Professional boxing back at the Banks's this Friday...
Owen Jobburn will be under-fire again when he fights at the Banks's Stadium later this week writes James Eley.The former soldier spent over half a decade in the army and was deployed in Iraq in 2008. Jobburn believes his experience in the armed forces will benefit his boxing career, starting with Black Country Boxing's 'Season's Beatings' show at the Banks's Stadium, Walsall, sponsored by Grosvenor Casino Walsall on 2nd December.
"In the army it is all running and circuits and it is hard,” he admitted. “But with boxing being a sport it is just a different level for me.
"Especially with me turning pro, the training I am doing is a different level and it is really tough but it is rewarding once you have done it.
"The feeling when you get the win is more than worth the two months before hand when you are putting all that work in.
“I have always been a confident person but I spent five and a half years in the army and it did make me even more confident.
"The army does bring you out of your shell so I think that has helped with the boxing. But I have always been fighting, I was in the amateurs before the army so I have always been used to it."
The 27-year-old is also training to be a personal trainer so will be spending even more time in the gym. The Stoke pugilist got the right result on his debut back in October and, despite not being satisfied with his performance, he still feels he gained a lot from fighting his professional bow.
Jobburn will be looking for a similar result when he takes on Tideswell’s Tommy Carter on Friday.
"I am a fitness instructor in a gym called Fit4less and I am in the process of becoming a personal trainer, hopefully before Christmas I will be qualified,” he added. “I take a lot of classes and it does work hand in hand with the boxing because keeping fit is all I want to do.
"I just want to be a personal trainer, get some clients and box, that is the plan and as long as I do that I will be happy.
"I thought I could have done better on my debut but I had never fought that style of person before. As soon as I hit him, he didn’t want to know so it is hard to fight someone who hasn’t come to fight. The other people I have fought in sparring want to fight but all this lad wanted to do was grab hold of me whenever I threw a shot. I think it was a good learning fight but I want to get in the ring with.
"I think I will be more relaxed on Friday. The first one was a home show and it was a big crowd so I was a bit nervous for it. Now that is out the way I can just keep going forward and get used to fighting professionally. I am happy to box out of Stoke, ideally I would like to box in my home town but I said to my manager I want to be as busy as possible so I don’t mind fighting away.
"At the moment I just want to get as many wins as possible. At some point next year I would like to go for some form of title, whether that is a British Challenge or an area title. That is my short term goal. I never thought I would get the opportunity to turn pro because I turned over a bit late in my career so I just want to take each fight as it goes."
Standard tickets for ‘Season’s Beatings’, priced at £30, are available by calling the boxers.
£60 VIP tickets for tables of ten, with two-course meal, are available by calling Walsall FC Box Office on 01922 651 414/416.
Walsall’s Luke Paddock, Chester’s Nathan Clarke and Leamington’s Michael Cole also feature.
Grosvenor Casino Walsall will have a presence at the football club on the evening and have linked up with local taxi firm, Yellow Taxi’s, to supply a number of free taxi’s to take guests from the Banks’s Stadium to the casino post-fight. Find out more about Grosvenor Casino Walsall here: http://www.grosvenorcasinos.com/local-casinos/walsall/