'Don't doubt me' - Gully Powar ready to grasp second shot at British crown

Gully Powar feels most at home in a boxing ring, no matter where in the world that might be.

On Saturday night it is Manchester where he will step through the ropes to challenge for the British featherweight title.

This is Powar’s second shot at the Lonsdale belt, in a fight which in recent months has twice been subject to rescheduling.

Zak Miller is the third different opponent Powar has been paired against and the AO Arena the third different location.

Originally, the 24-year-old was due to face Rhys Edwards just a short walk from his Whitmore Reans home. Then it was supposed to be Nelson Birchall in Birmingham.

Instead he must travel the thick end of 100 miles to box Miller, a hometown fighter who will draw the majority of the crowd’s support.

Not that Powar is bothered. Not in the slightest.

“I block out the noise,” he says. “Wherever there is a squared circle, that is where I am most comfortable.

“I want people to think I am going to lose the fight because it just drives me on and I become even more confident.

“That’s where I get my feel from. If you doubt me, I will show you. Mentally, I block out the noise - the bad people, the good people, I just focus on the fight.”

Powar can take confidence from the fact this isn’t the first time he has fought in someone else’s backyard.

His first tilt at the British crown against Welshman Edwards in Cardiff seven months ago, can still be considered something of a career breakthrough despite the night ending in controversy and frustration.

Powar threw more than 1,000 punches through 12 rounds in front of the BBC TV cameras, in a bout even the most one-eyed Edwards supporter had to agree he was the victor.

Only two of the ringside judges disagreed, however, scoring the fight a draw in one of the most unsatisfactory conclusions to a fight this year.

That disappointment, coupled with the chaos over getting his second shot at the title which began when the ordered rematch due to take place at Aldersley Leisure Village in early September fell through, has provided a valuable lesson into the volatile nature of professional boxing.

“It is the little things I have learned, the fundamentals like not everyone is going to support you,” says Powar.

“I am only 24, so I am very much still learning on the job. I have learned to stay Zen at all times, relaxed at all times and stay patient.

“All these different challenges I have gone through with different opponents, different dates, I’ve needed to stay calm.

“It took me about two weeks to get over the Edwards decision.

“I should have been British champion. Everyone knew that. But you just have to move on.

“In this sport time waits for no-one. Once I was back in the gym, I was back on it.”

It’s been far from all bad news. Powar’s performance in Cardiff, which came off the back of an impressive display in last year’s WBC Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia, drew the attention of boxing’s biggest promoters.

The deal he subsequently signed with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions offers a potential route to the top.

Admittedly, not even being picked up by a major player can guard against disruption. In August, Powar sat across from Birchall at a press conference in Birmingham city centre announcing their planned bout, scheduled for late September. Just days later, it was off, the Morecambe fighter having opted to move up to super featherweight.

All of which has led to Saturday night and a showdown with Miller, who is aiming to become British champion for a second time. The 29-year-old has not fought since August last year but represents, by any measure, the toughest of the opponents Powar could have faced.

“It’s just another challenge in front of me,” he says. “I am confident with everyone I face because I adapt to every style.

“For me it is just a stepping stone to where I want to be. I want all the names.

“I am trying to build my CV up and I want serious names on there. I want to be known as someone who faced everyone and gave it 100 per cent. I want to entertain the fans as well. That’s what I do in my fights.”

Powar also wants to inspire. There is also history in the offing on Saturday, when he can become just the second Sikh to ever win a British title.

The first, Harry Dhami, visited Powar at his Wolverhampton Boxing Club training base earlier this year as part of a documentary, Heart of a Lion, filmed in the build-up to the Edwards fight and recently released on social media.

“That was a special moment,” says Powar. “My dad always talks about watching Harry win the British welterweight title back in 2000.

“He’s not really done any interviews since hanging up the gloves. He’s been off the grid, has no social media so it was an honour to meet him and very motivating for me.

“It is all about the next generation for me. I want to inspire a whole nation, not just Sikhs but everyone through my career and the words we speak.”

Powar is picking up followers, recognised more around his home city. These next few weeks could be big not just for him but Wolverhampton boxing in general.

Conah Walker headlines the Civic Hall next month in a world welterweight title eliminator and with Walsall’s Hamza Uddin having recently claimed the British flyweight crown, the region is suddenly something of a hotbed.

“It is a great time for West Midlands boxing but especially Wolverhampton boxing as well,” says Powar. “There are going to be so many champions in one go.”