LUDLOW’S Craig Morris might have suffered his first professional defeat and lost the Midlands Area Welterweight belt on Saturday but still drew praise from his opponent’s manager.
The 24-year-old lost to Belper’s Ryan Fields, the man who surrendered the crown in order to fight for national honours back in March 2016, on points after 10 rounds at the Fenton Sports Complex, Stoke-on-Trent.
But David Coldwell, who also trains Tony Bellew, was quick to laud Morris’s efforts in an exchange on social media, describing him as “one tough fella” and that “some things can’t be taught and you have them.”
Southpaw Morris became the first boxer to defeat Nottingham’s Nathan McIntosh to take the title in only his seventh professional outing back in October.
It signalled a remarkable rise for the Shropshire star with the accolade arriving within 18 months of his first professional bout.
That win over Kevin McCauley was followed by seeing off Viktors Drizlionoks, Victor Edagha, William Warburton twice and Arvydas Trizno before stepping into the ring with McIntosh.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here