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 | Yorkshire Times A Voice of the Free Press |
James Bovington
Boxing Correspondent
12:00 AM 10th August 2024
sports
Boxing Spotlight: South Yorkshire's Joe Hayden
Joe Hayden - photo courtesy of Connor McMain
I felt like a man on a mission.
That being to get him out of the ring before the bout went the distance. I had him down twice in the first round and then again in the second, and referee Andy Brook decided that was enough.
Hayden turns twenty-five in October and has now won all fifteen bouts since his July 2022 entry to the paid game. He’s now ranked forty-second out of 124 active British welterweights.
Joe Hayden -photo courtesy of Connor McMain
The recent Sheffield contest was also Hayden’s second six-rounder, the first having been last April when he defeated Rotherham’s Martin Shaw. Other bouts all lasted four rounds.
I’m happy to have got this first stoppage. I’ve been a pro boxer for two years, gaining experience. It’s now time to put my foot on the gas and start going up through the gears. I aim to put on another exciting, decisive performance in my next fight in Sheffield on 14th September.
Hayden, a former Saint Pius X High School student, works part-time as a nursing assistant at a secure hospital.
Joy Hayden - photo coutesty of Connor McMain
I used to play football semi-professionally for clubs in Frickley and Maltby, but I switched to boxing after a knee injury and then found adequate time to train for the ring during the pandemic." It’s thanks to my manager, Dave Allen, the ‘White Rhino’, that I’ve had so many bouts, and I appreciate his faith in me.
I began serious training on Dave’s patio three years ago, and I’ve got more drive now than ever.
Hayden enjoys lots of local support, as shown by the high number of show tickets he’s consistently sold, and says that ‘there’s nothing better than words and waves of encouragement from supporters as he completes those exhausting but essential runs around Conisbrough.
Hayden’s father, Christopher, unexpectedly passed away in 2006, aged just 41, when Joe was seven and his younger brother Dan was three.
Part of our determination to succeed in sport comes from our mother.
She suddenly became the breadwinner and taught us the importance of being resilient as she grafted to make everything right for my brother and me. She’s the best role model, strong and hard-working. When I win a contest, I’m not showing I’m a better person, but like any boxer, I’m proud to have proved to be the tougher athlete both physically and mentally.
Winning makes what can be the torture of a training camp worthwhile, and I’m grateful to have a dozen generous business sponsors from our tight-knit local community.
Dave Allen, Hayden's manager and coach, is himself a veteran and active professional boxer with over thirty professional contests, currently ranked sixteenth of 66 British heavyweights.
"Joe has amazing talent.
"He’s the lad who made me fall in love with boxing again. At present, people are only seeing a small part of how he can box, lead a fight, and show both tactical skill and the courage and endurance needed for victory. He’s gaining experience, and he and I are loving the journey.
"I’ll be progressing to longer, more challenging fights in due course, but for now I’m just enjoying the boxing. I trust Dave totally. He’ll decide when the time’s right for me to step up to eight rounders, and then maybe next year I’ll be looking at a ten round area title fight challenge.
"My ultimate ambition is to headline a show at the Doncaster Keepmoat with my younger brother Dan, who’s doing well as an amateur. We love our home area and are determined to be the elite sportsmen, making local people proud."