In a last-minute change to the bill for BRAGGING RIGHTS at Nottingham’s Harvey Hadden Stadium on Saturday 6 July, Chad will now face Lancashire-based Luke Blackledge in an 8-round Light Heavyweight Main Event.

Ranked Number 9 in the UK and a former Commonwealth champion, Luke replaces Chad’s original opponent Sebastian Slusarczyk, who has been forced to pull out due to injury.

“Just a couple of days ago, we lost Chad’s opponent for the Midlands Light Heavyweight title,” said his head coach, Dean Sugden.

“But in true Suggy’s Gym fashion, I didn’t want to tell Chad, his sponsors or his fans that we were going to replace Seb with a soft option. We’ve trained so hard and prepared meticulously for this fight, leaving no stone unturned in the camp leading up to it, so we wanted a real test, against a real opponent.

““With no one else willing or able to step up and face Chad for the title, I’m absolutely delighted that’s exactly what we have in this bout with Luke, who has 26 wins and only six losses on his record. One of these was against current undisputed WBC World Champion Callum Smith, who was taken 10 rounds by Luke, whose other losses were all at World level.”

The Suggy’s Gym pro boxer has been working with Dr Scott Robinson, who is widely recognised as the best nutritionist in the business and who looks after Callum Smith, Scott Quigg and Kal Yafai among others.

Scott’s aim is to ensure Chad makes weight safely for the July match up. But more importantly, using all the science available, he has been making sure the Newarker maintains muscle and steady fat loss during the camp, fuels his sessions well and primes his energy systems ready to unleash the beast on fight night.

Working with Scott has also allowed Chad to secure performance chef Daniel Sargeant to cover his post-weigh in meals on both the Friday and Saturday.

”Chad has been a pleasure to work with over the past few months, listening to everything and implementing it all perfectly,” said Scott.

“And Dan is quite simply the best chef I’ve ever worked with so having him on board will be another huge advantage for us. He is truly world class, which is evidenced by the fact that he has been Harry Kane’s private chef for the past four seasons, cooking every single meal for him, and also works with Troy Deeney, Callum, Scott and Kal.”

In the build up to the event, Chad has sparred with several unbeaten boxers, at Light Heavyweight, Super Middleweight and Heavyweight, looking strong, dominant and as slick as ever throughout.

“He’s also been working with his long-term sparring partner Gary Mayor who is a great guy to have on the team,” said Dean. “He and Chad really do push each other along every time they spar.

“Taking all of this into account, there’s absolutely no doubt that we’re more than ready for anything Luke will bring to the party.

“Although Chad’s disappointed to lose Seb, as he wanted to put on a master class show and bring the Midlands title to Newark, I think we both had a feeling he would pull out. Now we’re buzzing to be testing our skills against a much higher ranked, higher calibre fighter. It’s a major bonus for all the fans and supporters who have already committed to this event – things just got REALLY exciting for Saturday 6 July.”

Chad commented: “Thanks to both Scott Calow, the show promoter, and to Dean for securing a fight that’s going to be even better than the one originally on the cards for me next month. I can’t wait to show everyone that the hype is real and I’m here to become not just champion of the Midlands but to take over and become champion of the world one day.”

“Newark has always done Chad proud and his fans and followers have gone above and beyond this time,” added Dean. “We’ve literally sold more tickets than ever before and, with a seven fight card featuring Ekow Essuman and this epic battle between Chad and Luke as the Main Event, the stadium will be packed to the rafters for this one.”

Doors open at 6.30pm, with the first bell at 7.30pm, and Chad is likely to be walking out to the ring around 9pm. Limited tickets are on sale via the Suggy’s Gym hotline – 07816 840920 – and transport is also available from Newark on a first come, first served basis.

Pictures by Rick Wilks, Primal Pixels Photography