ON TARGET: Branch scores his first stoppage victory
Photos: ACTION IMAGES/ANDREW COULDRIDGE
A FORMER WORLD CHAMPION WANTS ME TO BE HIS SPARRING PARNTER. WHAT AN HONOUR! I CAN’T BELIEVE HE KNEW WHO I WAS”
IT’S now more than 12 months since I first met James Branch. During that time, the fledgling prizefighter has won his first five fights. Things may not have gone quite so smoothly as anticipated – many of James’ opponents have shown a marked reluctance to fold under pressure. But the young cruiserweight can afford to feel satisfied with his end-of-term report in the paid ranks – particularly as he has just recorded his first stoppage: a tworound blowout of the Czech Republic’s Jan Hrazdira.