B52 Bailey off to winning start

Ian Bailey entered the realms of professional boxing with a debut victory over Delroy Spencer on Sunday.

The super-bantamweight Slough boxer won on points (59, 64) after six two-minute rounds against the Walsall fighter.

Bailey, nicknamed B52, made his bow at York Hall in Bethnall Green after spending five years training at Slough Amateur Boxing Club.

“It was a good start,” said Bailey. “He was quite tough and very experienced. But I’m a lot stronger than him. He was clever and awkward to break down so I kept up the body shots and weakened him down.

“It was an easy points decision in the end.

“It was a good way to start because you don’t want an opponent whose too easy and is going to fall over.”

The 24-year-old found that there are many differences between amateur boxing and professionalism.
“I was quite nervous,” he recalled.

"It’s different, like a new sport in a way. There’s no headguard and it’s a different way of fighting. There’s a lot more close quarter fighting and the ref lets it happen.”

Now that he has a maiden win under his belt, Bailey is keen to get back into the ring as soon as possible and record his second victory.

He said: “My next fight will be soon, within the next three months. I want to get in the ring as often as possible.”

Bailey, who is now trained by Canning Town-based Johnny Eames, started boxing when he was 18 and soon found success in the Amateur Boxing Association Championships, twice reaching the quarter-finals.

However, it was not long befor his talents were noticed and he was duly rewarded when being twice awarded the James Figg Trophy for being the best performer in the Home Counties.

Bailey had been due to fight Mo Khaled on Sunday, but the Birmingham boxer pulled out before the bout.

Anyone interested in sponsoring Ian Bailey can contact Chris Donovan at Slough Amateur Boxing Club on 07802 734879.