Brad Strand draws same opponent as his teammate, one month apart
Strand faces Polish title contender in first six-rounder
Rising super-bantamweight star Brad Strand (5-0, 2KO), signed to Queensberry Promotions, heads back to the ring for his second fight this year against Polish title contender Piotr Gudel (10-7-1, 1KO) on Friday, November 12 at the York Hall in London.
The 24-year-old from Liverpool will join other Frank Warren-signed prospects, live on BT Sport, such as hard-hitting heavyweight David Adeleye and fast-rising super-lightweight Henry Turner.
Trained by Paul Stevenson at the Everton Red Triangle gym in Liverpool, Bradley enters into his first six-rounder, facing the same opponent as his teammate Nick Ball, who managed to record a stoppage victory in under a minute, one month prior in October. Strand also recorded a knockout in his last fight in July, stopping Steven Maguire in round three of four.
Strand immediately dismissed any notion of those results bringing added pressure to him, “No, I’m not really feeling any pressure, I can’t do much better than 56 seconds anyway! But hopefully, it’ll be the same again; I’ll be trying to set up some solid shots to the body, hoping for another stoppage win.”
The BT Sport show on the second weekend of November showcases the abundance of up-and-coming prospects that the Hall of Fame promoter has on his books presently.
Despite the big platform that the BT Sport productions bring, it has no influence on the tough talent, who turned pro immediately after winning the ABA Elites in 2018.
“Not much difference to me really,” he shrugged. “It’s just a ring and an opponent at the end of the day, regardless of the platform. I try not to pay too much attention to the cameras or everything going on around me, and just focus on the fight ahead.”
Brad benefits from the best in-house sparring around with fellow ERT gym members Nick Ball and Andrew Cain, also signed to Frank Warren, but for this latest camp he has managed to get out and about to plenty of other places for top sparring.
He revealed, “I’ve sparred with [IBF World featherweight champion] Kid Galahad in Sheffield a couple of times during this camp, as well as [ex-English super-flyweight champion] Marcel Braithwaite and [current Central Area bantamweight champ] Sean Cairns.
“Sparring Galahad was a great experience, he’s obviously a world champion and that’s where we all want to get to. He’s good at going to the body, so I suppose you can say it’s helped me to tighten up my defence.”
The aforementioned teammates – Ball and Cain – both have eliminators and title fights coming up next. Although Strand is keen to join them at championship level, he also asserted he is no rush either.
“All in good time,” he assured. “Like, I’m only five fights in so there’s no rush and we know exactly what direction we are heading in.”
He added, “Just want to be busier after this fight, and hopefully have three or four fights next year and a step up in opponents.”
Strand’s next fight will be televised live on BT Sport on Friday, November 12.
About Brad Strand
After winning the ABA Elites in 2018, Bradley Strand turned pro and has won all five fights so far.
Due to extenuating circumstances, such as cancelled shows and the recent global pandemic, the 24-year-old stylish fighter has only managed to fight twice per year since his debut in March 2019.
Trained by Paul Stevenson at the Everton Red Triangle gym, he scored his second stoppage victory of his approaching three-year-long pro career in his last fight on July 30 at the Devonshire House Hotel in Liverpool, displaying the added power and strength he had built up during the enforced lockdowns.
Trainer Paul Stevenson commented on his 122-pounds charge, “Brad is really on the move in terms of his development, he’s hitting harder and faster, and developing into a fine fighter.
“I really do have very high hopes for him. All he needs now is some momentum and a couple of fights in a month is just what he needs.”
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