Local boxer moves one step closer to lifelong dream

The sky is the limit for local boxer Bobby Faulkner, who says it is his ‘dream’ to one day challenge for a British title.

 The man from Audenshaw has been making waves in the sport, having won all eight of his first eight fights, with the most recent coming in February. 

The 24-year-old's work ethic coupled with his supreme level of talent make him a frightening prospect, and it is easy to see why there is so much hype surrounding this young man. 

Bobby’s boxing journey began when he was just 11 years old, when he joined local club Droylsden ABC. 

After a few fights, he then moved on to Northside Boxing Club, who were known as one of the best in the country at the time.  

Here he spent the majority of his amateur career, and won two national titles between the age of 12 and 16. 

As well as his talent for boxing, Bobby was also an exceptional footballer, and spent time at both Oldham Athletic and Blackburn Rovers during his youth career. 

However, Bobby called time on his footballing career after he was released by Blackburn: 

“I was playing at a decent level but I just fell out of love with it really, when I was let go by Blackburn I decided to put all my effort into boxing rather than having to start again with football and luckily it paid off.” 

It was then that Bobby first started to get noticed: 

“I was about 15 or 16 when I really started to improve, I was around a lot of decent fighters in the gym and had to adapt my game. 

“Eventually I ended up being better than them all, and that’s when I realised I had a bit of a talent for it.” 

Bobby’s career then began to level up even further when he began training with boxing icon Anthony Crolla. 

Bobby admits that although it is second nature to him now, it took a while to get used to being trained by such a high-profile star: 

“It’s just like everyday life now but it was mad at first because he was like a celebrity to me.  

“I’m used to it now though and we have a great relationship.” 

One of Bobby’s biggest fights of his career so far took place in February of this year, when he was involved in his first ever six round fight, defeating Ukranian Mykhailo Sovtus in Oldham. 

This was a huge step in Bobby’s journey, which he says was a ‘fantastic learning experience’ for him. 

Bobby is hopeful his next fight can be organised for late June/ early July, but this is yet to be confirmed. 

In the meantime, he has been training hard in preparation for his next bout. 

“I try to stay in the gym all the time really but in terms of training camps you need six weeks minimum before a fight. 

“These involve all types of training as well as boxing, I do a lot of sprints and interval stuff alongside fighting. 

“I don’t really mind training it’s something that I enjoy, I’m just not the biggest fan of the dieting side of things.” 

The man from Audenshaw also has to balance his busy training schedule with his work life, which he admits can be tough: 

“When I do work, it’s with my old man building swimming pools, so it’s always working away more or less. 

"It’s tough to fit my work hours in because I train so much but I try and do at least one week of work a month just to keep me afloat.” 

By his own admission, the past few years have been tough for 24-year-old as his progress through the ranks has been a little slower than he would have liked:  

“It’s been a bit of a struggle to move up the ranks over recent years but my next three or four fights should hopefully get me within title contention.” 

Despite this, trainer Anthony Crolla has no doubt that Bobby will make it right to the very top: 

“He’s one of the best kept secrets in the Manchester boxing scene and it’s becoming harder to keep it that way as more and more people are getting to know about him. 

“His boxing IQ is second to none and he’s the most talented fighter in our gym which is full of so many exceptional fighters. 

“I really believe he can do something he just needs a break, and I’m sure his chance on the big stage will come soon.”