Irish puncher Tony Nellins aiming to make big dent in the pro ranks
Power. The word that gets most boxing fans excited. If a fighter has power then anything can happen, a fight can be stopped in quick and brutal fashion, and the hordes of fans go home thinking ‘wow’. The man on the street will always prefer the one round devastating knockout to the six round exhibition. It always has been and it always will be. That is why, on December 15th on the undercard of the Martin Lindsay-John Simpson title fight, a large proportion of Ireland will be looking out for a young man making his debut. Nineteen year-old light-welterweight Tony Nellins will start punching for pay, and many predict big things for the highly decorated amateur from the Eastside boxing club. For Tony, a man who comes from the beautiful but troubled city of Belfast, boxing was an escape from a rocky path.
“I was a bit mad as a kid, so my father took me to Sandyrow Boxing Club to control my aggression and to learn a bit of discipline, from then on I never looked back.”
It is a typical story, young lad who could easily have gone off the rails saved by boxing. If it is a cliché then it is a good one, one that I would love to see repeated more.
Mr Nellins probably never realised what he had started when he packed his young son off to the gym. Tony was found to have that ‘X-Factor’, real concussive power that would always make an impact in his chosen sport.
“I entered the Ulster novice championship in Belfast; I won it and stopped all three of my opponents. I also won the County Antrim championships, the boys clubs and then the Irish championships!”
Despite joining the Army at 16, Nellins continued to box, and with real success. It was by this circumvented route that Nellins found himself in part of the Chester boxing revolution.
“When I joined the army I started boxing for the regiment. There weren’t a lot of facilities there so we came to the Chester Boxing Club for a bit of extra training. It was there I met Steve Goodwin. After I won the army individual championships he had a chat with me and went ‘it’s now or never’ so I decided to leave the army and go pro.”
Despite the good relationship between the pair, many people may have been a little surprised at the decision to come to Chester and join Goodwin. Despite Goodwin’s long association with the legendary Brian Hughes, many Irish trainers would have loved to get their hands on a raw talent like Nellins. For Tony however, the decision was a no-brainer.
“Steve is the only trainer who has made me see improvements day after day; he knew exactly what to do for me. We are already seeing the benefits in the gym."
Still, the amateur game is very different to the pros. Many people who have success in the junior code fail to live up to that promise in the seniors. It’s these alterations that Goodwin is drilling into his new protégé.
“As I’m sure you know Martin, the pro game is a lot different to the amateurs and there are a lot of thing I need to sharpen up on. Steve has got me moving my head for four, five, six rounds at a time. Non-stop slipping, bobbing, weaving and ducking. He told me to stand in a square practicing moving! Every time I threw a punch I had to move my head three times before coming back with a combination. So overall, I have become faster and the defence has become tighter.”
Many believe that one of the beauties of Irish boxing is that is brings communities, so long divided, together for a common purpose. The likes of Barry McGuigan and Wayne McCullough have arguably done more for the peace process than one hundred years of grey suited politicians. Tony however, does not see the Irish boxing community as the utopia described in the mainstream press.
“It really can bring communities together and that is a good thing. But there are still bigots on both sides who don’t want to see anyone doing well. So you just learn to get in with it and keep your mind set on one thing....”
Swiftly moving back to the business in hand, Nellins, as previously mentioned, begins his pro career in less than two weeks. It is an occasion he genuinely can’t wait for.
“I’m fighting at the Kings Hall in Belfast on December 15th on the undercard of Lindsay-Simpson. My only thoughts are to get in there and do the business. I’m fighting a lad called Dan Clews. I don’t know nothing about him and I don’t want to know about him. All I know is that no matter what happens I am coming out the winner!”
So how far can Tony Nellins go? Many in the trade have a real belief that we could have something special on our hands here. Tony has no doubts about what he can achieve.
“I don’t know how hard I punch; you should ask my sparring partners. All I know is that I throw all my punches with bad intentions. With the right training and management, I can go all the way.”
Both Irish and Chester boxing scenes will be watching intently to see if this is true.
