Symonds - 'Tait is a stepping stone to Theophane'

Croydon punching machine Chas ‘The Bomb’ Symonds is set to thrill Croydon fight fans again later this month after being handed a route to the British championship.

Symonds will meet Gavin Tait from Sheerness in Kent for the vacant Southern Area welterweight title belt on Mickey Helliet’s Hellraiser Promotions bill at The Coronet in Elephant and Castle on Friday, September 16.

Symonds has previously held the belt – picking himself off the floor to gun down Brett James in a wildly-exciting slugfest - and his collision with Tait over ten rounds promises to be one of the best of the year.

“We are going to go at it,” said the 29 year-old crowd pleaser. “It will be a good fight for the crowd, but there’s only one winner – and that’s me.

“I’ve seen Gavin on YouTube and he’s got fast hands, but there’s no way he can match me for boxing and heart. Everyone knows I can fight and have a big heart and I’ve been working on my boxing more. I’m putting my fighting and boxing together and hopefully I can go further than before.

"No disrespect to Gavin, but this is a stepping stone for me. I’ve got to take this fight because it’s a step up the ladder. The fight I really want is with Ashley Theophane for the British light-welterweight title. We were supposed to box earlier in our careers when we were both unbeaten, but he pulled out. He is slick and smooth, but I’m confident I would be too strong for him.”

Symonds has been polishing his skills with top-class sparring partners, including Kevin Mitchell. Mitchell last month ended the longest unbeaten record in British boxing when he bust up world-rated John Murray in eight unforgettable rounds in Liverpool and Symonds will be swapping punches with him and Lenny Daws, the former British ten stone champion from Morden. Symonds has also been training in Greece to prepare for next month’s make-or-break fight.

The show at The Coronet also features massive heavyweight puncher Dillian Whyte from Brixton, along with unbeaten light-middleweight Wayne Alwan-Arab.

Tickets are available from Symonds on 07703-625277.