Ben boxing his way to the professional arena

Torbay boxer Ben Andrews has been on a fast-track journey to the top in professional boxing, taking just seven years from when he first stepped into a gym to now having aspirations for national acclaim.

Ben, 25, is a former student at Cuthbert Mayne School and spent much of his adolescence enjoying the local nightlife, never before thinking that his future calling would be inside a boxing ring.

That all changed when he visited Torbay Amateur Boxing Club in Hele at the age of 18. Since then, his day-job as a fencer has been combined with a meteoric rise to becoming one of the most exciting boxing talents on the national scene.

“Away from boxing, I work as a fencer,” said Ben. “At the moment, I’m working for a company called Moore Dunn Fencing and we are at Torquay Grammar School – we basically provide all types of fencing and decking.

“I’ve always liked boxing as a sport but found myself going out every weekend at 18, and then swapped the alcohol for sessions in they gym, sparring, getting fit and occasionally being punched in the head!

“I was quite late to the sport but I seemed to do quite well from the beginning. I trained at Torquay ABC and my Head Coach for years was Darrell Asplen, who is an absolutely brilliant coach and he inspired my early years of boxing.

“I’ve now moved to the Seven Hills Boxing Club, based in Paignton, but previously they had a gym on the industrial estate behind B&Q. I’m training with Gareth Hogg, who has pro experience himself.

“My boxing career took me through the amateur ranks and I won the Amateur Boxing Association national title as a cruiserweight. This then progressed to boxing for England twice in the Tri-Nations Championship and I also won that at the end of 2022.

“My amateur boxing was all cruiserweight but I now get the luxury as a professional of weighing-in the day before a bout, so I’m a light heavyweight. So far, my professional record is four wins and 0 losses, so a good start.”

“I started my professional career with a promotion company linked to Channel 5 and the venues were excellent,” added Ben. “My first bout was a victory on points in Edinburgh and I then beat a Polish boxer in Brighton.

“My next fight was at a show in Torquay, at the Riviera Centre, followed by a bout in Birmingham against a lad called Luke Blackledge, who was the best fighter I had come up against. He is a former Commonwealth champions, so obviously a great win for me in that fight.

“My next bout is back in Brighton on March 7. I don’t know the opponent as yet but the pattern in pro boxing is that you gradually increase the level of competition. There are some journeymen fighters in boxing but they are all dangerous fighters.

“It was certainly a shock going through amateurs to the professional scene, as I’m now fighting people who have a lot of experience.

“The ultimate dream is to hopefully progress through the ranks in boxing. I would love to go as far as I can in a safe manner and maybe one day win a British title. I don’t want to stay in the game too long, fighting for the sake of it. It would then be a case of seeing what comes next.

“I pride myself on being an aggressive, front-foot boxer, but I do have another side to my skills. Hopefully, that takes me to the top of my sport.”