Conway wants British title chance and declares 'there's no hiding in this division'

That was the battle cry from Northampton’s Kieron Conway after he shone on the world stage at Wembley Arena last weekend.

The 24-year-old was in commanding form as he scored a unanimous points win over a battling but outclassed Macaulay McGowan on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s world heavyweight title win over Kubrat Pulev.

‘Too Class’ Conway impressed as he notched up the 16th win of his professional career, and he can now go into 2021 targeting glory and the next prize he really wants - the super welterweight British title.

The former Kings Heath amateur has already gone close, drawing a title fight with then champion Ted Cheeseman in 2019, and he now has a rematch in his sights.

And it is a rematch that could once again have a British title as the prize as it has been announced that Cheeseman will take on James Metcalf for the British title that has been vacated by Sam Eggington, with that fight set to go ahead before the end of April.

After Saturday’s win over McGowan, Conway said: “I see myself as hopefully getting the winner of that fight.

“I think we are all shouting for that though, so I guess we will all have to wait our turn.

“But I am coming, I am not going anywhere, and I will fight anyone who wants it.

“I am not avoiding or ducking anyone, the only fight that I am going to name is that I want that Ted Cheeseman fight.

"I want it for the British title because we need to put that score straight, and I have been wanting the rematch since the first fight happened.

“I think we both want it, the last one was a draw, we are both a similar age and we need to put that behind us so we can move on.

“There is no hiding in this division, and we have all just got to get the results we need.”

Conway will now take a short break and enjoy Christmas, but you can guarantee it won’t be long before he is back at work at the Team Shoe-Box gym on Harlestone Road in Duston.

He is ambitious, totally dedicated, and ready to get back in the ring as soon as he can.

“I want to be as active as possible,” said Conway.

“I am young and I stay in shape so that when the opportunity comes I am here and I am ready.”

McGowan was a late substitute to take on Conway, stepping in after Frenchman Souleymane Cissokho dropped out the week before, and he was just glad he got the chance to fight again.

“It has been frustrating, but in the end I am happy that I got a fight in the end on such a big stage, and it was job done and now we move on,” said Conway, who won the WBA Inter-Continental super welterweight title on a Matchroom Boxing Fight Night on Sky Sports in August.

“I am very grateful to get out there, and I feel I am one of the privileged ones to get two opportunities as I have done.

“And then to get this opportunity on this sort of stage, hopefully there is a good bit of exposure for me.”

The Northampton man was also quick to thank Lancastrian McGowan for answering the late call to take him on in what was a testing encounter.

“I am content with my performance, and I did what I had to do," said Conway.

“He was as tough as anything, and I hit him with everything I probably could have done.

“To be fair, I thank him a lot for stepping in at such short notice, he gave it everything and made it a good fight.”

And he added: “As soon as my hard, accurate, sharp punches land, then people go on the defensive.

"That makes it a hard night for me, because they don’t want to keep taking them all night and that is what happened.

“I just tucked up, kept walking forward and tried not to get hit too much.

“I am very confident, and I am very confident that people underestimate me.

“As soon as they take one or two stiff shots as they are coming in, they then just want to make it a hard night and survive, and I knew that was the way the fight would pan out.”