Nathan Heaney and Brad Pauls Put On All-Action Classic

Nathan Heaney (18-0-1, 6 KOs) and Brad Pauls (18-1-1, 10 KOs) put on a classic in their clash for the British middleweight title.

The fight headlined a Queensberry Promotions card at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, England. TNT Sports were the broadcasters for those in the UK. Viewers in the United States were able to catch the action on ESPN+. Scores for the fight were 116-113 for Heaney, 115-114 for Pauls, and one card had it 114-114. With the draw, Heaney retains his title.

Nathan Heaney and Brad Pauls All-Action to the End

Recap of Nathan Heaney vs. Brad Pauls

The early rounds saw both men staying at range for the most part. Pauls would inch forward to get closer and land his shots. Heaney’s strategy was to box at a distance. By the middle rounds, it seemed Heaney’s greater experience over 10 and 12 rounds would get him the win, as Pauls displayed fatigue around this time.

In round eight, Pauls wobbled Heaney and began to pursue the stoppage. However, Heaney’s mouthguard came out, causing a pause to the action and allowing him to recover from the barrage of punches. Despite this scare, he remained standing and recovered nicely to continue boxing at a distance in round nine.

By the eleventh, both men were showing visible exhaustion. Pauls had Heaney shaken in this round, but the British champion held on and even landed a few clean, hard shots as he avoided the canvas. When he was not going toe-to-toe, Heaney continued to box at range. The challenger was able to bank rounds in the second half of the fight by getting close and wobbling Heaney. Despite the strategies employed by the two fighters, the scorecards wound up having the bout a draw.

WHAT. A. FIGHT 😱

Nathan Heaney. Brad Pauls. TAKE A BOW 🥊#Magnificent7 pic.twitter.com/lmwJKQnsri

— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) March 17, 2024

Post-Fight Interview

Nathan Heaney

“I’m absolutely gutted,” said Heaney. “I wanted to win, I don’t wanna draw. I thought I did enough to win, but I also did let him into it as well…He caught me sometimes as well. So fair play to Brad [Pauls]. He was actually excellent.”

Brad Pauls

“Mixed emotions to be honest,” said Pauls on how he felt. “I think the crowd enjoyed it, so I’m happy about that.That belt [British title] right there, I wanted it more than anything in the world…Respect to Nathan [Heaney], he’s done it the exact same way I’ve done it. Small hall, build a fanbase. You got to respect him. I like him, I just wanted his belts. Nothing personal.”

Undercard Results

Liam Davies (16-0, 8 KOs) won via second-round technical knockout against Erik Ayala (15-2, 9 KOs) in a 12-round super bantamweight clash. Ayala went down once in the second and got up on shaky legs. A barrage of punches from Davies caused referee John Latham to stop the fight at the 1:17 mark.

Joe Joyce (16-2, 15 KOs) returned to the win column with a tenth-round knockout of Kash Ali (21-3, 12 KOs). The time of stoppage was 2:53 for this 10-round heavyweight bout. Ali went to the canvas and failed to beat the count in time, giving Joyce the victory.

In a 10-round light heavyweight clash, Zach Parker (24-1, 17 KOs) won a unanimous decision against Tyron Zeuge (27-2-1, 15 KOs). Parker went to the canvas once in the second. Scores were 98-91, 97-92 and 96-94.

Dennis McCann (15-0-1, 8 KOs) won a unanimous decision against Brad Strand (11-1, 3 KOs) in a 12-round super bantamweight bout. Strand went down in round two from a right to the head. Scores were 118-111, 116-111 and 116-112. McCann retained his Commonwealth title while also picking up the vacant British belt.

Owen Cooper (10-0, 4 KOs) is the new English welterweight champion with a stoppage win over Eithan James (12-1, 0 KOs). At the end of round nine, James’ corner chose to end the fight given how much punishment he was taking. Cooper dropped his opponent once in the first of this 10-round contest.

Opening the portion that aired live on TNT Sports, Pierce O’Leary (14-0, 8 KOs) stopped Hovhannes Martirosyan (16-1, 10 KOs) in round nine. The time of stoppage for this 10-round super lightweight bout was 2:39. Martirosyan went down in round one and did not get up in time after being dropped by a left hook in the ninth.

On the portion that aired on Queensberry Promotions’ social media channels, Ezra Taylor (8-0, 6 KOs) got a fourth-round stoppage win over Prince Oko Nartey (11-3, 10 KOs). Nartey went to the canvas in the second and fourth while also losing a point for holding in the third. Referee Kevin Parker stepped in to halt the 10-round light heavyweight contest at 2:45 of round four with Nartey still standing.