Coley itching for real test in own division

Manning, Coley and Thomas after victory. Picture: Gianni Basi

IT’S hard being a flyweight on the small hall circuit – just ask Anthony Manning’s prospect Brad Coley.

For starters, it’s nigh on impossible to get non-title opposition at 8st and journeymen are very thin on the ground.

Yet to fight for a belt at any weight, a boxer must have competed at that weight. Getting Erdington’s Coley a match in his own division means, in all probability, bringing over a foreigner – and that costs money.

On Saturday, on Manning’s Eastside Rooms, Birmingham, show, Coley was forced to step up to bantamweight for his dominant six round points win over Stephen Jackson. He didn’t lose a minute, let alone a round, referee Peter McCormack scoring 60-54.

You have to feel for Manning, Coley and his trainer James Thomas, a man with near fanatical faith in the 24-year-old.

Coley, now unbeaten in seven, has the following, footwork and flashing fists – he just needs a breakthrough fight.

You had to feel for Coley and Thomas on the night because Manchester’s Jackson, with 65 fights to his name, was in no mood to engage. Brad, his hair in corn rows, had to give chase from first bell to last.

“The kid ran a lot,” Thomas said. “Sometimes Brad was half a step out of range, but it’ll come. Brad spars good men who come forward. He was catching Jackson, but the guy was just so negative in there – he didn’t come forward at all.

“It was a warm-up. Brad’s a 12 round fighter and with another two or three rounds he would’ve ground him down.

“Brad was trying to pin him down and he was still getting away. I still thought Brad did well – it was a learning curve, he had to cut the ring off and he did that, he didn’t get hit.”

In truth Jackson, who weighed 8st 6lbs like his opponent, didn’t throw too many punches against a boxer who is very easy on the eye.

I felt Coley was a little too eager in the first two rounds as he uncorked lightning fast jabs and  drilled rights to the body.

With little coming back, Brad introduced right uppercuts in the second. By the third Jackson was in full retreat.

The journeyman turned southpaw in the fourth, yet the change in stance did not stifle Coley’s surge forwards.

Jabs – doubled and trebled, uppercuts and body shots got through in the fifth. Jackson did attempt to stand his ground in the final round, only to be nailed by a classy left hook to the body, left hook to the head combination.

“Brad can make light-fly, but we’re keeping him at fly,” Thomas said afterwards. “We’ll try to get eight rounds, then push for a title.

“The fact of the matter is, the better the opposition, the better he’ll look. He has the composure, the variety of shots, he is showing a lot of variety. Brad looks very comfortable with what he’s doing.”

He certainly didn’t need to leave his comfort zone against Jackson.

Coley looks a very classy operator and trainer Thomas has no doubt he’ll achieve something big. And he’s right – the boxer needs a step up before true potential can be assessed.