kieron Gray.
Former world kickboxing champion Chad Sugden will be competing over six, with tough brawler Mark Till now set to be in the other corner. He had been paired with Chris Nixon.
Sugden, 22, held the ISKA world middleweight crown and remains the youngest to ever win a belt from that organisation. The man from Newark in the East Midlands is known as '2 Slick.'
Tickets, priced at £30 and £60 ringside, are on still sale from the Town Hall Box Office on 0845 111 2900.
The casino, on Bentley Mill Way, will host the weigh-in and after-show party (over 18s). A number of free cars from Yellow Taxis will go from the fight venue to the function.
