Lloyd: The blast-out was great, but I need experience of rounds
Jacob Lloyd with his team…Lou Vidor and Mitch Roberts
THEIR reaction to victory is a measure of the “nose to the grindstone” attitude adopted by Jacob Lloyd and trainer Mitch Roberts, two very new faces on the pro scene.
Others hailed Lloyd’s sensational debut win – a one round demolition – as a statement. For the pair, it simply underlined the need to bank more professional rounds.
“If anything, that win has grounded me even more,” 22-year-old Lloyd said. “I got the win, but I haven’t done the rounds yet. It made me want to get straight back in.”
The cruiserweight gets straight back in – three months after that devastating pro baptism – on BCB’s huge show at Aldersley Stadium, Wolverhampton, on June 14. It’s a good bill to be part of, with two Midlands title fights on the card.
Lloyd will enter the ring full of confidence following that quick Dudley Town Hall blast out of Michael Osbourne, but with feet firmly on the ground. He’s refuses to make predictions or talk about titles.
“My debut surpassed what I expected,” said the school support staff worker. “I didn’t go in there looking for the stoppage, it just happened. The fact I can do that, without looking for it, boosted my confidence.
“For me, the second fight doesn’t bring any more pressure. The preparation is the same, the excitement is the same. As I’ve said before, I just want to leave the game with no regrets.
“I sold 70 tickets last time, I’m looking to do the same for my next fight, maybe even more.”
Lloyd is a local ground breaker. He’s the first pro from the Shropshire town of Shifnal since the pre-war years, the first to “turn over” from local amateur club Brightstar. Other boxers from the outfit will follow his lead.
As an amateur heavyweight, he lost more than he won, but acquitted himself well against some of the country’s very best. Forget the results, each bout beefed up his boxing IQ and prepared him for the pros.
“I never said no to a fight,” he said. “I always asked Mitch, ‘when’s the next one?’ The last five I had as an amateur were elite level bouts. All of that will, surely, pay off 100 per cent in the long run.
“It’s not easy to get down to 14 stone odd, but any fighter who makes weight easy has a problem. I have the height, but, at this moment in time, not the width for the heavyweights. My (day) job is reactive, it can be hard (to work at a school and be a pro boxer), but there are benefits. I get time off during term breaks, it’s an opportunity to train more.”
Lloyd exploded on the scene in March. It was dramatic, he gained rave reviews. Now he wants the experience of professional rounds.