For years, British boxing was dominated by a constant stream of high-profile Olympians.
No sooner had one group of fighters established themselves as headline attractions than the Olympic cycle would churn out another batch of top-quality prospects to follow in their footsteps.
Slowly but surely, things changed.
These days, most of the fighters topping bills on Saturday nights and competing for major titles aren’t those who spent long, successful amateur careers collecting medals at the highest possible level. They are fighters who have had to battle their way up through the small hall circuit or work their way up through undercards.
Things are changing again. Undercards are quickly being filled by talented young boxers who enjoyed plenty of domestic success boxing as amateurs but have decided to turn professional rather than giving their best years to the unpaid code.
Dan Toward is one of the new breed. The unbeaten junior middleweight crammed a lot into his 82 amateur fights – winning an ABA title and representing Team GB – but the 23-year-old’s intention was always to become a professional.
Toward, 4-0 (3 KOs), will make his third appearance of the year this Friday when he boxes Colombian puncher, Johan Nova, 9-1 (7 KOs), in Newcastle. The fight will be screened live on Channel 5.
“A lot of fighters who stay amateur long, when they do turn over pro, they rush, they pick up injuries early on, they’re in and out of the gym because of lifestyle things,” the junior middleweight told BoxingScene. “For myself, the dream was always to turn pro. I think there’s no better way than to learn on the job. I wanted to turn over early, get busy and get active, and that’s what we’ve done so far.”
Toward has seen his old amateur international teammates, Dennis McCann, Moses Itauma and Adam Azim, enjoy plenty of success after turning over as youngsters and, so far, it looks like he is more than capable of following them.
He has cruised to four straight wins since becoming a professional last December and the ease in which he has swept aside his opposition has already seen him moved into the fast lane.
Toward didn’t dip his toe into life as a professional. He left his home in the North East to train with Dave Coldwell in Rotherham and attacked his new career head on. The new routine did take some getting used to but it didn’t come as too much of a shock to Toward’s system. He thinks that he made the move at exactly the right time.
“I had a bit of an insight already because when I was still amateur on the GB squad, I’d be back home training at the Birtley gym and you had the likes of Cyrus Patterson, Callum French, Mark Dickinson and all them sort of fighters,” he said. “They were already pros, so I had a bit more of an insight than some fighters but it definitely takes a lot of adjusting too.
“There’s the longer rounds and the littler gloves and you’ve got to adjust your style, but I feel like I’m coming in to my own now and developing really well.
“I think the best pros normally come with amateur pedigree, but not spending too long in the amateurs is what’s best for a fighter.”
There is one major difference that Toward has noticed – and felt – during his four fights.
“Clipping someone in the little 10-ounce gloves, that’s definitely different than them padded 12-ounce pillows,” he laughed.
“You’ve got to have that bit of spite, that bit of nastiness in you where you want to entertain.
“That’s what people pay their hard-earned money to come and see. They want to see people getting knocked out and exciting performances.”
Toward’s promoter, Nisse Sauerland, is clearly pleased with his progress and has seen enough to convince him that he can afford to be ambitious with him.
Whilst his promotional deal and contract means that he may not have to spend quite as much time worrying about selling tickets and building his own profile as most prospects do, Toward’s situation does brings its own type of pressure.
Being praised to the hilt by his promoter and then having the very early stages of his career screened on terrestrial television on Channel 5 could easily result in a young fighter boxing with the weight of the world on their shoulders but, so far, Toward is enjoying the attention.
“Pressure is a privilege,” he said. “I feel like I box best under pressure. It shows the belief that my promoters and my manager have in me and, if you look at my resume, I’ve never fought a fighter with a losing record and that’s what I want. That’s when you’re going to see the best version of Dan Toward on the night, when a fighter comes and tries to win. I’ll make them pay for that.
“It’s a mutual thing,” he said about his level of opposition. “We both know where I’m at. We both believe where I’m going to get in the sport so every fight is a step up, and I’m just looking to keep pushing on.
“I feel like I’m adjusting and learning well with Dave. He’s a very experienced trainer with a track record of creating champions and I’m looking to follow on and add to that collection.”
John Evans has contributed to a number of well-known publications and websites for over a decade. You can follow John on X @John_Evans79.