Roberts - Rocester’s human rock breaker
Jack Wyn Roberts…fights at the Hangar. Pic: Manjit Narotra/BCB
ROCESTER is best known as base to plant machinery giants JCB.
But it has now gained a human bulldozer in the form of Welshman Jack Wyn Roberts, who has moved to the Staffordshire village from Abergele.
After a winning debut, the light-heavy steps through the ropes for the second time on BCB’s show at the Hangar, Wolverhampton, this Friday.
Studded with new talent and entitled “The Launch”, Roberts will continue his apprenticeship against Harry Matthews, a Yorkshire 37-year-old who will be taking part in his 120th bout.
Matthews has scored upsets in the past, but is on a 32 bout losing streak. The danger he once posed has diminished.
"I just can’t wait to build on the first fight," stated Roberts, speaking to BCB’s Paul Webb. "I know what to expect now, having gone through my debut, and it’s at the same place, so it will all feel a lot more familiar this time. I hope that I will be able to let my hands go a bit more and I know my opponent this time is more likely to stand and trade a bit."
The 28-year-old impressed in his first professional outing in March, winning every round against experienced Edgars Sneidze. Trained by former Midlands champ Andy Keates, Roberts is focused on absorbing as much knowledge as possible and has benefited from valuable sparring. He said: "After the fight I thought I had boxed well. You could see times when I had that nervous energy, jumping in when throwing combinations, and it’s something me and Andy spoke about.
"We have gotten in some really good sparring with Kyle Davies in Stoke, working on learning the pro-style and sitting down on my shots. I was fortunate enough to go up to Peter Fury’s gym and get work with James Dean Fury. Like his relatives, he has that bamboozling Fury style and I really enjoyed those spars and being around Peter."
For Roberts, the routine is very different from his amateur days. He said: "The biggest change from the amateurs is getting into a new routine. When I was an amateur, you could be boxing every other week on short notice and now you have these longer gaps, so you have to get the strength and conditioning right and build in rest days. For someone like me, I need that routine. I work full time and train around that, and my weight is good. It's just about maintaining it now through fight week."
The Wolverhampton event boasts a stacked lineup, including the professional debuts of Callum Seedhouse and Jimmy Harty, as well as appearances from unbeaten female fighters Omarah Taylor and Paige Goodyear. Northampton's Tyselle Walfall and Adam Mohammed will both be aiming for their second professional victories, and the experienced Connor Parker completes the card.
*Limited tickets for "The Launch" are still available, priced £45 for general admission and £80 for VIP. Tickets available from the boxers or by emailing info@bcb-promotions.com.